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 BublƩ 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 Hipās 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. āIn A World Possessed By The Human Mindā and āTired 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.
Fireworks
The Tragically Hip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was back in ol' 72
We all squeezed the stick and we all pulled the trigger
And all I remember is sitting beside you
You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey
And I never saw someone say that before
You held my hand and we walked home the long way
Isn't it amazing anything's accomplished?
When the little sensation gets in your way
Not one ambition whisperin' over your shoulder
Isn't it amazing you can do anything?
We hung out together every single moment
'Cause that's what we thought married people do
Complete with the grip of artificial chaos
And believing in the country of me and you
Crisis of faith and crisis in the Kremlin
And yea we'd heard all of that before
It's wintertime, the house is solitude with options
And loosening the grip on a fake cold war
Isn't it amazing what you can accomplish?
When you don't let the nation get in your way
No ambition whisperin' over your shoulder
Isn't it amazing you can do anything?
Next to your comrades in the national fitness program
Caught in some eternal flexed arm hang
Droppin' to the mat in a fit of laughter
Showed no patience, tolerance or restraint
Fireworks exploding in the distance
Temporary towers soar
Fireworks emulating heaven
'Til there are no stars anymore
Fireworks aiming straight at heaven
Temporary towers soar
'Til there are no stars shining up in heaven
'Til there are no stars anymore
Isn't it amazing what you can accomplish?
When the little sensation gets in your way
No ambition whisperin' over your shoulder
Oh isn't it amazing what you can accomplish? Eh
This one thing probably never goes away
I think this one thing is always supposed to stay
Oh, this one thing doesn't have to go away
The song "Fireworks" by The Tragically Hip tells a story of nostalgia for a past relationship, with a focus on the power of shared memories and the ability to overcome barriers. The first verse refers to the 1972 Summit Series, a hockey competition between Canada and the Soviet Union, which was a defining moment in Canadian history. The singer recalls sitting beside someone they cared about during this time, and realizing that they could let go of their own ambitions and desires in favor of something shared.
The second verse expands on this idea of shared experiences, asserting that it is amazing what people can accomplish when they don't let external forces get in their way. The song then takes a turn towards the personal, with a reflection on the singer's own relationship. They describe being in the grips of "artificial chaos", perhaps referring to a sense of uncertainty or instability, but still believing in the partnership with their loved one.
The final verse takes a more surreal turn, describing a scene of physical exertion and laughter. The image of fireworks serves as a metaphor for the fleeting, temporary nature of both memories and successes; even as we reach towards the heavens, we know that they won't last forever.
Overall, the song paints a picture of someone looking back on a time when they felt invincible, both as a member of a larger community (such as a hockey fan) and as an individual in a romantic relationship. The lyrics suggest that there is something uniquely powerful about being able to let go of personal desires and share in a collective experience.
Line by Line Meaning
If there's a goal that everyone remembers
If there's an important moment that everyone looks back on
It was back in ol' 72
It was during the year 1972
We all squeezed the stick and we all pulled the trigger
We all worked hard and did our best
And all I remember is sitting beside you
And all I remember is being with you
You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey
You said you didn't care about hockey
And I never saw someone say that before
And I had never heard anyone say that before
You held my hand and we walked home the long way
You held my hand and we took the longer route home
You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr
You were helping me let go of my obsession with Bobby Orr (a famous hockey player)
Isn't it amazing anything's accomplished?
It's amazing that anything gets accomplished
When the little sensation gets in your way
When small things distract you from your goals
Not one ambition whisperin' over your shoulder
When there are no doubts or ambitions holding you back
Isn't it amazing you can do anything?
It's amazing what you can achieve
We hung out together every single moment
We spent every moment together
'Cause that's what we thought married people do
Because we thought that's what married people did
Complete with the grip of artificial chaos
Full of the illusion of chaos
And believing in the country of me and you
And having faith in our relationship
Crisis of faith and crisis in the Kremlin
Losing faith and facing political turmoil
And yea we'd heard all of that before
And yes, we had heard of those things before
It's wintertime, the house is solitude with options
It's winter and the house has many possibilities
And loosening the grip on a fake cold war
Letting go of the idea of a fake cold war
Next to your comrades in the national fitness program
Alongside your friends in the national fitness program
Caught in some eternal flexed arm hang
Stuck in an eternal exercise position
Droppin' to the mat in a fit of laughter
Falling to the ground laughing
Showed no patience, tolerance or restraint
Didn't have patience, tolerance, or restraint
Fireworks exploding in the distance
Fireworks going off in the distance
Temporary towers soar
Temporary structures rise
Fireworks emulating heaven
Fireworks imitating the heavens
'Til there are no stars anymore
Until there are no more stars visible
Fireworks aiming straight at heaven
Fireworks shooting straight up to the heavens
Temporary towers soar
Temporary structures rise
'Til there are no stars shining up in heaven
Until no stars are visible in the sky
'Til there are no stars anymore
Until there are no more stars visible
Isn't it amazing what you can accomplish?
It's amazing what you can achieve
When the little sensation gets in your way
When small things distract you from your goals
No ambition whisperin' over your shoulder
When there are no doubts or ambitions holding you back
Oh isn't it amazing what you can accomplish? Eh
Oh, it's amazing what you can achieve
This one thing probably never goes away
This one feeling probably never disappears
I think this one thing is always supposed to stay
I think this one feeling is meant to last
Oh, this one thing doesn't have to go away
This one feeling doesn't have to disappear
Lyrics Ā© Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Gordon Downie, Johnny Fay, Joseph Paul Langlois, Robert Baker, Robert Gordon Sinclair
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pauldavidpalacio4886
If there's a goal that everyone remembers
It was back in ol' 72
We all squeezed the stick and we all pulled the trigger
And all I remember is sitting beside you
You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey
And I never saw someone say that before
You held my hand and we walked home the long way
You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr
Isn't it amazing anything's accomplished?
When the little sensation gets in your way
Not one ambition whisperin' over your shoulder
Isn't it amazing you can do anything?
We hung out together every single moment
'Cause that's what we thought married people do
Complete with the grip of artificial chaos
And believing in the country of me and you
Crisis of faith and crisis in the Kremlin
And yea we'd heard all of that before
It's wintertime, the house is solitude with options
And loosening the grip on a fake cold war
Isn't it amazing what you can accomplish?
When you don't let the nation get in your way
No ambition whisperin' over your shoulder
Isn't it amazing you can do anything?
Next to your comrades in the national fitness program
Caught in some eternal flexed arm hang
Droppin' to the mat in a fit of laughter
Showed no patience, tolerance or restraint
Fireworks exploding in the distance
Temporary towers soar
Fireworks emulating heaven
'Til there are no stars anymore
Fireworks aiming straight at heaven
Temporary towers soar
'Til there are no stars shining up in heaven
'Til there are no stars anymore
Isn't it amazing what you can accomplish?
When the little sensation gets in your way
No ambition whisperin' over your shoulder
Oh isn't it amazing what you can accomplish? Eh
This one thing probably never goes away
I think this one thing is always supposed to stay
Oh, this one thing doesn't have to go away
@HiVizCamo
Probably Gord's best poem, embedded in a one of their best songs:
"Fireworks exploding in the distance
Temporary towers soar
Fireworks emulating heaven
Till there are no stars any more
Fireworks aiming straight at heaven
Temporary towers soar
Till there are no stars shining up in heaven
Till there are no stars any more"
@curtchaplin
Love for The Hip and all Hip fans... from America. We understand that 1972 goal.
@buckodonnghaile4309
And we north of the border remember a certain miracle on ice back in 1980. Cheers bud.
@bonniec5717
We lost Gordie last night. Every Toronto station is playing The Hip today. I've tried to listen to Wheat Kings but find myself in tears as soon as I hear the loon in the intro. Hoping Fireworks will be easier on my heart. Thank you Gord for singing about us.....You are truly Canada's poet & national treasure.
@mucdoc
Good post
@laura-louisetobin6098
"this one thing doesn't have to go aware"
@canamsledder
And he is missed even more 4 years later.
@Vatch1966
R.I.P. GORD DOWNIE 1964-2017.... A Nation mourning the loss of a great icon to our country.
@ChrisGorski
Sending all our love from south of the border. Buffalo, NY salutes the Tragically Hip!
@radioparadisiac
Nice. big Hip fan in Philly here
@zachshalack4205
Live in Fredonia(about 40 mins from Buffalo, the boarder), T-hip forever.. RIP Gord..