The group met while in high school at Kingston Collegiate Vocational Institute (KCVI) and all attended Queen's University in Kingston. They started as a cover band playing Rolling Stones and Doors covers, and were first represented by a local Kingston agent named Bernie Dobson.
They were first signed in 1987 after Bruce Dickinson, the then VP of A&R at MCA Records saw them perform live at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ontario. Later that year they released their debut EP The Tragically Hip, though they were largely unrecognized until 1989's Up To Here. Up To Here established them as one of the best and most influential bands in Canada. In 1992, they created the Another Roadside Attraction festival, which tours Canada to promote smaller, unknown emerging bands.
The band is immensely popular in Canada. Although they have never achieved great success in the United States, they have never specifically sought it and have enjoyed their warm Canadian reception. When touring in Canada they typically play to sold-out arenas; when touring in the United States they play smaller venues and clubs. Performances abroad are usually attended by Canadian expatriates. In Europe, The Hip perhaps have their greatest following in the Netherlands.
The band permits recordings of their performances, so an active trading community thrives. The tone and content of much of their music is a paean to the Canadian experience and touches on such themes as small-town life, geography, and hockey.
The Tragically Hip received a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2002, and they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2005 Juno Awards. They have performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and played a three-song set at the worldwide broadcast Live 8 benefit concert on July 2nd, 2005 to help make poverty history for the poor African nations.
On April 7th, 2009, the band's twelfth album We Are The Same was being released in North America, and it immediately rose to Number 1 on the Canadian charts. The album features twelve diverse new recordings produced by Bob Rock who had produced 2007's World Container and is perhaps best known for his work with Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, The Offspring, Michael Bublé and Simple Plan. This album features songs that range from "levity and light to melancholy and anger" according to the band's website. Recorded primarily at The Bathouse Studio, band's recording studio located in a historical coach house west of their hometown, Kingston, Ontario, and its first single was "Love Is A First", which features the ironical addictive hook, 'love is a curse'.
Despite some side solo projects in the past couple of years, the band has completed a new studio album at The Bathouse Studio and in Toronto with Gavin Brown, who is perhaps best known for his work producing Metric, Three Days Grace, Barenaked Ladies and Billy Talent. The album is entitled Now For Plan A and it was released on October 2nd, 2012. This album's first singles were "At Transformation" and "Streets Ahead" and they are available on iTunes and through the band's website.
Man Machine Poem is the fourteenth studio album which is scheduled to be released June 17th, 2016. The album takes its name from a track on their Gold-selling 2012 release, Now For Plan A, and it was recorded at The Hip’s home studio The Bathouse, produced by Kevin Drew, founding member and producer of Broken Social Scene, Andy Kim (singer, songwriter and Arts & Crafts label co-founder) and Dave Hamelin, songwriter and producer from The Stills and Eight and a Half. Album pre-orders are currently available on either CD or Vinyl through the band's "Gift Shop" on their official website: www.TheHip.com or digitally through iTunes. “In A World Possessed By The Human Mind” and “Tired As Fuck" were its first singles, and both were made immediately available for digital download with the album's pre-order.
Early on May 24, 2016, The Tragically Hip announced via a post on their official website and through e-mail subscribers that its lead singer and primary lyricist, Gord Downie, is suffering from aggressive terminal brain cancer, and that the band will do one final national Canadian tour "For Gord". Concert dates for this final tour were available on-line through Ticketmaster, but sold out in minutes. There was a national outcry from devoted fans who claimed that scalpers had scooped up most of the tour's tickets using "bots". Petitions were filed to successfully encourage Canada's national television network, the CBC, to produce and air Live the final August 20, 2016 concert. Broadcast live from the band's hometown, at Kingston's Rogers K-Rock Centre, a national audience viewed The Tragically Hip's final tour show, The concert opened with "50 Mission Cap" and ended almost two hours later, after a third encore, with "Ahead By A Century". All proceeds from the tour were donated to The Gord Downie Fund, at the Sunnybrook Foundation for Brain Cancer Research. Donations can be sent to: http://sunnybrook.ca/foundation.
For the latest band details, please visit their official website: www.TheHip.com.
A Beautiful Thing
The Tragically Hip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way it always does, for it's ransom
So randomly, somebody calls
The phone rings and it brings Niagara Falls
At 3 o'clock in the morning
You'd better be dyin', you were
So we talked about time and where it went
One day took two days and they got spent
How you'd continue
Carefully in degrees
Trying to do one true beautiful thing
And your beautiful thing
It'd be a beautiful thing
To see that beautiful thing continuing
I don't live there, I just commute
Secretly cradling a joint, I might puke
Fumble with the keys, under duress
The point is, this is, practice duress
3 o'clock in the morning
You'd better be dying' and you were
So we talked about things and where they went
Big remarkable events and how
Each day's a new day and they get spent
How you'd continue, artfully, like the breeze
Trying to do one true beautiful thing
Your beautiful thing
It'd be a beautiful thing to see
That beautiful thing continuing
Your beautiful thing continuing
Your beautiful thing will be
A beautiful thing to me
A beautiful thing continuing
Your beautiful thing continuing
The Tragically Hip's A Beautiful Thing is a poignant meditation on the nature of time, mortality, and the value of pursuing a beautiful thing in life. The first verse highlights the strange ways in which perspective can come to us, particularly during times of silence, and how this perspective can bring clarity and insight even when it's unwelcome. The mention of the ransom is particularly interesting since it suggests that obtaining a new perspective may come at a cost or requires sacrifice. The sudden phone call interrupts the introspection, bringing a jolt of emotion and intensity that is likened to the overwhelming force of Niagara Falls.
The song then pivots to a conversation that takes place in the middle of the night between two people who are grappling with their own mortality. There is a sense of urgency and desperation in the lyrics since it's implied that one of the singers is sick or dying. The reference to time and unremarkable events that go unacknowledged emphasizes the fleeting nature of life and how easily it can slip away. In this context, the idea of doing a true beautiful thing becomes both a mission and a measure of value. The final stanza is perhaps the most moving as the singer imagines the continuation of this beautiful thing, whatever it may be, even after the singer is gone.
In sum, A Beautiful Thing is a song that encourages us to appreciate and cherish the time we have and to strive to create something that is beautiful and meaningful. It's a true testament to the power of music to touch the soul and inspire us to be better, more compassionate beings.
Line by Line Meaning
In the ulcerating silence, perspective comes
In moments of painful silence, one gains a new perspective.
The way it always does, for it's ransom
This is a regular occurrence and one has to pay the price.
So randomly, somebody calls
A call comes out of the blue.
The phone rings and it brings Niagara Falls
The sound of the phone is overwhelming and emotional.
At 3 o'clock in the morning
It's an odd hour of the night.
You'd better be dyin', you were
It's expected that only a serious matter would result in a call at such an hour.
So we talked about time and where it went
The conversation is about something intangible - time.
Unremarkable events and how
Events that may seem insignificant are brought up.
One day took two days and they got spent
Time passed slowly, and it's hard to account for how it was used.
How you'd continue
The conversation shifts to talking about oneself.
Carefully, in degrees
Continuing thoughtfully and deliberately.
Trying to do one true beautiful thing
A personal goal is to achieve one significant accomplishment.
And your beautiful thing
The accomplishment one is striving for.
It'd be a beautiful thing
The realization of this goal would be fulfilling.
To see that beautiful thing continuing
Witnessing the continuation of that accomplishment would be gratifying.
I don't live there, I just commute
The artist is just passing through, not a permanent resident.
Secretly cradling a joint, I might puke
The artist is pretending to be calm, but is actually quite nauseous.
Fumble with the keys, under duress
The singer is under pressure and struggling in the moment.
The point is, this is, practice duress
This is a test of one's ability to handle intense situations.
Big remarkable events and how
The conversation has shifted to reflect on significant, memorable events.
Each day's a new day and they get spent
Each day passes quickly and is filled with opportunities.
How you'd continue, artfully, like the breeze
Planning to continue artfully, like a gentle wind.
Trying to do one true beautiful thing
Continuing to strive for a significant personal accomplishment.
Your beautiful thing
The artist is addressing the listener directly to remind them of their personal goal.
It'd be a beautiful thing to see
The singer hopes to witness the realization of the listener's goal.
That beautiful thing continuing
The singer hopes for the continued success of the listener's personal accomplishment.
Your beautiful thing will be
The singer acknowledges the listener's potential.
A beautiful thing to me
The artist will admire and appreciate the listener's accomplishment.
A beautiful thing continuing
The artist hopes for the continued success of the listener's personal accomplishment.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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