The Tragically Hip: 10 best songs for a road trip

If you are planning a drive along Nova Scotia's coast this summer, there is one soundtrack that fits the landscape better than any other: The Tragically Hip. Formed in Kingston, Ontario, in 1984 by vocalist and lyricist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay, they spent 33 years becoming Canada's most beloved rock band. Over that time they put out 13 studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, more than 50 singles, a box set, five video albums and 32 music videos, with nine of those albums hitting number one on the Canadian charts. They walked away with 14 Juno Awards, and between 1996 and 2016 they were the best-selling Canadian band in Canada and the fourth best-selling Canadian artist overall, moving more than 12 million albums at home and over two million in the U.S.

What set them apart was the writing. Downie's lyrics were poetic and specific, leaning hard into Canadian history and landmarks. 'Fifty-Mission Cap' tells the story of Toronto Maple Leafs player Bill Barilko, who disappeared in 1951, while 'Bobcaygeon' plays on the contrast between city and small-town life. That connection to place is exactly why their music pairs so well with a long drive through the Maritimes.

CBC Music put together a ranking of their ten best songs on 6 August, and it makes for a ready-made road trip playlist. At the top is 'Ahead By a Century' (1996), the last song they ever played live, followed by 'Bobcaygeon' (1999), an ode to the small Ontario town where the band got its start. 'Wheat Kings' (1992) comes in third, written about David Milgaard, who was wrongly convicted of the 1969 Gail Miller case. Rounding out the top five are 'Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)' (1993) and 'Nautical Disaster' (1994), the latter about the German battleship Bismarck. The rest of the list runs through 'Grace, Too' (1994), 'Fiddler's Green' (1991), 'Fifty-Mission Cap' (1992), 'It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken' (2002) and 'Poets' (1998).

The band's story has a heavy ending. Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in December 2015, and the band announced it on 24 May 2016. Their final concert took place on 20 August 2016 at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, a 30-song set with three encores that closed on 'Ahead by a Century'. The broadcast was watched by 11.7 million people, with four million tuning in to the TV broadcast alone. Downie died on 17 October 2017. In 2017, all five members were named to the Order of Canada, and in 2024 the band was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

If you want to keep the music going, there is plenty happening this month. A new live album, 'The Tragically Hip: Live July 22 – August 20, 2016', was released on 21 August by Universal Music Canada, with live recordings from that final tour mixed and mastered in Dolby Atmos. And on Saturday 22 August at 7 p.m. local time, CBC is airing 'The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration', a commercial-free broadcast of the final Kingston concert that opens with a short film by Gord's brother, Mike, called 'A Beautiful Thing'. Official screenings are set up across the country, with Nova Scotia among the provinces taking part, so you can catch it on a big screen near you. Whether you are a lifelong fan or just looking for a Canadian soundtrack for the road, this is a good moment to dive in.