Monday, October 04, 2010

Top 100 Canadian Singles

Top 100 Canadian Singles, a book compiled and written by Bob Mersereau, has just been released. He polled 800 musicians, broadcasters, people from the music industry, and fans. As always, whenever anyone puts out any "best of" list, some people will have their noses out of joint. I'll leave it up to you to decide how "right" or "wrong" the list is. Here then are the Top 100 Canadian Singles, as assembled by Bob Mersereau. Incidentally, the book is published by Goose Lane.

1.   The Guess Who - American Woman
2.   Neil Young - Heart Of Gold
3.   The Band - The Weight
4.   Bryan Adams - Summer Of '69
5.   Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah
6.   Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
7.   Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind
8.   Bachman Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care Of Business
9.   Ian and Sylvia - Four Strong Winds
10..Anne Murray - Snowbird
11. Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi/Woodstock
12. Rush - Tom Sawyer
13. Blue Rodeo - Try
14. Tragically Hip - New Orleans Is Sinking
15. Gordon Lightfoot - The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
16. Leonard Cohen - Suzanne
17. Tom Cochrane - Life Is A Highway
18. The Guess Who - These Eyes
19. Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
20. Sloan - Underwhelmed
21. The Band - Up On Cripple Creek/ The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
22. Maestro Fresh Wes - Let Your Backbone Slide
23. The Diodes - Tired Of Waking Up tired
24. Rush - The Spirit Of Radio
25. Crowbar - Oh What A Feeling
26. Rough Trade - High School Confidential
27. Martha and the Muffins - Echo Beach
28. Stampeders - Sweet City Woman
29. Arcade Fire - Wake Up
30. Barenaked Ladies - If I Had $1,000,000
31. Robert Charlebois - Lindberg
32. The Pursuit Of Happiness - I'm An Adult Now
33. Ugly Ducklings - Nothin'
34. Sloan - Coax Me
35. Rush - Closer To The Heart
36. Teenage Head - Picture My Face
37. The Guess Who - Shakin' All Over
38. Five man Electrical Band - Signs
39. Blue Rodeo - Lost Together
40. Ron Hynes - Sonny's Dream
41. Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance
42. Rheostatics - Claire
43. Lighthouse - One Fine Morning
44. A Foot In Coldwater - (Make Me Do) Anything You Want
45. Corey Heart - Sunglasses At night
46. Loverboy - Working For The Weekend
47. Trooper - Raise A Little Hell
48. Parachute Club - Rise Up
49 . Alannah Myles - Black Velvet
50. Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun
51. Malajube - Montreal -40C
52. Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl
53. Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know
54. Feist - 1234
55. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
56. k.d. lang - Constant Craving
57. Neil Young - Rockin' In The Free World
58. Michel Pagliaro - Lovin' You Ain't Easy
59. Bruce Cockburn - Lovers In A Dangerous Time
60. Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon
61. Joni Mitchell - A Case Of You/California
62. The Demics - New York City
63. Bryan Adams (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
64. Tragically Hip - Ahead By A Century
65. Blue Rodeo - Five Days InMay
66.Hank Snow - I'm Movin' On
67. Harmonium - Pour UnInstant
68. Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride
69. Sloan - Money City Maniacs
70. Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On
71. k-os - Crabbuckit
72. The Kings - This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide
73. Neil Young - Old Man/Needle And The Damage Done
74. Jean Leloup - 1990
75. Payola$ - Eyes Of A Stranger
76. Blue Rodeo - Hasn't Hit Me Yet
77. Bachman Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
78. Bruce Cockburn - Wondering Where The Lions Are
79. April Wine - You Could Have Been A Lady
80. Teenage Head - Let's Shake/Somethin' On My Mind
81. Joni Mitchell - Help Me
82. Trooper - We're Here For A Good Time
83. Lighthouse - Sunny Days
84. Jean-Pierre Ferland - Le petit roi
85. Bryan Adams - Cuts Like A Knife
86. Stompin' Tom Connors - The Hockey Song
87. Tragically Hip - Wheat Kings
88. Gilles Vigneault - Mon pays
89. Spirit Of The West - Home For A Rest
90. New Pornographers - Letter From An Occupant
91. Guess Who - No Time
92. Mashmakhan - As The Years Go By
93. Neil Young - Hey Hey My My
94. Paul Anka - Diana
95. Daniel Lanois - The Maker
96. The Spoons - Nova Heart
97. Beau Dommage - La complainte du phoque en Alaska
98. Ron Sexsmith - Secret Heart
99. Bryan Adams - Run To You
100. Wintersleep - Weighty Ghost

What do you think of the list? What songs would you have liked to have been included? What songs would you eliminate from the list? I'd really like to get your opinion. Could make for an interesting discussion.

Michael