The 100 greatest Canadian pop/rock songs of all-time

JAMES MILLER, Managing Editor Wednesday, June 30, 2010

It‘s Canada Day and in tribute I offer my choices for the 100 best Canadian pop, rock or country songs recorded or written by a Canadian artist. A noticeable omission is any French-language songs only because I‘m not familiar with enough material. Each genre and period of music is represented. Let the debate begin.

• 1. Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell). From the guitar work to Joni‘s vocals which will never be duplicated, in two minutes, 16 seconds she made an environmental statement and recounts her own father.
• 2. My Way (Paul Anka). Sinatra and Elvis made it a hit but it was Anka who reworked a traditional French song and made it the anthem that it is today.
• 3. Heart of Gold (Neil Young). Neil‘s only No. 1 was his best. It was intended to be segued with a song called A Man Needs A Maid but he realized it could stand on its own.
• 4. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen). It was virtually ignored when released in 1984 as part of his Various Positions album. It was only through subsequent recordings and a rousing rendition by kd Lange at the Winter Olympics that people finally took notice.
  
• 5. Four Strong Winds (Ian and Sylvia). Many believe this 1963 song, about a failed relationship, should be Alberta‘s official theme song.
• 6. Life Is A Highway (Tom Cochrane). Cochrane has written superior songs but he never sounded better than this song which reached No. 6 on the U.S. pop charts.
• 7. Working for the Weekend (Loverboy). The cowbell, Mike Reno‘s distinctive voice and the hilarious sketch with Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze on SNL. Rock and roll heaven.
• 8. Universal Soldier (Buffy Sainte-Marie). One of the great anti-war songs of the early 1960‘s.
• 9. Takin‘ Care of Business (Bachman Turner Overdrive). For pure rock-and-roll which is easy to sing and not too difficult to play along with.
• 10. Sometimes When We Touch (Dan Hill). Success came early for this unknown 23-year-old from Don Mills who scored a No. 3 hit and Grammy nomination (losing to Manilow).