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.
In A World Possessed By The Human Mind
The Tragically Hip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It can all be lies
Exciting over fair or the right thing at the right time
Everything is clear
Just how you described
The way it appears, a world possessed by the human mind
Then I think I smiled
And quietly I dressed, in a world completely possessed by the human mind
We're in awe of no one
We've none of their fear
Fighting's goin' nowhere and we stay right here
Where's everything is quiet
A little super dangerous
In the shadow of the law and with colours of justice
Then I hope I smiled
Then I'm sure you said, "it's fine"
They got no interest in a world completely possessed by the human mind
Everything is quiet
A little super dangerous
Quiet enough to hear god rustlin' around in the bushes
Oh, but it was you
Girl, I was so afraid
You said, "you shoulda seen the look on yer face"
Then I hope I laughed
Then I hope I said, "it's fine"
And quietly undressed in a world completely possessed by the human mind
Oh it was you
Girl, I was so afraid
You said, "you shoulda seen the look on yer face"
The Tragically Hip's song "In A World Possessed By The Human Mind" is a powerful commentary on the state of society, particularly in relation to how humans interact with news media. The song begins by expressing skepticism towards news media, as the lyrics suggest that news can often be lies and that it is difficult to distinguish between what is exciting and what is fair or right. The chorus of the song emphasizes this idea, stating that the world is "possessed" by the human mind, suggesting that humans are constantly seeking to control their environment and shape their own narratives.
As the song progresses, the lyrics begin to focus more specifically on the dangers of relying too heavily on news media and the negative effects it can have on society. The second verse features the line "fighting's goin' nowhere and we stay right here," providing commentary on the seemingly never-ending nature of conflict in the world and the ways in which news media can perpetuate this cycle. The chorus also takes on a more ominous tone in this second iteration, with the addition of the line "in the shadow of the law and with colours of justice," which suggests that even justice can be distorted by the human desire for power and control.
The final verse of the song features a twist, as the singer realizes that the person they have been addressing throughout the song has been with them the whole time. This realization is accompanied by a shift in tone, as the lyrics suggest a certain amount of comfort and acceptance in the world possessed by the human mind. Although the world may be dangerous and overwhelming, it is ultimately manageable when faced with the support and companionship of others.
Line by Line Meaning
Just give me the news
I want to know what's going on in the world
It can all be lies
I am aware that the news can be untruthful
Exciting over fair or the right thing at the right time
The news is often biased towards sensationalism rather than accuracy
Everything is clear
Despite the news being questionable, I feel confident in my understanding of the world
Just how you described
The world appears to be exactly as it has been reported
The way it appears, a world possessed by the human mind
The way we perceive the world is largely determined by our collective human consciousness
Then I think I smiled
I felt content with my understanding of the world
Then I think you said, "it's fine"
Someone else reassured me that my understanding of the world was accurate
And quietly I dressed, in a world completely possessed by the human mind
I went about my day despite recognizing that the world is shaped by human consciousness
We're in awe of no one
We are not easily impressed or intimidated by others
We've none of their fear
We do not share the common fears of others
Fighting's goin' nowhere and we stay right here
We are not interested in conflict and will remain neutral
Where's everything is quiet
There is a sense of stillness in our environment
A little super dangerous
Despite the apparent tranquility, there is an underlying danger present
In the shadow of the law and with colours of justice
There is an adherence to law and order and the sense that justice will prevail
Then I hope I smiled
I felt content with the present situation
Then I'm sure you said, "it's fine"
Someone else reassured me that things were going well
They got no interest in a world completely possessed by the human mind
Those who do not acknowledge the power of human consciousness are not interested in understanding the world as it truly is
Quiet enough to hear god rustlin' around in the bushes
The stillness of our environment allows us to contemplate deeper philosophical ideas, such as the nature of God
Oh, but it was you
I recognize that someone close to me has helped me achieve my sense of understanding
Girl, I was so afraid
Despite my confidence, I still have moments of uncertainty and fear
You said, "you shoulda seen the look on yer face"
Someone close to me was amused by my moment of uncertainty
Then I hope I laughed
I was able to find humor in my moment of uncertainty
Then I hope I said, "it's fine"
I reassured myself (or someone else) that everything was alright
And quietly undressed in a world completely possessed by the human mind
Despite moments of uncertainty, I am able to continue with my day-to-day life in a world shaped by human consciousness
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GORDON DOWNIE, ROBERT BAKER, GORDON SINCLAIR, JOHNNY FAY, PAUL LANGLOIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alex Bell
The lyrics, incase anyone was as excited as I am by this!
Just gimme the news
It could all be lies
Exciting over fair or
the right thing at the right time
Everything is clear
just how you described
the way it appears our world possessed by the human mind
then i think i smiled
then i think you said “its fine”
and i quietly I dressed, in a world
completely possessed by the human mind
we're in awe of no one
we've none of their fear
fighting's going nowhere and we stay right here
well everything is quiet
a little SUPER-DANGEROUS
shadow of the law
and with colours of justice
then i hope i smiled
then im sure you said its fine
they got no interest in a world
completely possessed by the human mind
everything is quiet
little SUPER DANGEROUS
quiet enough to hear
God rustlin' around in the bushes
Oh but it was you
girl, i was so afraid
you said
'you shoulda seen the look on yer face'
then i hope i laughed
then i hope i said “its fine”
and quietly undressed the world
completely possessed by the human mind
oh it was you
girl i was so afraid
you said
'you shoulda seen the look on yer face'
Saturn
Just give me the news
It can all be lies
Exciting over fair or the right thing at the right time
Everything is clear
Just how you described
The way it appears, a world possessed by the human mind
Then I think I smiled
Then I think you said, "it's fine"
And quietly I dressed, in a world completely possessed by the human mind
We're in awe of no one
We've none of their fear
Fighting's goin' nowhere and we stay right here
Where's everything is quiet
A little super dangerous
In the shadow of the law and with colours of justice
Then I hope I smiled
Then I'm sure you said, "it's fine"
They got no interest in a world completely possessed by the human mind
Everything is quiet
A little super dangerous
Quiet enough to hear god rustlin' around in the bushes
Oh, but it was you
Girl, I was so afraid
You said, "you shoulda seen the look on yer face"
Then I hope I laughed
Then I hope I said, "it's fine"
And quietly undressed in a world completely possessed by the human mind
Oh it was you
Girl, I was so afraid
You said, "you shoulda seen the look on yer face"
Like if you like the music :P
Songwriters: GORDON DOWNIE, ROBERT BAKER, GORDON SINCLAIR, JOHNNY FAY, PAUL LANGLOIS
Mathieu
Such an amazing band and single. I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that Gord isn't with us anymore.
Colin S
Yep... it will forever fucking suck. We would already have new Hip and a tour or two if he was still here.
Col_in_Hellifax
The thought of no new Hip music fills me with such grief that I just want to cry. Now I know what people felt like when Bowie died. My favorite group of all time.
Alan Kapolnek
They're pretty damn fantastic. Although they were new to me when I heard about his passing from one of my Canadian friends, I have come to appreciate them even more now as the years have gone by. A small, local radio station near us plays them almost daily, and I'm thankful to them for reminding me that sometimes what's current isn't what is best. Gord and The Hip will live on through their music, and in the lives of those who were touched by their sound. May the next generation of fans find them to be worth listening to as well.
Nicole White
Gord's death hit like a ton of bricks. His messages could be somber, but they filled up the void with hope. More hope than what lives out there today.
wanderingstar
Samesies ❤
Jah Breed
It's really something.
PacerMonkey
SASKADELPHIA
Tim Carl
Listening to this song after today's news is hard. Gord has meant so much to me and so many others. Im thankful that I have had the opportunity to see them perform 5-6 times. They will always be my favorite band. Even though Gord is a Bruins fan...
robert donaldson
Made me smile