Thursday, August 13, 2009

350 Canadian Songs That Non-Canadians Should Hear

I once heard from an American friend that he thought it was commonly accepted to say that "no good music comes from Canada." Obviously, I took this as a challenge. Here, I've compiled 350 songs of various genres which are of equal (or BETTER) quality than one typically hears on American Top 40 radio.

Please note that there is a huge slant toward the genres I am most familiar with (hard rock, metal etc), since I am not an encyclopaedia of music. Knowing that my own tastes would skew the list unjustly, I have also made efforts to gather songs from several genres that I have little taste for (such as country, folk, hip hop). For this, I mostly used Google and Wikipedia for help.

And now, the list... enjoy (I hope.)


ARTIST SONG TITLE GENRE YEAR COMMENTS
1 54-40 Baby Ran Indie Rock 1986
2 54-40 I Go Blind Indie Rock 1986
3 54-40 Ocean Pearl Indie Rock 1994
4 54-40 One Gun Indie Rock 1987
5 Alanis Morisette Everything Pop/Rock 2004
6 Alanis Morisette Hand In My Pocket Pop/Rock 1995
7 Alanis Morisette Hands Clean Pop/Rock 2002
8 Alanis Morisette Ironic Pop/Rock 1995
9 Alanis Morisette Thank U Pop/Rock 1998
10 Alanis Morisette That I Would Be Good Pop/Rock 1998
11 Alanis Morisette Too Hot Pop 1991 Recorded as 'Alanis'
12 Alanis Morisette Uninvited Pop/Rock 1998
13 Alanis Morisette You Oughta Know Pop/Rock 1995
14 Alannah Myles Lover of Mine Rock 1989
15 Alannah Myles Black Velvet Blues/Rock 1989
16 Alannah Myles Still Got This Thing Rock 1989
17 Alannah Myles Sonny, Say You Will Soft Rock 1992
18 Alannah Myles Song Instead Of A Kiss Soft Rock 1992
19 Amanda Marshall Dark Horse Soft Rock 1995
20 Amanda Marshall Birmingham Soft Rock 1995
21 Amanda Marshall Fall From Grace Soft Rock 1995
22 Amanda Marshall Let It Rain Soft Rock 1995
23 Amanda Marshall Beautiful Goodbye Soft Rock 1995
24 Amanda Marshall Everybody's Got A Story Soft Rock 2001
25 Amanda Marshall Sunday Morning After Pop/Rock 2001
26 Anne Murray Could I Have This Dance? Easy Listening 1980
27 April Wine Just Between You and Me Classic Rock 1981
28 April Wine Oowatanite Classic Rock 1975
29 April Wine Rock Myself to Sleep Rock 1986
30 April Wine Sign of the Gypsy Queen Classic Rock 1981
31 The Arcade Fire Rebellion (Lies) Indie Rock 2005
32 The Arcade Fire Wake Up Indie Rock 2005
33 Avril Lavigne Complicated Pop/Rock 2002
34 Avril Lavigne Girlfriend Pop/Rock 2007
35 Avril Lavigne My Happy Ending Pop/Rock 2004
36 Avril Lavigne Nobody's Home Pop/Rock 2004
37 Bachman-Turner Overdrive Hey You Classic Rock 1975
38 Bachman-Turner Overdrive Taking Care of Business Classic Rock 1974
39 Bachman-Turner Overdrive You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet Classic Rock 1974
40 Barenaked Ladies Alternative Girlfriend Indie Rock 1994
41 Barenaked Ladies Be My Yoko Ono Indie Rock 1991
42 Barenaked Ladies Brian Wilson Indie Rock 1996
43 Barenaked Ladies Enid Indie Rock 1992
44 Barenaked Ladies If I Had $1,000,000 Indie Rock 1992
45 Barenaked Ladies It's All Been Done Indie Rock 1998
46 Barenaked Ladies Jane Indie Rock 1994
47 Barenaked Ladies Lovers In a Dangerous Time Indie Rock 1991 orig. by Bruce Cockburn
48 Barenaked Ladies The Old Apartment Indie Rock 1996
49 Barenaked Ladies One Week Indie Rock 1998
50 Barenaked Ladies Pinch Me Indie Rock 2000
51 Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts Do Ya Rock 1995
52 Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts I'm Doin' Fine Rock 1992
53 Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts Somethin' To Live For Rock 1987
54 The Barra-MacNeils Darling Be Home Soon Folk/Country 1993
55 The Barra-MacNeils In The Wink Of An Eye Folk/Country 1994
56 Bedouin Soundclash When the Night Feels My Song Reggae/Fusion 2005
57 Big Sugar Better Get Used To It Rock 1998
58 Big Sugar Open Up, Baby Rock 1996
59 Big Sugar Turn The Lights On Rock 1998
60 Blue Rodeo Diamond Mine Rock/Country 1989
61 Blue Rodeo Lost Together Rock/Country 1992
62 Blue Rodeo Outskirts Rock/Country 1987
63 Blue Rodeo Til I Am Myself Again Rock/Country 1990
64 Blue Rodeo Try Rock/Country 1987
65 Bootsauce Everyone's A Winner Hard Rock 1991
66 The Box Closer Together Rock 1987
67 The Box Ordinary People Rock 1987
68 Bran Van 3000 Drinking in L.A. Hip Hop/Alternative 1997
69 Bran Van 3000 Everywhere Hip Hop/Alternative 1997
70 Broken Social Scene Anthem For a Seventeen Year Old Girl Indie Rock 2002
71 Broken Social Scene Lover's Spit Indie Rock 2002
72 Bruce Cockburn If I Had a Rocket Launcher Rock 1984
73 Bruce Cockburn Lovers In a Dangerous Time Rock 1984
74 Bruce Cockburn Wondering Where The Lions Are Rock 1979
75 Bryan Adams Everything I Do (I Do It For You) Soft Rock 1991
76 Bryan Adams Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman? Soft Rock 1995
77 Bryan Adams Heaven Soft Rock 1984
78 Bryan Adams In the Heat of the Night Rock 1984
79 Bryan Adams It's Only Love Rock 1984
80 Bryan Adams One Night Love Affair Rock 1984
81 Bryan Adams Run To You Rock 1984
82 Bryan Adams Summer of '69 Rock 1984
83 Buck 65 The Centaur Hip Hop Fusion 1997
84 Caroll Baker "I've Never Been This Far Before" Country 1975
85 Caroll Baker "The Hungry Fire of Love" Country 1975
86 Caroll Baker "One Night of Cheatin'" Country 1975
87 Caroll Baker "Tonight with Love" Country 1976
88 Caroll Baker "Why I Had to Pass This Way" Country 1976
89 Caroll Baker "It's My Party" Country 1977
90 Caroll Baker "It's Late (And I Have to Go)" (re-release) Country 1977
91 Caroll Baker "I Might As Well Believe (I'll Live Forever)" Country 1977
92 Caroll Baker "Portrait in the Window" Country 1978
93 Caroll Baker "Hooked on a Feeling" Country 1978
94 Caroll Baker "I'm Getting High Remembering" Country 1979
95 Caroll Baker "Hollywood Love" Country 1980
96 Caroll Baker "Still Falling in Love" Country 1980
97 Celine Dion Beauty and the Beast (with Peabo Bryson) Show 1991
98 Celine Dion My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from Titanic) Pop 1997
99 Celine Dion Where Does My Heart Beat Now Pop 1990
100 Champion Alive Again Electro 2009
101 Champion No Heaven Electro 2004
102 Chantal Kreviazuk Leaving On A Jet Plane (orig. by John Denver) Pop/Ballad 1998
103 Chantal Kreviazuk Surrounded Pop/Ballad 1996
104 Chantal Kreviazuk Wayne Pop/Ballad 1996
105 Corey Hart Boy In The Box Pop/Rock 1985
106 Corey Hart Never Surrender Pop/Rock 1985
107 Corey Hart Sunglasses At Night Pop/Rock 1983
108 Corky & The Juice Pigs Eskimo Comedy 1996
109 Crash Test Dummies The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead Folk Rock 1995
110 Crash Test Dummies Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm Folk Rock 1993
111 Crash Test Dummies Superman's Song Folk Rock 1991
112 Crash Vegas Inside Out Folk Rock 1990
113 Damhnait Doyle Tattooed Pop 2000
114 D.O.A. Disco Sucks Punk 1981
115 Delerium Duende Ambient Techno 1997
116 Delerium Silence (feat. Sarah McLachlan) Ambient Techno 2000
117 Econoline Crush All That You Are Hard Rock 1997
118 Econoline Crush Sparkle & Shine Hard Rock 1997
119 Econoline Crush You Don't Know What It's Like Hard Rock 2001
120 Feist 1234 Indie Rock 2007
121 Finger Eleven Costume For a Gutterball Hard Rock/Alternative 1997
122 Finger Eleven First Time Hard Rock/Alternative 2000
123 Finger Eleven Good Times Hard Rock/Alternative 2003
124 Finger Eleven One Thing Rock/Ballad 2003
125 Finger Eleven Paralyzer Hard Rock/Alternative 2007
126 Five Man Electrical Band Signs Classic Rock 1971
127 Fred Penner The Cat Came Back Children's Song 1977
128 Front Line Assembly Everything Must Perish Industrial 2001
129 Front Line Assembly Mindphaser (12” Version) Industrial 1992
130 Front Line Assembly Vigilante Industrial 1994
131 Front Line Assembly Evil Playground Industrial 1998
132 Furnaceface The Ballad of Richard Iommi Rock/Alternative 1994
133 Glass Tiger Diamond Sun Rock 1988
134 Glass Tiger Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) (feat. Bryan Adams) Rock 1986
135 Glass Tiger I Will Be There Rock 1987
136 Glass Tiger I'm Still Searching Rock 1988
137 Glass Tiger My Song Rock 1988
138 Glass Tiger My Town Rock 1991
139 Glass Tiger Someday Rock 1986
140 Glass Tiger You're What I Look For Rock 1987
141 Godspeed You! Black Emperor East Hastings Prog Rock 1997
142 Gordon Lightfoot Sundown Classic Rock 1974
143 Gordon Lightfoot The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Easy Listening 1976
144 Gowan A Criminal Mind Pop/Rock 1985
145 Gowan All The Lovers In the World Pop/Rock 1990
146 Gowan Moonlight Desires Pop/Rock 1987
147 Gowan Strange Animal Pop/Rock 1985
148 Great Big Sea Consequence Free Rock/Folk 1999
149 Great Big Sea End Of The World Rock/Folk 1997
150 Great Big Sea When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down) Rock/Folk 1997
151 The Guess Who American Woman Rock 1970
152 The Guess Who No Sugar Tonight Rock 1970
153 The Guess Who These Eyes Easy Listening 1969
154 Haywire Short End of a Wishbone Hard Rock 1990
155 Haywire Dance Desire Hard Rock 1987
156 Headstones When Something Stands For Nothing Hard Rock 1993
157 Helix Rock You Heavy Metal 1984
158 Honeymoon Suite Burning In Love Rock 1984
159 Honeymoon Suite Feel It Again Rock 1986
160 Honeymoon Suite New Girl Now Rock 1984
161 Honeymoon Suite What Does It Take Rock 1986
162 Ian & Sylvia Four Strong Winds Country 1963
163 Jakalope Pretty Life Industrial/Rock 2003
164 Jann Arden Could I Be Your Girl Soft Rock 1994
165 Jann Arden Good Mother Soft Rock 1994
166 Jann Arden Insensitive Soft Rock 1994
167 Jann Arden The Sound Of Soft Rock 1997
168 Jann Arden Will You Remember Me Soft Rock 1992
169 Joni Mitchell Free Man In Paris Pop/Folk 1974
170 Joni Mitchell Help Me Pop/Folk 1974
171 Joni Mitchell The Big Yellow Taxi Pop/Folk 1970
172 Junkhouse Prayin' For Rain Alternative Rock 1993
173 Kashtin Ishkuess Folk Rock 1991
174 Kashtin E Uassiuian Folk Rock 1989
175 Kashtin Tshinanu Folk Rock 1989
176 K-os Crabbuckit Hip Hop Fusion 2005
177 K.D. Lang Constant Craving Pop/Country 1992
178 K.D. Lang Crying Oldies 1987 orig. by Roy Orbison
179 The Killer Dwarves We Stand Alone Hard Rock 1988
180 Kim Mitchell Go For Soda Rock 1984
181 Kim Mitchell Patio Lanterns Rock 1986
182 Kim Mitchell Rock n' Roll Duty Rock 1989
183 Kim Mitchell Rockland Wonderland Rock 1989
184 Kim Stockwood Jerk Pop 1996
185 Kittie Brackish Metal 1999
186 Lara Fabian The Dream Within Pop/Ballad 1999
187 Lara Fabian For Always (also avail. w/Josh Grobin duet) Pop/Ballad 1999
188 Lara Fabian I Will Love Again Dance/Pop 1999
189 Lee Aaron Metal Queen Heavy Metal 1984
190 Len Feelin Alright Hip Hop/Alternative 1999
191 Len Slacker Hip Hop/Alternative 1999
192 Len Steal My Sunshine Hip Hop/Alternative 1999
193 Leonard Cohen Waiting For the Miracle Folk Rock 1992
194 Leonard Cohen Everybody Knows Folk Rock 1988
195 Lights Drive My Soul Pop 2008
196 Lights February Air Pop 2008
197 Loreena McKennitt The Mummers' Dance New Age 1997
198 Loverboy The Kid Is Hot Tonight Rock 1981
199 Loverboy Lovin' Every Minute Of It Rock 1985
200 Loverboy This Could Be The Night Rock 1986
201 Loverboy Turn Me Loose Rock 1981
202 Loverboy Working For The Weekend Rock 1981
203 Maestro Fresh Wes Let Your Backbone Slide Hip-Hop 1989
204 Malhavoc Naked Industrial 1994
205 Malhavoc Declaration Industrial 1994
206 Matthew Good Band Anti-pop Rock/Alternative 2001
207 Matthew Good Band Apparitions Rock/Alternative 1997
208 Matthew Good Band Carmelina Rock/Alternative 2001
209 Matthew Good Band Everything's Automatic Rock/Alternative 1997
210 Matthew Good Band Hello Time Bomb Rock/Alternative 1999
211 Matthew Good Band Load Me Up Rock/Alternative 1999
212 Melissa Auf Der Maur Followed The Waves Hard Rock 2004
213 Melissa Auf Der Maur Lightning Is My Girl Hard Rock 2004
214 Melissa Auf Der Maur Skin Receiver Hard Rock 2004
215 Men Without Hats The Safety Dance Pop 1983
216 Men Without Hats Pop Goes The World Pop 1987
217 Metric Combat Baby Indie Rock 2004
218 Metric Dead Disco Indie Rock 2004
219 Metric Empty Indie Rock 2006
220 Metric Gimme Sympathy Indie Rock 2009
221 Metric Monster Hospital Indie Rock 2006
222 Metric Poster Of A Girl Indie Rock 2006
223 Metric Succexy Indie Rock 2004
224 Mitsou Mon Cowboy Pop 1993
225 Mitsou Deep Kiss Dance/Pop 1992
226 Mobile The Killer Rock 2008
227 Mobile Out of My Head Rock 2006
228 Modest Mouse Float On Indie Rock 2004
229 Moist Silver Alternative Rock 1994
230 Moist Tangerine Alternative Rock 1996
231 Moist Push Alternative Rock 1994
232 Moist Leave It Alone Alternative Rock 1996
233 Monster Voodoo Machine Bastard Is As Bastard Does Metal/Industrial/Techno 1994
234 Mother Mother Body of Years Hard Rock 2008
235 Moxy Fruvous King of Spain Pop 1992
236 Mudmen Drink and Fight Rock/Folk 2001
237 Neil Young Harvest Moon Easy Listening 1992
238 Neil Young Heart Of Gold Easy Listening 1972
239 Neil Young Rockin' In The Free World Rock 1989
240 Neil Young Southern Man Classic Rock 1970
241 Neverending White Lights The Grace Pop/Rock 2005
242 Northern Lights Tears Are Not Enough Pop 1985
243 Northern Pikes She Ain't Pretty (She Just Looks That Way) Rock 1989
244 Northern Pikes Teenland Indie Rock 1987
245 Our Lady Peace Are You Sad? Rock 2000
246 Our Lady Peace Naveed Rock 1994
247 Our Lady Peace Starseed Rock 1994
248 Our Lady Peace Superman's Dead Rock 1997
249 Parachute Club At The Feet Of The Moon Pop 1984
250 Parachute Club Rise Up Pop 1983
251 Paul Anka Diana Pop 1957
252 Paul Anka Puppy Love Pop 1960
253 Paul Anka Put Your Head On My Shoulder Pop 1959
254 Platinum Blonde Cryin' Over You Pop/Rock 1985
255 Platinum Blonde It Doesn't Really Matter Pop/Rock 1984
256 Platinum Blonde Not In Love Pop/Rock 1984
257 Platinum Blonde Situation Critical Pop/Rock 1985
258 Platinum Blonde Standing In The Dark Pop/Rock 1984
259 Prairie Oyster Goodbye, So Long, Hello Country 1990
260 Prairie Oyster Lonely You, Lonely Me Country 1991
261 Protest The Hero These Colours Don't Run Metal 2003
262 Protest The Hero Heretics and Killers Metal 2006
263 Protest The Hero Bloodmeat Metal 2007
264 Pure Greedy Alternative Rock 1991
265 Raffi Baby Beluga Children's/Folk 1980
266 Raffi Bananaphone Children's/Folk 1994
267 Raffi Down By The Bay Traditional 1976 most famous rendition
268 The Rankin Family Orangedale Whistle Folk/Country 1990
269 The Rankin Family Fare Thee Well, Love Folk/Country 1990
270 The Rankin Family Gillis Mountain Folk/Country 1990
271 The Rankin Family Rise Again Folk/Country 1993
272 Red Rider Crack The Sky (Breakaway) Pop/Rock 1983
273 Roch Voisine Helene Soft Rock 1989
274 Roch Voisine I'll Always Be There Soft Rock 1993
275 Rush A Passage To Bangkok Prog Rock 1976
276 Rush New World Man Prog Rock 1982
277 Rush Tom Sawyer Prog Rock 1981
278 Sam Roberts Brother Down Rock 2004
279 Sam Roberts Don't Walk Away, Eileen Rock 2001
280 Sam Roberts Where Have All the Good People Gone? Rock 2001
281 Sam Roberts Detroit '67 Rock 2008
282 Sarah McLachlan Angel Soft Rock 1997
283 Sarah McLachlan Answer Soft Rock 2003
284 Sarah McLachlan Building A Mystery Soft Rock 1993
285 Sarah McLachlan Fear Soft Rock 1993
286 Sarah McLachlan Good Enough Soft Rock 1993
287 Sarah McLachlan Hold On Soft Rock 1993
288 Sarah McLachlan I Will Remember You Soft Rock 1993
289 Sarah McLachlan Ice Cream (classic live version available) Soft Rock 1993
290 Sarah McLachlan Possession Soft Rock 1993
291 Shania Twain That Don't Impress Me Much Country/Pop 1997
292 Shania Twain Up Country/Pop 2002
293 Shania Twain You''re Still The One Country/Pop 1997
294 Sharon, Lois & Bram Skinnamarink Children's Song 1978
295 Silversun Pickups Lazy Eye Alternative Rock 2006
296 Silversun Pickups Panic Switch Alternative Rock 2009
297 A Simple Plan Perfect Alternative Rock 2002
298 A Simple Plan Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me? Alternative Rock 2004
299 A Simple Plan Welcome To My Life Alternative Rock 2004
300 Skinny Puppy Testure Industrial Techno 1989
301 Skinny Puppy Assimilate Industrial Techno 1985
302 Skinny Puppy Dig It Industrial Techno 1986
303 Skinny Puppy Tin Omen Industrial Techno 1989
304 Skinny Puppy Warlock Industrial Techno 1990
305 Skinny Puppy Addiction Industrial Techno 1987
306 Sloan The Good In Everyone Alternative Rock 1996
307 Sloan If It Feels Good Do It Alternative Rock 2001
308 Sloan Losing California Alternative Rock 1999
309 Sloan The Other Man Alternative Rock 2001
310 Sloan Underwhelmed Alternative Rock 1994
311 Sloan Who Taught You To Live Like That? Alternative Rock 2006
312 Sloan Money City Maniacs Alternative Rock 1998
313 Spirit Of The West Home For A Rest Rock/Folk 1990
314 Stabilo Everybody Hard Rock 2004
315 Staggered Crossing Further Again Hard Rock 2001
316 Stars Ageless Beauty Indie Rock 2004
317 The Stills Still In Love Song Rock 2003
318 The Stills Lola Stars and Stripes Rock 2003
319 Stompin' Tom Connors The Hockey Song Country/Folk 1973
320 Strapping Young Lad Far Beyond Metal Metal 2006
321 Susan Aglukark Amazing Grace (sung in Inuktitut) Traditional 1992
322 Susan Aglukark O Siem Soft Rock 1995
323 Sven Gali Love Don't Live Here Anymore Hard Rock 1992
324 The Tea Party The River Hard Rock 1993
325 The Tea Party Sister Awake Hard Rock 1995
326 The Tea Party Temptation Hard Rock 1997
327 The Tea Party Heaven's Coming Down Hard Rock 2001
328 Terri Clark Girls Lie Too Country 2004
329 Terri Clark I Just Wanna Be Mad Country 2003
330 Tom Cochrane Life Is A Highway Rock 1991
331 Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Big League Rock 1987
332 Tom Cochrane and Red Rider Boy Inside The Man Rock 1986
333 The Tragically Hip 38 Years Old Rock 1989
334 The Tragically Hip Ahead By a Century Rock 1996
335 The Tragically Hip Blow At High Dough Rock 1989
336 The Tragically Hip Bobcaygeon Rock 1999
337 The Tragically Hip Courage (for Hugh MacLennan) Rock 1992
338 The Tragically Hip Fifty Mission Cap Rock 1992
339 The Tragically Hip Little Bones Rock 1991
340 The Tragically Hip Poets Rock 1999
341 The Tragically Hip Small Town Bringdown Rock 1987
342 The Tragically Hip Three Pistols Rock 1991
343 The Tragically Hip Twist My Arm Rock 1991
344 The Tragically Hip New Orleans Is Sinking Rock 1989
345 The Trews Can't Stop Laughing Rock 2007
346 Varga Greed Metal 1994
347 Voivod Voivod Metal 1987
348 Wild T and the Spirit Loveland Hard Rock 1993
349 World On Edge Still Beating Pop/Rock 1990
350 World On Edge Wash The Rain Pop/Rock 1991

Feel free of course, to comment on anything you feel is missing or unjustly referenced here.

Ciao.

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