The Hip Road Trip

I am an ardent, cradle-to-grave fan of the iconic Canadian band The Tragically Hip. I grew up listening to my dad’s scratchy CD of World Container and cried my eyes out watching the final 2016 performance on TV. As such, I have long nursed an ambition to visit every one of the (many) Canadian locations mentioned in Hip songs – and blog about it of course! While I am not currently in a position to undertake my own Hip Road Trip at the moment, I’d thought I’d share the love and the list I’ve compiled on the off chance anyone else feels like taking up the torch. I’ve elected to arrange the list alphabetically by song for ease of use for now, although I would of course advise you to either start or end your trip in the Hip Hometown of Kingston, Ontario if you plan to complete the trip in its entirety.

Before I get into it, I have to extend my admiration and appreciation for the fabulous fans over at A Museum After Dark (http://hipmuseum.com/index.html) an incredible source for Hip-formation and an invaluable resource in the writing of this list.

Dewolf Point State Park, New York – Okay not a Canadian location exactly, but this park just over the border in NY is where you’ll find the titular “Last American Exit” sign.

Song: Last American Exit

Album: The Tragically Hip

Lyric: Im on the last American exit to the Northland/Im on the last American exit to my homeland

Alert, Nunavut – While the song simply says “Arctic” I’ve selected Alert as the road trip stop since its one of the world’s most northerly continuously inhabited locations.

Song: The Depression Suite

Album: We Are the Same

Lyric: Of perfect fifths low skids and Arctic howls

Algonquin Park, Ontario – Gord recounts the tale of a bear stalking a camper with the intent to eat him in “The Bear”, likely a reference to an infamous incident that took place in Algonquin park in which a black bear killed and ate two campers. A grisly stop in a beautiful location.

Song: The Bear

Album: Music@Work

Lyric: I think it was Algonquin Park/It was so cold and winter-dark

Athabasca, Alberta – I can’t tell you what it depends on, but I do highly recommend adding this stop to any road trip (Hip or otherwise) because its quite pretty up there.

Song: Don’t You Wanna See How It Ends

Lyric: When the door’s just starting to open/ And Athabasca depends/Don’t you wanna see how it ends

Attawapiskat, Ontario - Gord draws attention to the longtime neglect and exploitation of this First Nations community in Ontario by screaming its name in “Goodnight Attawapiskat.”

Song: Goodnight Attawapiskat

Album: Now for Plan A

Lyric: Attawapiskat/City by the Bay/A diamond dazzling

Bath, Ontario – Not only the location of Millhaven Maximum Security Prison, but also according to The Museum After Dark, the site of a house once used by the band as a recording studio.

Song: 38 Years Old

Album: Up To Here

Lyric: Twelve men broke loose in seventy-three/ From Millhaven Maximum Security

Beckwith, Ontario – Just off highway 17 in Beckwith you’ll find “Cemetery Side Rd.” in an otherwise Hip-less town. There is another “Cemetery Side Rd.” in Kingston, but Kingston is so rife with Hip-story that it gets a stop all its own.

Song: Cemetery Side Road

Album: The Tragically Hip

Lyric: Im looking for a cemetery sideroad

Bobcaygeon, Ontario – The titular location of “Bobcaygeon” is a small town in central location that was allegedly named by Samuel de Champlain.

Song: Bobcaygeon

Album: Phantom Power

Lyric: It was in Bobcaygeon I saw the constellations/ Reveal themselves one star at a time

Brandon, Manitoba – Just West of which you’ll find the hundredth meridian, some debate about where the great plains actually begin.

Song: At the Hundredth Meridian  

Album: Fully Completely

Lyric: At the hundredth meridian/Where the great plains begin

Calgary, Alberta – If you have to break down in Alberta, Calgary is probably a better choice than Edmonton.

Song: Take Forever

Album: Now for Plan A

Lyric: He breaks down when I broke down/ I always thought I’d go to Calgary

Cape Spear, Newfoundland – The most Eastern point on the continent of North America and only Canadian location to have been attacked during the second world war, used here to illustrate the length and breadth of the Canadian landmass.

Song: Silver Jet

Album: In Violet Light

Lyric: Ya fought the hot spurs off all the way/to Cape Spear

Churchill, Manitoba – Polar bear capital of the world and a stop on The Hip Road Trip for its mention in “Thompson Girl”.

Song: Thompson Girl

Album: Phantom Power

Lyric: Thompson girl walking from Churchill/ Across the icy world with polar bears its mostly uphill

Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia – A rare shout-out to my own home province of British Columbia, Gord uses the beautiful Clayoquot Sound as the West Coast counterpoint to the above Cape Spear in Silver Jet.

Song: Silver Jet

Album: In Violet Light

Lyric: Silver jet Clayquot Sound to Cape Spear

Cochrane, Ontario – This small community in Northern Ontario is the closest accessible town to the area of bushland where the body of Bill Barilko was found in the summer of 1962.

Song: Fifty Mission Cap

Album: Fully Completely

Lyric: Bill Barilko disappeared that summer/He was on a fishing trip

Etobicoke, Ontario – Now personally I have never been to Etobicoke, but I’m guessing that the coyotes there would still give you real scars if provoked.

Song: Ultra Mundane

Album: In Violet Light

Lyric: To see Etobicoke coyotes/ To get pretend scars

Golden, British Columbia – Sadly you can’t stay there anymore, but you can still see the Golden Rim Motor Inn that Gord refers to in “The Luxury”.

Song: The Luxury

Album: Road Apples

Lyric: The Golden Rim Motor Inn/ Soft water and colour TV

Ile Aux Morts, Newfoundland – This creepily named island is located off of Newfoundland and like most of that province has an extensive history of maritime exploits.

Song: The Dire Wolf

Album: In Violet Light

Lyric: In that September off/Isle aux Morts/ the desultory sea

Lake Memphremagog, Quebec – Gord finds a rhyme for “song” in this lake near the town of Magog in Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains.

Song: Problem Bears

Album: In Violet Light

Lyric: Writing a song about Lake Memphremagog

McBurney Park, Kingston Ontario –An excellent destination for both Hip Heads and goths, this park in Kingston was once a cemetery and prior to an extensive dead-body-removal-effort bones allegedly used pop up during people’s picnics.

Song: Skeleton Park

Album: We Are the Same

Lyric: Be my sweetheart/Over in Skeleton Park

Mistaken Point, Newfoundland – One of many maritime locations named for the difficulties associated with navigating it, Mistaken Point is also known for an abundance of Precambrian fossils – pretty neat even without the Hip connection.

Song: Fly

Album: World Container

Lyric: There’s Mistaken Point Newfoundland/ There are places I’ve never been and always wanted to go

Montreal, Quebec – A horrific mass shooting inspired the band to write (but not officially release until 2021) the song “Montreal”, a worthwhile and sobering stop.   

Song: Montreal

Album: Saskadelphia

Lyric: Poor old Montreal/ In spite of everything that’s happened

Moonbeam, Ontario – A whimsically named town located in the Cochrane District and known for having an extremely large roadside statue of a flying saucer.

Song: Fly

Album: World Container

Lyric: There’s Moonbeam Ontario/ There are places I’ve never been and always wanted to go

Niagara Falls, Ontario – A wonder of the world, popular tourist destination, and popular site for suicidal leaps.

Song: A Beautiful Thing

Album: In Violet Light

Lyric: The phone rings and it brings Niagara Falls/ At 3 o’clock in the morning

Picton, Ontario – Although there are many Regent Theatres in Canada and beyond, the one Gord most likely knew a “rocking little spot” next to is this one east of Toronto.

Song: All Canadian Surf Club

Album: The Tragically Hip

Lyric: Well there’s a rockin’ little spot next to the Regent Theatre

Rideau Canal, Ontario – I’d recommend stopping at this canal, designed as military transport route between Ottawa and Kingston, in the winter to partake in the oh-so-Canadian activity of skating on it.

Song: Skeleton Park

Album: We Are the Same

Lyric: Willows of the Rideau Canal softly sing

Sarnia, Ontario – According to the Museum After Dark the original lyrics for this song were actually “insomnia” nevertheless, this city in Ontario is still a worthy stop.

Song: In Sarnia

Album: Man Machine Poem

Lyric: In my blood/Sarnia/You’re on my mind

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – This one is complicated, not only have many towns billed themselves as “Paris of the prairies” at some point (Winnipeg, and Calgary to name a few), but the story of David Milgaard also involves at least three towns that all make a claim to being the “Paris” referenced in the “Wheat Kings”. Milgaard was born in Winnipeg, the crime for which he became famous occurred in Saskatoon, and the court trial took place in Regina. Saskatoon was chosen here as the general consensus appears to favour it as the probable setting of the song.

Song: Wheat Kings

Album: Fully Completely

Lyric: Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies/ Wheat Kings have all their treasures buried

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – A town that crosses the 49th parallel and is mentioned as having “smart trees”.

Song: Born In the Water

Album: Road Apples

Lyric: Smart as trees in Sault Ste. Marie  

Toronto, Ontario – A less obscure Ontarian locale referenced in “Bobcaygeon” and the title of “Toronto #4”.

Song: Bobcaygeon

Album: Phantom Power

Lyric: That night in Toronto with its checkerboard floors

Song: Toronto #4

Album: Music@Work

Lyric: Title only

Song: Queen of the Furrows

Album: World Container

Lyric: “Win Toronto” yelled the Queen of the Furrows

Trois Pistoles, Quebec – According to Rob Baker’s Twitter account the road sign for Trois Pistoles inspired the title for “Three Pistols”.

Song: Three Pistols

Album: Road Apples

Lyric: Three pistols came and three people went on their way/ Three pistols strong and three people spent