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.
Blow At High Dough
The Tragically Hip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody was in it, from miles around
Out at the speedway, some kind of Elvis thing
Well, I ain't no movie star
But I can get behind anything
Yeah, I can get behind anything
Get it out, get it all out
Make it last, make it last
Least until the supper bell rings
Well the taxi driver likes his rhythm
Never likes the stops
Throes of passion, throes of passion
When something just threw him off
Well, sometimes the faster it gets
The less you need to know
But you gotta remember
The smarter it gets
The further it's gonna go
When you blow at high dough
When you blow at high dough
Baby, I feel fine
I'm pretty sure it's genuine
It makes no sense, no it makes no sense
But I'll take it free anytime
Whoever fits her usually gets her
It was the strangest thing how she moved so fast, moved so fast
Into that wedding ring
Well, sometimes the faster it gets
The less you need to know
But you gotta remember
The smarter it gets
The further it's gonna go
When you blow at high dough
When you blow at high dough
Out at the speedway, same Elvis thing
Well I can't catch her, but I can get behind anything
Yea I can get behind anything
Well I can get behind anything
Well, sometimes the faster it gets
The less you need to know
But you gotta remember
The smarter it gets
The further it's gonna go
When you blow at high dough
When you blow at high dough
Yeah, blow at high dough
Blow at high dough
Out at the speedway, some Elvis thing
"Blow At High Dough" by The Tragically Hip speaks about the experience of witnessing a movie being shot in the hometown of the singer. The entire community was part of the movie shoot done at the speedway, where an Elvis-themed film was filmed. Although he isn't a movie star, the singer can get behind anything, which showcases his versatility in supporting those around him. The singer then shifts to a conversation about passion and rhythm that the taxi driver at the speedway enjoys. The song then takes an interesting twist, with the singer discussing a woman who moves so fast but ends up in a wedding ring, with the person who fits her getting her.
The chorus comes in, and it speaks about how sometimes, the faster life gets, the less information or details one needs to know. The singer warns that, regardless of the situation, the smarter it gets, the further it's going to go. The song concludes with the singer reflecting on the speedway once more, with the Elvis thing, suggesting that he cannot catch up with the activities there; rather, he can get behind anything.
Line by Line Meaning
Out at the speedway, some Elvis thing
The scene is set at the local speedway where an Elvis-inspired event is taking place
Well, I ain't no movie star
The singer acknowledges that they are not a movie star
But I can get behind anything
However, they are open and willing to participate or support anything that comes their way
They shot a movie once, in my hometown
A movie was filmed in the artist's hometown and it drew a large crowd of local talent
Everybody was in it, from miles around
Most of the town's people were involved in the making of the movie, coming from surrounding areas to participate
Yeah, I can get behind anything
The singer reiterates their willingness to support and participate
Get it out, get it all out
The singer urges for full expression
Yeah stretch that thing
They further encourage full self-expression
Make it last, make it last
The artist hopes that the moment can be prolonged, at least until the next meal
Least until the supper bell rings
The artist sets a specific timeframe until full expression is encouraged
Well the taxi driver likes his rhythm
The singer shifts focus to a taxi driver and their preference for a consistent beat
Never likes the stops
The taxi driver does not enjoy the breaks or pauses in the rhythm
Throes of passion, throes of passion
The singer describes a heightened state of passion or emotion, possibly felt by the taxi driver
When something just threw him off
However, something unexpected has disrupted the flow of the taxi driver's rhythm
Well, sometimes the faster it gets
The singer reflects on how speed can affect the amount of information needed to process a situation
The less you need to know
They suggest that the faster the pace, the less information required to understand what's going on
But you gotta remember
Nonetheless, the artist reminds listeners that their intelligence impacts how far they can take the situation
The smarter it gets
The smarter one is, the greater the potential for successful outcomes
The further it's gonna go
The singer highlights the connection between intelligence and potential, suggesting that the smarter one is, the more successful they will be
When you blow at high dough
The phrase 'blow at high dough' may mean taking risks, with the potential for great reward
Baby, I feel fine
The artist expresses a positive mood
I'm pretty sure it's genuine
They have faith in the authenticity of their positive feelings
It makes no sense, no it makes no sense
The good feeling is illogical but that doesn't strip it of its authenticity
But I'll take it free anytime
The artist is grateful for the good feeling, regardless of its lack of sense
Whoever fits her usually gets her
The singer notes that the most fitting partner will usually win over their love interest
It was the strangest thing how she moved so fast, moved so fast
Their love interest moved quickly into a committed relationship, surprising the singer
Into that wedding ring
The relationship resulted in a marriage, symbolized by the wedding ring
Yeah, blow at high dough
The phrase 'blow at high dough' is repeated, emphasizing its importance in taking risks and reaching for success
Blow at high dough
The chorus is repeated, driving home the importance of taking risks and the potential for success
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Gordon Downie, Gordon Sinclair, Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, Robert Baker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dick Rathcock
Saw these guys live in '89 at the Ballard Firehouse in Seattle, totally blew everyone away. To this day, one of the most high-energy, kick-ass shows I have ever seen. Our prayers are with you, Gordie.
OG Ghost Prepper
You either love the Hip, or you have no taste. God bless Gord Downey, God speed to you, poet.
Dinosaur Sr
Amen . Same here in Montreal. Burnt the place down.
Huttman
Every camping trip, every fishing trip, every god damn camp fire, hockey tournaments, beers after puck. Thanks for the memories boys
Scott Macleod
Work thier way into your life eh, but it's all good because like me at work when it's hard and futile...think of a hip tune like Nautical Disaster, sing a few lines and get my head straight and not kill any of the bosses that day. Hahaha
Cam
The hip + Hockey = about as Canadian as it gets
MIke Wazowski
@Cam you got it exactly correct
Agassiz Drilling
That is probably the best thing that I have ever read. Well done.
PacerMonkey
The Hip are more Canadian than I am. Tons of people from 5-99 years old love the hip. Canada’s band for the past 35 years. Gord was way too ahead of his time and was needed somewhere more important.
Sean Bolton
If you walk into a bar an hear this tune, you know it's going to be a good night !