In return, Downie has said that he has based some of his song-writing on ideas he has discussed with Mike. He passed away in October 2017 following a battle with glioblastoma.ĭownie has known director Mike Clattenburg for some time, as Clattenburg directed a Tragically Hip music video for their song "11th Fret" in 2003. He and the band seem to have a long standing association with the Trailer Park Boys. The misunderstood world.Gord Downie was the lead singer of the Canadian band, The Tragically Hip. Downie takes the final moments of the song - which closes the album - to focus on hope: "Let's turn our faces to the sun and get whatever warmth there is in the unnoticed world. "They're parents without kids, without parents," he says. Downie tells of his mindset of "keeping things real and keeping things day-to-day" while he learned more about "life of the North, in a Canada we should've never called Canada." He sheds light on problems that are "over 100 years old" and the scars left by residential schools. "THE NORTH" - After last year's whirlwind summer tour the Hip embarked on a trip to James Bay with Canadian novelist Joseph Boyden and a group of Indigenous guides. She rejects his advances and tells him off. "You had long blond hair to your waist and didn't give a damn." Eventually his lust takes over and Downie tries to make a move. "You read books all the time and made me want to read books over my head," he sings. He frames their connection with a cinematic vigour. "MY FIRST GIRLFRIEND" - Dipping into nostalgia deepest here, Downie reflects on his first relationship, with someone six years his senior. "We talked about other stuff nearly every day too, with the B's you could never lose." Percussion was recorded with a hockey stick on the driveway outside the studio. "We talked about them nearly every day, for over 40 years now," he sings. His younger brother Patrick shares the spotlight in this memory, with Downie singing about their shared love for the Boston Bruins. "YOU ME AND THE B'S" - Downie's hockey obsession was no secret, so it's completely appropriate that one of the album's most upbeat songs pays tribute to the sport that brought him so much joy. But the tattoo shop was closed and the phrase was never inked, though Downie immortalized his idea on the album cover. On Christmas Eve, he decided to tattoo the words on his hand. Downie talks about how that moment stuck with him. He writes "Introduce Yerself" on his hand and pokes his friend, hoping the suggestion might ease the tension. His memory is deteriorating and he's struggling with the name of his driver, even though he feels he should know him. "INTRODUCE YERSELF" - One of the songs Downie wrote after his invasive brain surgery, it begins while he's riding in the backseat of a vehicle with a friend. He finishes with a lesson he took to heart in his final days: "You said, 'What you do is you."' "First person to lean down and kiss me goodnight." The song then drifts towards Downie repeating "goodbye" against the haunting sound of a piano and an intensifying kick drum that evokes the sound of a heartbeat.
"First person, this is the gift of my life," he sings. "FIRST PERSON" - Setting a sombre tone, Downie offers flashes of what seem to be early memories of his mother, Lorna. Here are five notable tracks and their back stories: The album is best experienced on a set of headphones, which commits the listener to hanging onto every word of each story from Downie, who died last week at 53. Sometimes the context is hazy and who he's speaking to is often a mystery. "Introduce Yerself" pays homage to the good times Downie shared with friends, moments of emotional intimacy, and perhaps even ties up a few loose ends. Another 10 tracks were laid down in February of this year. Plans took shape to properly record the first batch of songs in early 2016 at the Hip's recording studio in Bath, Ont. Within hours, Downie sent back recordings with his vocals laid overtop. In an interview with the New York Times, Drew said after first hearing of Downie's condition he emailed his friend instrumentals he was inspired to create. Written in the months after Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in December 2015, he began working on this album - which is out Friday - through an organic collaboration with Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew. Each one is addressed to a person or place that left an indelible impression on his life.
#Gord downie series
Those are strong currents that run through the Tragically Hip frontman's farewell album "Introduce Yerself," a series of 23 love letters in song. In the face of his own mortality, Gord Downie chose to celebrate life, love and connections.
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