50 Tracks

Last updated

50 Tracks is a Canadian radio program, which aired on CBC Radio One in 2004 and 2005. [1] The show, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, was a listener vote to determine the 50 most essential songs in pop music history, [2] through a mix of listener voting and selection by celebrity guests. [3]

Contents

Each week, three celebrity guests nominated songs from each time period, to arrive at a list of four songs. [4] In the next few days, listeners would then vote on a fifth selection from the remaining nominated songs that had not been selected by the debate's panelists. [4] At the series conclusion listeners voted on these songs, plus 10 additional songs suggested by listeners.

The 2004 edition of the series concentrated on pop music from anywhere in the world, while the 2005 edition concentrated on Canadian music. [5] One song, Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know", was selected for both lists.

In the fall of 2005, CBC Radio launched the series The National Playlist , which took a similar format and adapted it to a weekly series. [6]

Participants

Panelists in 2005 included Terry David Mulligan, Jay Ferguson, Lorraine Segato, Laurie Brown, Damhnait Doyle, Denise Donlon, Geoff Pevere, Leah McLaren, Lee Aaron, Jennifer Hollett, and Emm Gryner.

50 Tracks (2004)

  1. John Lennon, "Imagine"
  2. The Beatles, "In My Life"
  3. Bob Dylan, "Like a Rolling Stone"
  4. U2, "With or Without You"
  5. Nirvana, "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
  6. Judy Garland, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
  7. Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven"
  8. The Rolling Stones, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
  9. Glenn Miller, "In the Mood"
  10. Chuck Berry, "Johnny B. Goode"
  11. Bob Marley, "One Love/People Get Ready"
  12. The Beatles, "A Day in the Life"
  13. The Clash, "London Calling"
  14. Woody Guthrie, "This Land Is Your Land"
  15. Steppenwolf, "Born to Be Wild"
  16. The Byrds, "Mr. Tambourine Man"
  17. The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations"
  18. Elvis Presley, "Heartbreak Hotel"
  19. Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run"
  20. Billie Holiday, "Strange Fruit"
  21. Louis Armstrong, "Stardust"
  22. Hank Williams, "Your Cheatin' Heart"
  23. David Bowie, "Heroes"
  24. Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean"
  25. The Sex Pistols, "God Save the Queen"
  26. The Bee Gees, "Stayin' Alive"
  27. Ella Fitzgerald, "How High the Moon"
  28. Radiohead, "Paranoid Android"
  29. Bill Haley & His Comets, "Rock Around the Clock"
  30. Alanis Morissette, "You Oughta Know"
  31. Ray Charles, "What'd I Say"
  32. Bing Crosby, "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?"
  33. The Temptations, "My Girl"
  34. Harald Paulsen, "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife)"
  35. Prince, "When Doves Cry"
  36. Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"
  37. Bessie Smith, "St. Louis Blues"
  38. Lou Reed, "Walk on the Wild Side"
  39. Scott Joplin, "Maple Leaf Rag"
  40. Sarah Vaughan, "Misty"
  41. Robert Johnson, "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom"
  42. Nat King Cole, "Nature Boy"
  43. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, "That's Alright Mama"
  44. The Supremes, "Stop! In the Name of Love"
  45. Louis Armstrong, "Potato Head Blues"
  46. Lauryn Hill, "Doo Wop (That Thing)"
  47. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, "The Message"
  48. Jimmie Rodgers, "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)"
  49. Louis Jordan, "Saturday Night Fish Fry"
  50. Mary J. Blige, "Real Love"

50 Tracks: The Canadian Edition (2005)

  1. Ian and Sylvia, "Four Strong Winds"
  2. Barenaked Ladies, "If I Had $1000000"
  3. Neil Young, "Heart of Gold"
  4. Stan Rogers, "Northwest Passage"
  5. The Guess Who, "American Woman"
  6. Gordon Lightfoot, "Canadian Railroad Trilogy"
  7. Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now"
  8. Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne"
  9. Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi"
  10. Gordon Lightfoot, "Early Morning Rain"
  11. Bruce Cockburn, "Lovers in a Dangerous Time"
  12. Stompin' Tom Connors, "The Hockey Song"
  13. Tom Cochrane, "Life Is a Highway"
  14. Blue Rodeo, "Try"
  15. The Band, "The Weight"
  16. The Tragically Hip, "New Orleans Is Sinking"
  17. Bryan Adams, "Summer of '69"
  18. Bachman–Turner Overdrive, "Takin' Care of Business"
  19. Anne Murray, "Snowbird"
  20. Sarah McLachlan, "Angel"
  21. k.d. lang, "Constant Craving"
  22. Spirit of the West, "Home for a Rest"
  23. The Guess Who, "These Eyes"
  24. Neil Young, "Rockin' in the Free World"
  25. Gordon Lightfoot, "Sundown"
  26. Buffy Sainte-Marie, "Universal Soldier"
  27. The Tragically Hip, "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)"
  28. Alanis Morissette, "You Oughta Know"
  29. Bruce Cockburn, "Wondering Where the Lions Are"
  30. Gilles Vigneault, "Mon Pays"
  31. Trooper, "Raise a Little Hell"
  32. Blue Rodeo, "Hasn't Hit Me Yet"
  33. Rush, "Tom Sawyer"
  34. Hank Snow, "I'm Movin' On"
  35. Martha and the Muffins, "Echo Beach"
  36. Men Without Hats, "The Safety Dance"
  37. k-os, "Crabbuckit"
  38. Rough Trade, "High School Confidential"
  39. Sam Roberts, "Brother Down"
  40. Paul Anka, "Diana"
  41. Ron Hynes, "Sonny's Dream"
  42. Leonard Cohen, "Tower of Song"
  43. The Crew Cuts, "Sh-Boom"
  44. Parachute Club, "Rise Up"
  45. Sloan, "Coax Me"
  46. Maestro Fresh Wes, "Let Your Backbone Slide"
  47. Ruth Lowe, "I'll Never Smile Again" (performed by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra)
  48. Rush, "Fly By Night"
  49. D.O.A., "Disco Sucks"
  50. Wilf Carter, "My Swiss Moonlight Lullaby"

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alanis Morissette</span> Canadian-American musician (born 1974)

Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and musician. Morissette began her music career in Canada in the early 1990s, releasing two dance-pop albums. She achieved global success with her alternative rock album, Jagged Little Pill (1995), which sold over 33 million copies and won Morissette four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. It produced the singles "You Oughta Know", "You Learn", "Hand in My Pocket", "Ironic", and "Head over Feet". Jagged Little Pill propelled her to become a cultural phenomenon and has been included on several all-time lists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Lightfoot</span> Canadian singer-songwriter (1938–2023)

Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. was a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. Credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s, he has been referred to as Canada's greatest songwriter, having several gold and multi-platinum albums and songs covered by some of the world's most renowned musical artists. Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings said, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Music Canada</span> Canadian division of Warner Music Group

Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Music of Canada, Ltd., often shortened to WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA International, which later changed its name to Warner Music International in 1990. It was founded in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Oughta Know</span> 1995 single by Alanis Morissette

"You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released as the lead single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995), on July 6, 1995. After releasing two studio albums, Morissette left MCA Records Canada and was introduced to manager Scott Welch. Morissette began working on new music after moving from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto, but made little progress. In Los Angeles, she met producer Glen Ballard, with whom she wrote songs including "You Oughta Know". Despite much speculation concerning whom the song is about, Morissette has never disclosed the person's identity and has never indicated an intention to do so.

The CASBY Awards were a Canadian awards ceremony for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. CASBY is an acronym for Canadian Artists Selected By You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackie and the Rodeo Kings</span> Canadian folk rock/alternative country band

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are a Canadian folk rock–alternative country band with blues and country influences. The band was formed in 1996, in Hamilton, Ontario, by Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, and Colin Linden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tears Are Not Enough</span> 1985 single by Northern Lights

"Tears Are Not Enough" is a 1985 charity single recorded by a supergroup of Canadian artists, under the name Northern Lights, to raise funds for relief of the 1983–85 famine in Ethiopia. It was one of a number of such supergroup singles recorded between December 1984 and April 1985, along with Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in the United Kingdom, USA for Africa's "We Are the World" in the United States, "Cantaré, cantarás" by a supergroup of Latin American and Spanish singers, Chanteurs sans Frontières's "Éthiopie" in France, and Fondation Québec-Afrique's "Les Yeux de la faim" in Quebec.

<i>Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music</i> 1996 compilation album by Various artists

Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music is a 4-CD box set released in 1996 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Juno Awards. A second box set, Oh What a Feeling 2, was released in 2001 to mark the awards' 30th anniversary, and a third set, Oh What a Feeling 3, was released in 2006 for the 35th anniversary. All of the sets feature popular Canadian songs from the 1960s onward. The sets were titled for the song "Oh What a Feeling" by rock band Crowbar. The original 25th anniversary box set peaked at No. 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified Diamond in Canada.

The Juno Award for "Songwriter of the Year" has been awarded since 1971, as recognition each year for the best songwriter in Canada. It was also known as the Juno Award for "Composer of the Year" from 1975 to 1990.

The Juno Awards of 2000 were held in Toronto, Canada, during the weekend of March 11–12, 2000.

The Juno Awards of 1973, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 12 March 1973 in Toronto at a ceremony at the Inn on the Park's Centennial ballroom. Approximately 1500 people attended this event which was hosted by George Wilson of CFRB radio.

The Juno Awards of 1974, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 25 March 1974 in Toronto at a ceremony at the Inn on the Park's Centennial ballroom hosted by George Wilson of CFRB radio's Starlight Serenade programme.

The Juno Awards of 1980, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 2 April 1980 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Burton Cummings at the Harbour Castle Hilton.

The Juno Awards of 1981, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 5 February 1981 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by multiple co-presenters at the O'Keefe Centre. The first co-hosts were Andrea Martin and John Candy of SCTV fame, then Frank Mills and Ginette Reno, and finally Ronnie Hawkins and Carroll Baker.

The Juno Awards of 1986, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 10 November 1986 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Howie Mandel at the Harbour Castle Hilton Hotel. CBC Television broadcast the ceremonies nationally.

The Juno Awards from 1992, were awarded on 29th of March in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre. Rick Moranis was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television from 9 pm Eastern.

The Juno Awards of 1996, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 10 March 1996 in Hamilton, Ontario at a ceremony in the Copps Coliseum. Anne Murray was the host for the ceremonies, which were broadcast on CBC Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Polaris Music Prize</span>

The 2016 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 19, 2016 at The Carlu event theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The hosts of the gala were broadcasters Tom Power and Amanda Parris.

The 2017 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 18, 2017.

The 2018 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 17, 2018. The gala was hosted by broadcaster Raina Douris.

References

  1. ↑ "CBC Radio broadcasts its summer schedule". The Globe and Mail , June 18, 2004.
  2. ↑ "CBC program picks Canada's 50 best songs". Sudbury Star , January 27, 2005.
  3. ↑ "Shufflers versus list makers". The Globe and Mail , March 26, 2005.
  4. 1 2 "'Don't disrespect the list'". The Globe and Mail , March 5, 2005.
  5. ↑ "Fifty Ways to Love/ Hate Your CanCon". Calgary Herald , March 18, 2005.
  6. ↑ "CBC no fun to playlist with: Don't need experts to pick good songs". National Post , November 24, 2005.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.