Revised for 2011!
The top 100 Canadian songs now spills over to a top 500 that includes any and all songs which might fall under "essential Canadian Music." This list has benefitted from input by music professionals like songwriter Gene Williams, drummer Sammy Kohn (of the Watchmen), Toronto Mike's similar list (begun with my cajoling), plus many other Canadian music fans. It began with my own 40+ years of listening to music. It's recently been influenced by Bob Mersereau's list, also.
New for Canada Day weekend 2012! Best Canadian albums
Suggestions are very welcome. Leave a comment here or you can email me.
If you came here looking for the book Top 100 Canadian Singles by Bob Mersereau, click on the link, right -->
My list is at least bigger (if not better). This began as a lark several years ago, has changed and been revised several times, and gets a steady stream of comments, as it has for several years now.
So then, from Hank Snow to Snow, from April Wine to Avril Lavigne, and from (the) Great Big Sea to Toronto to Chilliwack, here are the best Canadian songs of all time (note: links go to Amazon or Youtube vids) :
Top Canadian Songs:
- Heart Of Gold
- Neil Young
- Four Strong Winds
- Ian & Sylvia
- American Woman
– The Guess Who
- New Orleans is Sinking - The Tragically Hip
- Wake Up
– Arcade Fire
- Takin' Care Of Business
– Bachman Turner Overdrive
- Signs - Five Man Electrical Band
- Born To Be Wild
- Steppenwolf
- Sundown
– Gordon Lightfoot
- Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
- Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
- Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
- I'm Movin' On - Hank Snow
- Tom Sawyer
- Rush
- Snowbird - Anne Murray
- Diana - Paul Anka
- Farmer's Song - Murray McLauchlan
- Little Darlin - the Diamonds
- The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band
- Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams
- Raise a Little Hell – Trooper
- You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
– BTO
- I've Been Everywhere- Hank Snow
- Try – Blue Rodeo
- You Oughta Know
– Alanis Morrissette
- The Spirit Of Radio
- Rush
- If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
- Ahead By A Century
- The Tragically Hip
- Hand In My Pocket
– Alanis Morrissette
- Wavin' Flag
- K'Naan
- After The Gold Rush
– Neil Young
- No Sugar Tonight/ New Mother Nature
– The Guess Who
- Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
– Neil Young
- Share The Land
- The Guess Who
- Home for a Rest - Spirit of the West
- Up On Cripple Creek
– The Band
- Apparitions
– Matthew Good Band
- Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
– Gordon Lightfoot
- Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) - Arcade Fire
- Bobcaygeon
– The Tragically Hip
- Go for Soda - Kim Mitchell
- Could Have Been a Lady – April Wine
- Working for the Weekend - Loverboy
- Bud the Spud – Stompin’ Tom.
- Complicated
– Avril Lavigne
- My Way - Paul Anka
- Blow At High Dough
- The Tragically Hip
- All Good Things (Come To An End)
– Nelly Furtado
- Life
– Our Lady Peace
- Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
- Use It
– New Pornographers
- No Time - The Guess Who
- Comin' Right Down on Top of Me - April Wine
- If I Had $1000000
- Barenaked Ladies
- Painted Ladies - Ian Thomas Band
- 5440 - I Go Blind
- Underwhelmed
– Sloan
- Beautiful U R - Deborah Cox
- Nobody's Home
– Avril Lavigne
- These Eyes
- The Guess Who
- One Gun
– 5440
- Blue Rodeo - Lost Together
- Lonely Boy - Paul Anka
- Big League - Tom Cochrane and Red Rider
- Sugar Mountain
- Neil Young
- Maneater - Nelly Furtado
- Ironic - Alanis Morrissette
- Help I'm Alive
-Metric
- The Weight - the Band
- If I Had a Rocket Launcher
- Bruce Cockburn
- Helpless
– Neil Young
- Big Yellow Taxi
– Joni Mitchell
- Black Cars - Gino Vanelli
- (Make Me Do) Anything You Want
– Foot in Coldwater
- Oh What a Feeling! - Crowbar
- Old Man
- Neil Young
- Fifty-Mission Cap
–The Tragically Hip
- Hey You
- BTO
- Wondering Where the Lions Are - Bruce Cockburn
- How You Remind Me - Nickelback
- Building a Mystery - Sarah McLachlan
- Rock Me Gently
- Andy Kim
- Rag Mama Rag - The Band
- Closer to the Heart - Rush
- Fallen Leaves - Billy Talent
- Fly At Night
– Chilliwack
- Wheat Kings
- The Tragically Hip
- We're Here for a Good time- Trooper
- Sunday Morning
– k-os
- Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
– Arcade Fire
- I Like To Rock
– April Wine
- Lager & Ale
– Kim Mitchell
- We Used to Wait - Arcade Fire
- Sunglasses at Night - Corey Hart
- One Fine Morning - Lighthouse
- Seasons In The Sun
- Terry Jacks
- Life Is A Highway
- Tom Cochrane
- Suzanne
– Leonard Cohen
- Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
- Canadian Railroad Trilogy - Gordon Lightfoot
- Magic Power - Triumph
- Weighty Ghost
- Wintersleep
- Some Kinda Fun - Teenage Head
- Sweet City Woman - the Stampeders
- Like a Hurricane - Neil Young
- Life is a Carnival - The Band
- Beautiful - Gordon Lightfoot
- Last Song - Edward Bear
- Boy Inside the Man - Tom Cochrane & Red Rider
- Cuts Like a Knife - Bryan Adams
- New Goodbye - Hey Rosetta!
- Northwest Passage - Stan Rogers
- Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
- Before You - Chantal Kreviazuk
- Brother Down - Sam Roberts
- In Too Deep - Sum 41
- Rough Trade - High School Confidential
- Carry Me - The Stampeders
- Into the Fire - Sarah McLachlan
- Red Flag - Billy Talent
- Comme J'ai Toujours Envie D'aimer - Marc Hamilton
- Put Your Head on my Shoulder - Paul Anka
- Mon pays - Gilles Vigneault
- Welcome - Hey Rosetta!
- Insensitive - Jann Arden
- Thank You - Alanis Morrissette
- Goin' Right Outta My Head – Junkhouse
- Pretty Bad Boy - Goddo
- Nothing To Lose
– Billy Talent
- Ophelia - The Band
- La Manic - Georges Dore
- Rainy Day People - Gordon Lightfoot
- Everything Is Automatic
– Matthew Good Band
- Hagood Hardy - The Homecoming
- Sudbury Saturday Night - Stompin' Tom Connors
- Load Me Up
– Matthew Good Band
- House That Heaven Built - Japandroids
- Roller
– April Wine
- Sloan - Money City Maniacs
- When The Night Feels My Song
- Bedouin Soundclash
- Smile and Wave - Headstones
- Spaceman - Bif Naked
- Nowhere with You - Joel Plaskett Emergency
- C-A-N-A-D-A - Raffi
- Moist - Push
- Let it Rain - Amanda Marshall
- Hell- Tegan & Sara
- Len - Steal My Sunshine
- Absolutely Right - Five Man Electrical Band
- Early Morning Rain - Gordon Lightfoot
- You and Me in Mexico - Edward Bear
- The Kings - Switchin' to Glide / This Beat Goes On
- Undone - the Guess Who
- Cowboy Junkies - Sweet Jane
- Pagliaro - Lovin' You Ain't Easy
- Bran Van 3000 - Drinkin' in L.A
- One Week - BNL
- Bad Day - Daniel Powter
- Harmonium- Pour un instant
- When I'm With You - Sheriff
- Sk8er boy - Avril Lavigne
- Woodstock - Joni Mitchell
- Calling Occupants - Klaatu
- Needle and the Damage Done - Neil Young
- Mashmakhan - As The Years Go By
- (Everything I Do) I Do It for You - Bryan Adams
- Strange Days
– Matthew Good Band
- Sweet Surrender - Sarah McLachlan
- Joni Mitchell - A Case of You
- I will give you Everything - Skydiggers
- Maestro Fresh Wes - Backbone Slide
- Informer - Snow
- My Life is a Stereo -The Watchmen
- Red Flag
– Billy Talent
- My Happy Ending- Avril Lavigne
- Rock Me - Steppenwolf
- My Definition - Dream Warriors
- Crash Years - New Porographers
- New World Man
– Rush
- Bad Side of the Moon - April Wine
- Boys in the Bright White Sportscar – Trooper
- Laughing - The Guess Who
- Whatcha Gonna Do - Chilliwack
- Showdown at Big Sky - Robbie Robertson
- Things I Do For Money
– Northern Pikes
- Mr. Soul - Neil Young
- Eyes of a Stranger - Payola$
- Lay it on the Line - Triumph
- Nautical Disaster
- The Hip
- Minstrel Gypsy - The Stampeders
- Cubically Contained – The Headstones
- Sloan - the Good in Everyone
- Broken Arrow - Robbie Robertson
- Poets - The Tragically Hip
- Run to You - Bryan Adams
- Teenland - the Northern Pikes
- Adia - Sarah McLachlan
- Waiting in Canada - Jann Arden
- Spinning Wheel – Blood Sweat and Tears
- Where is this Love? - Payola$
- Closer Together - The Box
- 1234 - Feist
- One Thing - Finger Eleven
- Black Velvet - Alannah Myles
- Turn Me Loose - Loverboy
- At The Hundredth Meridian
– Tragically Hip
- Sleeping Sickness
- City and Colour
- Sleepy Maggie - Ashley MacIsaac
- Thief - Our Lady Peace
- Pieces - Sum 41
- Armageddon - Prism
- Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire
- All Uncovered - the Watchmen
- 5 Days in May - Blue Rodeo
- Do I Love You - Paul Anka
- Whispering Rain - Murray McLauchlan
- Say it Right - Nelly Furtado
- Wait - the Kills
- My Heart Will Go On - Celin Dion
- Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
- Blast - Pure
- Somewhere Down the Crazy River - Robbie Robertson
- The Untouchable One - Tom Cochrane & Red Rider
- Pretty Lady - Lighthouse
- 4am
– Our Lady Peace
- The Arcade Fire- Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
- Work Out Fine - Joel Plaskett Emergency
- Dynamite Walls - Hayden
- Diodes - Tired of Waking Up Tired
- Naveed
– OLP
- Symbolistic White Walls
– Matthew Good Band
- Inside Out – Crash Vegas
- See the Light - Jeff Healey
- Rise Up - Parachute Club
- Everybody's Got a Story - Amanda Marshall
- Weakerthans - Tournament of Hearts
- Never Said I Loved You - Payola$ & Carol Pope
- The Old Apartment - Barenaked Ladies
- Hard to Laugh - Pursuit of Happiness
- Grapes of Wrath - I am Here
- I'm an Adult Now - Pursuit of Happiness
- Long May You Run - Neil Young
- Innocent - Our Lady Peace
- Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies
- Such a Lonely One - Prairie Oyster
- Dirty Water - Rock & Hyde
- Summer Side of Life - Gord Lightfoot
- Secret Heart - Ron Sexsmith
- Sloan - People of the Sky
- Words We Never Use - Ron Sexsmith
- Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole - USS
- Saga - Wind Him Up
- Our Lady Peace - Superman's Dead
- Sing Me Spanish Techno - New Pornographers
- Dan Hill - Sometimes When We Touch
- k.d. lang - Constant Craving
- Southern Man - Neil Young
- Red Rider - Lunatic Fringe
- Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway
- Grace, Too - Tragically Hip
- Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young
- Nova Heart - Spoons
- Baby I Love you - Andy Kim
- Saviour - Lights
- O Siem - Susan Aglukark
- Gowan - Criminal Mind
- Heaven - Bryan Adams
- Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies
- Nick Gilder - Hot Child in the City
- Born Losers - Matthew Good
- Lakeside Park - Rush
- I Will Remember You - Sarah McLachlan
- Tinfoil - Limblifter
- Malajube - Montreal -40°C
- Tesselate - Tokyo Police Club
- Colin James - Just Came Back to Say Goodbye
- The Demics - New York City
- First We Take Manhattan - Leonard Cohen
- Claire - The Rheostatics
- Automatic Flowers - Our Lady Peace
- Let's Shake - Teenage Head
- Salesmen, Cheats and Liars - Lowest of the Low
- Something on my Mind - Teenage Head
- Hina Na Ho (Celebration) - Susan Aglukark
- Saga - Scratching the Surface
- Sam Roberts - Hard Road
- Crash Test Dummies - Superman Song
- Breathe - Swollen Members (with Nelly Furtado)
- Under my Thumb - Streetheart
- Tragically Hip - Fireworks
- Rose Coloured Glasses - Blue Rodeo
- Under My Hat - Goddo
- Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts - Something to Live For
- Love is - Alannah Myles
- Great Big Sea - Ordinary Day
- Saga - The Flyer
- Shania Twain - Man, I Feel Like a Woman
- Patio Lanterns - Kim Mitchell
- Clap Your Hands - the Beaumarks
- Boiled Frogs -Alexisonfire
- Subdivisions - Rush
- The Grace - Neverending White Lights
- Falling On - Finger Eleven
- Monkey Bars - Coney Hatch
- Tired of Waiting - the Trews
- Shania Twain - That Don't Impress Me Much
- Dead Disco - Metric
- Aldo Nova - Fantasy
- Phasors on Stun - FM
- Casual Viewin`- 5440
- The Bearcat - David Wilcox
- Run and Hide - the Watchmen
- 5440 - Baby Ran
- Spirit of the West - Venice is Sinking
- Clumsy - Our Lady Peace
- Alive - Edwin
- April Fool - Chalk Circle
- Sarah Harmer - Basement Apartment
- Silver - Moist
- I Mother Earth - One More Astronaut
- Wake Me -Rusty
- In Repair - Our Lady Peace
- Right Before Your Eyes - Ian Thomas Band
- Teenage Head - Picture My Face
- I Just Wanna Stop - Gino Vannelli
- Pilot - Ian Thomas Band
- Since When - 5440
- Combat Baby - Metric
- My My Hey Hey - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
- This is How it Goes - Billy Talent
- Marina Del Rey - Marc Jordan
- My Name - George Canyon
- Through and Through and Through - Joel Plaskett Emergency
- Anna Speed Freak - Pure
- Stars and Sons - Broken Social Scene
- Black Day in July - Gordon Lightfoot
- Matthew Good Band - Hello Time Bomb
- Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love - April Wine
- Smoke - Crash Vegas
- Ocean Blues (Emotion Blue) - Tom Cochrane & Red Rider
- Oblivion - Wintersleep
- Waiting - City and Colour
- The Mummer's Song - Loreena McKennitt
- Could I be Your Girl - Jann Arden
- It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken - Tragically Hip
- Still The One - Shania Twain
- Blue Rodeo - Bad Timing
- Rain Down on Me - Blue Rodeo
- Praire Oyster - Only One Moon
- Just Between You & Me - April Wine
- Fallen Leaves - Billy Talent
- 3 Dressed up as a 9 - Trooper
- Three Pistols - The Tragically Hip
- Baby Have Some Faith - 5440
- Turn Your Back - Billy Talent
- Boneyard Tree - the Watchmen
- Those Old Emotions - Spoons
- Pro-Test Song - Skinny Puppy
- Spoons - Romantic Traffic
- Two for the Show - Trooper
- Never Surrender - Corey Hart
- Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Neil Young
- Unicorn Song - The Irish Rovers
- 2112 - Rush
- American Psycho -Treble Charger
- Heavy Metal Love - Helix
- Photograph - Nickelback
- Jane - Barenaked Ladies
- Gowan - Strange Animal
- Ghandarvas - Downtime
- NIMBY - Chalk Circle
- Joel Plaskett Emergency - Natural Disaster
- Ron Hynes - Sonny's Dream
- Pocahantas- Crash Vegas
- Big Hard Sun - Indio
- Tokyo Rose - Idle Eyes
- I'm a Stranger Here - Five Man Electrical Band
- Shakin' All Over- The Guess Who
- Crazy Talk - Chilliwack
- Thinking of you - Harlequin
- Rolling Down the Highway - BTO
- My Own Way to Rock - Burton Cummings
- Try Walking Away -Murray McLauchlan
- Where Evil Grows - the Poppy Family
- Stay in the Light - Honeymoon Suite
- She Aint Pretty - Northern Pikes
- Blue Collar - BTO
- American Roulette - Robbie Robertson
- Hey Operator - Coney Hatch
- We Run - Strange Advance
- Distant Early Warning - Rush
- Tell Somebody - Sass Jordan
- Max Webster - Let Go the Lline
- Worthy to Say - Nickelback
- Lookin Out for Number One - BTO
- Night Flights – Max Webster
- King Harvest - The Band
- Mister Can't You See - Buffy Ste. Marie
- Till I am Myself Again – Blue Rodeo
- It's Not Funny Anymore - Crash Vegas
- One Day in Your Life – 5440
- I'm Like a Bird - Nelly Furtado
- After the Rain - Blue Rodeo
- This Mourning - Chalk Circle
- My Town - Glass Tiger
- Lindberg - Robert Charlebois
- Should I See - Frozen Ghost
- My Girl (Gone Gone Gone) - Chilliwack
- Free Man in Paris - Joni Mitchell
- How Long - Blue Rodeo
- Nothin' - The Ugly Ducklings
- Diamond Mine - Blue Rodeo
- Fly by Night - Rush
- Help Me - Joni Mitchell
- Cortez the Killer - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
- Crabbuckit - k-os
- Straight From the Heart - Bryan Adams
- Spaceship Superstar – Prism
- Little Bones - The Tragically Hip
- Albert Flasher - The Guess Who
- Let it Ride - BTO
- I Don't Hurt Anymore - Hank Snow
- The Hockey Song - Stompin Tom Connors
- Hold On - Triumph
- New Girl Now - Honeymoon Suite
- Surrounded - Chantal Kreviazuk
- Ariel vs. Lotus - Limblifter
- Nobody's Supposed to be Here - Deborah Cox
- Dangerous- Kardinal Offishall
- The Power of Love - Celin Dion
- Boomtown - Andrew Cash
- Wild Eyes - The Stampeders
- Shine - Doughboys
- In Your Soul - Corey Hart
- I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace
- St. Elmo's Fire theme - David Foster
- Listen to the Radio - Pukka Orchestra
- Barrett's Privateers - Stan Rogers
- Echo Beach - Martha and the Muffins
- Sunny Days - Lighthouse
- Gimme Sympathy - Metric
- Mass Romantic - The New Pornographers
- Ocean Pearl - 5440
- The Maker - Daniel Lanois
- Civil Twilight - The Weakerthans
- Political - Spirit of the West
- Sequoia Throne - Protest the Hero
- Young Cardinals - Alexisonfire
- Boom Boom (Out go the Lights) - Pat Travers
- Day by Day - Doug & the Slugs
- Catharsis - Natalie MacMaster
- Shout Out Loud - Roch Voisine
- Where Does My Heart Beat Now - Celine Dion
- One Precious Love - Prairie Oyster
- It Doesn't Really Matter - Platinum Blonde
- Gonna Get Close to You - Dalbello
- I'm Still Searching - Glass Tiger
- Alabama - Neil Young
- It's Saturday Night - The Razorbacks
- Simply Saucer - Electro Rock
- Stand Tall- Burton Cummings
- Land - Gord Downie, Daniel Lanois, Michelle McAdorey & Various
- Break it to them Gently - Burton Cummings
- The Northern - Alexisonfire
- Walk With Your Neighbour - Tommy Hunter
- Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) - Glass Tiger
- Just Dreamin' - Fred J. Eaglesmith
- Is Anybody Home? - Our Lady Peace
- Hand me Down World - The Guess Who
- Times Like These - The Razorbacks
- Jean-Pierre Ferland - Je reviens chez nous
- Expectations- Stephen Fearing
- Unsound - Headstones
- Bus Rider - The Guess Who
- Stand Up - Coney Hatch
- Shine - Junkhouse
- I'm a Window - Matthew Good
- Mimi on the Beach - Jayne Sibbery
- You're Having my Baby - Paul Anka
- Somebody - Bryan Adams
- Radio Silence - Blue Peter
- People Gotta Move - Gino Vanelli
- Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace
- Jean Leloup - 1990
- Better Than Anything - Diana Krall
- Mama Let Him Play - Jerry Doucette
- Michael Buble - Save the Last Dance
- Daddy Don't Know - Toronto
- The Eternal Fatalist - Lowest of the Low
- Wild Horses - Gino Vannelli
- I'm Scared - Burton Cummings
- Heart's on Fire - Bryan Adams
- Julia - Our Lady Peace
- This Note's for You - Neil Young
- Riverboat Fantasy - David Wilcox
- Runnin Back to Sakatoon - The Guess Who
- Canadian Dream – Sam Roberts
- Settle - Headstones
- It's Only Love - Bryan Adams
- Tears Are Not Enough - Various
More streetheart -action & innocence, headpins, roxy roller by sweeney todd, long john baldry, trews
Certainly my taste runs mainly in rock or even pop-rock, but... you know.... doesn't every sane person's?