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.
Nautical Disaster
The Tragically Hip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the screamin' filled my head all day
It was as though I'd been spit here
Settled in, into the pocket
Of a lighthouse on some rocky socket
Off the coast of France, dear
One afternoon, four thousand men died in the water here
As parasites might in your blood
Now I was in a lifeboat designed for ten, ten only
Anything that systematic would get you hated
It's not a deal nor a test nor a love of something fated (death)
The selection was quick, the crew was picked in order
And those left in the water
Got kicked off our pant leg
And we headed for home
Then the dream ends when the phone rings
"You doing all right?"
He said, "It's out there most days and nights
But only a fool would complain"
Anyway, Susan, if you like
Our conversation is as faint a sound in my memory
As those fingernails scratching on my hull
The song Nautical Disaster by The Tragically Hip is a powerful depiction of an unnamed tragedy that occurred off the coast of France. The singer describes a dream in which he is settled in the pocket of a lighthouse on some rocky socket, surrounded by the tumultuous ocean. He imagines the screaming filling his head all day, reflecting the intensity of the situation. The dream then shifts to a specific tragedy that occurred in the water below, where four thousand men died and five hundred more were left thrashing madly, making a haunting comparison to parasites in one's blood. The singer then describes being in a lifeboat designed for ten people, and how those chosen survived while those left in the water were kicked off. They make their way back to safety, haunted by the tragedy they witnessed.
The song's lyrics are a reflection of the tragedy of war, and specifically, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II, which was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945. The crew of the USS Indianapolis was not reported missing until four days later, and by then, many of the survivors were suffering from exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks. The tragedy inspired the lyrics of the song, as it was a devastating event that impacted many lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I had this dream where I relished the fray
I once had a dream where I enjoyed the chaos and frenzy of a situation.
And the screamin' filled my head all day
Throughout this dream, I constantly heard screams.
It was as though I'd been spit here
It felt like I had been suddenly placed in this location.
Settled in, into the pocket
I took comfort in finding a safe haven in the chaos.
Of a lighthouse on some rocky socket
I found safety in a lighthouse built on a rocky outcrop.
Off the coast of France, dear
This location was off the coast of France.
One afternoon, four thousand men died in the water here
On a specific day, four thousand men lost their lives in the water in this place.
And five hundred more were thrashing madly
Five hundred other men were struggling and fighting for their lives in the water.
As parasites might in your blood
These men were like parasites fighting to stay alive in the water, much like a parasite living inside one's blood.
Now I was in a lifeboat designed for ten, ten only
I was in a lifeboat that was meant to fit only ten people.
Anything that systematic would get you hated
Any kind of organized arrangement would make others dislike you.
It's not a deal nor a test nor a love of something fated (death)
This situation was not something that was predetermined or destined (to end in death).
The selection was quick, the crew was picked in order
Selecting who would be in the lifeboat was done quickly and methodically.
And those left in the water
Those who were left to die in the water
Got kicked off our pant leg
Were left behind and forgotten
And we headed for home
We made our way back home.
Then the dream ends when the phone rings
The dream ends with the ringing of a phone.
"You doing all right?"
The caller asked if I was okay.
He said, "It's out there most days and nights
The caller mentioned that the dangers of the world are always present.
But only a fool would complain"
The caller believed that complaints about these dangers were foolish.
Anyway, Susan, if you like
The conversation then shifts to addressing someone named Susan.
Our conversation is as faint a sound in my memory
The memory of this conversation is fading from my mind.
As those fingernails scratching on my hull
This memory is just as fleeting as the memory of the sound of fingernails scratching on the surface of my boat.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Gordon Downie, Gordon Sinclair, Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, Robert Baker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@staciecarverd8136
Someone may disagree, but this song should be considered one of their masterpieces. Gord's ability to tell the story, his intensity and passion sells it. And not to take anything away from the rest of the band, the layering sounds of the guitars just lends to the emotion of the song, making it haunting and heart-wrenching. It will always be one of my favorites.
@clindsell6111
"someone may disagree" well someone is wrong
@susanrassel3868
I really enjoyed listening to this song! Great music
@janspup6232
@@clindsell6111 my buddy who is actually a bigger hipster than me does disagree and he is wrong, this one of my three favorite songs along with Black and Crazy Mary, it will always be in my heart.💗💗💗💗💗💗💗
@FriendGaugeShotgun
its also a rarity of a song with no rhyme scheme making it even more epic, thats a near impossible feat when trying to write a cool track
@francisdoran8992
Gordie and the hip rocked are generation, and we will never forget them
@davidhaworth7152
Chorus-less songs are rare. Chorus-less songs this good even rarer. Absolutely a masterpiece.
@zerocero5850
This is a great take. I love the sea shanty like feel, both musically and narratively, of this song. It has a cyclical feel that aggravates the listener with its avoidance of resolution — at least until its end — which is its point. Happy endings are not truth. Which is why I love it.
@dyates6380
Seriously one of the best songs I've ever heard in my sixty five years on this earth. Period.
@colins7771
Glad you are one of the lucky people on earth to experience the Hip!