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.
Something On
The Tragically Hip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It could be a video for new recruits
Just stare into the camera
And pretend that you got the flu
Or dream of impossible vacations
And get all teary from the wind
Look as though you're standing at the station
Long after the train came in
And see how the space tautens
Like there's something on
And you're never more hot than
When you've got something on
Picture a century of water
Bury the pipeline guy right here
Kill the dream of possible vacations
With the sweep of a mapping pioneer
Outside there's hectic action
The ice is covering the trees
And one of 'em's interconnecting
With my Chevrolet Caprice
Black out to phantom power
And like there's nothing on
And hammering the tower
And now there's nothing on
We'll ride the monorail
Rocking gently home on the trail
You want to show me the moon
I know you're standing at the station
I know there's nothing on
I know that alienation
I know the train's long gone
I can see how your face tautens
Like you've got something on
It makes me feel just rotten
But you've got something on
The song "Something On" by The Tragically Hip appears to lull the listener into a dreamlike state as the lyrics paint a picture of someone lost in their imagination, daydreaming about various scenarios. The first verse mentions staring into a camera, crying from the wind, and feeling phony as if pretending to be sick. The chorus "And see how the space tautens, Like there's something on, And you're never more hot than, When you've got something on" seems to suggest that there is some sort of thrill or excitement in having something going on in one's life, even if it's just a fantasy.
The second verse takes a darker turn, with imagery of burying someone, killing dreams, and ice covering the trees. The bridge and final verse seem to shift again, with talk of riding a monorail and wanting to see the moon, but ultimately bringing back the initial feeling of alienation and knowing that something has passed them by. Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the escape that one's imagination can provide, but also how it can lead to feelings of isolation and disillusionment.
Line by Line Meaning
Your imagination's having puppies
Your mind is running wild with ideas and creativity.
It could be a video for new recruits
You have the ability to create something that could entice and interest others.
Just stare into the camera
Put your focus onto what you want others to see.
And pretend that you got the flu
Act as though there are things that are hindering your progress, but keep pushing forward.
Or dream of impossible vacations
Imagine going to places that may seem impossible to get to.
And get all teary from the wind
Let your emotions flow when you think about what it would be like to visit those places.
Look as though you're standing at the station
Appear as though you are waiting for something to happen, even if it has already come and gone.
Long after the train came in
Even though it's too late, keep hoping for something better.
And see how the space tautens
Notice the air around you becoming heavy with anticipation.
Like there's something on
As though there is something significant about to happen.
And you're never more hot than
You are at your best when you have purpose and drive.
When you've got something on
When you have something that motivates you and gives you direction.
Picture a century of water
Imagine the effects of time on the environment.
Bury the pipeline guy right here
Be conscious of the impact that actions have on nature and future generations.
Kill the dream of possible vacations
Face reality and acknowledge when something is not possible.
With the sweep of a mapping pioneer
With technology comes the responsibility of considering how it affects the world we live in.
Outside there's hectic action
The world around us is constantly moving and changing.
The ice is covering the trees
The environment can be both beautiful and treacherous.
And one of 'em's interconnecting
Multiple things are happening at once and they are affecting each other.
With my Chevrolet Caprice
Personal possessions can be a part of and affected by larger environmental and societal issues.
Black out to phantom power
Lose sight of what matters in the face of distractions and noise.
And like there's nothing on
Feel empty and lost, as though there is no purpose or direction.
And hammering the tower
Act in a way that is destructive, for the sake of exerting power.
And now there's nothing on
After trying to control everything, there may be nothing left to hold on to.
We'll ride the monorail
We'll take whatever mode of transportation is available to move forward.
Rocking gently home on the trail
Navigate the journey with a gentle, steady rhythm.
You want to show me the moon
You want to share your hopes and dreams with someone.
I know you're standing at the station
I understand that you are waiting for something that may never come.
I know there's nothing on
I understand your feelings of emptiness and despair.
I know that alienation
I understand your sense of isolation and disconnection from the world and others.
I know the train's long gone
I understand that any hope of things being the same again is gone.
I can see how your face tautens
I notice how the stress and tension affects you.
Like you've got something on
As though you are holding on to something that is not giving you any relief.
It makes me feel just rotten
It pains me to see you suffer.
But you've got something on
You are holding on to something that is important to you, even if it is causing you pain.
Lyrics Ā© Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Gordon Downie, Johnny Fay, Joseph Paul Langlois, Robert Baker, Robert Gordon Sinclair
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@itlookedlikefun
Your imagination's having puppies
It could be a video for new recruits
Just stare into the camera
And pretend that you got the flu
Or dream of impossible vacations
And get all teary from the wind
Look as though you're standing at the station
Long after the train came in
And see how the space tautens
Like there's something on
And you're never more hot than
When you've got something on
Picture a century of water
Bury the pipeline guy right here
Kill the dream of possible vacations
With the sweep of a mapping pioneer
Outside there's hectic action
The ice is covering the trees
And one of 'em's interconnecting
With my Chevrolet Caprice
Black out to phantom power
And like there's nothing on
And hammering the tower
And now there's nothing on
We'll ride the monorail
Rocking gently home on the trail
You want to show me the moon
I know you're standing at the station
I know there's nothing on
I know that alienation
I know the train's long gone
I can see how your face tautens
Like you've got something on
It makes me feel just rotten
But you've got something on
@danflashes7125
This band is lifting me out of my depression. The Hipās sound is just so uplifting regardless of the type of song theyāre playing.
@jcdc1824
"Outside there's hectic action, the ice is coverin' the trees.
One of them's interconnecting, with my Chevrolet Caprice."
Thank-you Mr. Downie, for painting all those beautiful pictures with your words and your voice. We are forever grateful! Rest easy, Sir.
@raymxslappedyall3660
why do people always put the lyrics in the comments like that?
@Undercoverbrotherfromanother
What do you do when every song is a greatest hit?
@Sandler41882
Really underrated song.
@codydavidyates72
I think it's overrated. I don't, but. At any rate, it's just a good song.
@DKHD176
The world was a better place with Gord Downie in it.
@havebasswilltravel
So good. Canada's R.E.M. Gord and Michael had heavy lyrics in the 80's..ahead of their time.
@j.rodneybaglole3301
I can really hear the similarities with this instrumentation and arrangement.
@Skiptracer1981
RIP Gord! We've been robbed by cancer. Your lyrics and music were something to live for. The world is a darker place now with you gone. LOVE FOREVER!