09-27-2005, 02:42 PM
The tune is an interesting juxtaposition of love and nationalism.
The first two verses clearly concern a relationship. The idea that she's 'loosening his grip on Bobby Orr' is a neat metaphor for a boy's awakening to manhood. Then they get married, etc..
But a related theme---nationalism---is present from the start. The '72 goal is a national monument in Canada, 'but all he remembers is sitting beside' her...she is tilting him away from both hockey and a fist-pumping concern with The Nation (both are thus framed as juvenile concerns, I'd say).
It's the same in the second verse, where he dismisses 'crisis in the Kremlin,' 'fake Cold War,' etc.---all the bafflegab affiliated with politics. The country he believes in is 'me and you,' none of that other nonsense. 'Isn't it amazing what you can accomplish when you don't let the nation get in your way?' he asks. That's pretty straightforward.
Cynicism about nationalism continues into the middle-eight, where the National Fitness Program (Participaction? Anyone remember THAT? :mrgreen: ) is dissed.
The final verse introduces the idea of fireworks, presumably of the Canada Day variety. These 'obliterate heaven'; the idea here could be clearer (I never liked this verse) but it seems to be a reinforcement of the idea that nationalism, the nation, obliterates good things, such as a sky full of stars.
But the last line---'isn't it amazing what you can accomplish, EH?' is probably one of Gord's funniest. The 'eh'---another famous Canadianism---amounts to a wry acknowledgement that, despite everything he's just said, he remains ultimately stuck in his Canadian box...just as the Hip remain Canada's National Band in large measure due to Gord's Canadiana lyrics.
All told, the song amounts to as direct a statement as we're likely to get from Downie about his standing as Canada's 'National Lyric-writer.' :thumb: And his attitude seems to be one of justifiably wry bemusement. Gord can knock nationalism all he wants, but the fact is it's helped his bank account by a considerable amount! :lol:
The first two verses clearly concern a relationship. The idea that she's 'loosening his grip on Bobby Orr' is a neat metaphor for a boy's awakening to manhood. Then they get married, etc..
But a related theme---nationalism---is present from the start. The '72 goal is a national monument in Canada, 'but all he remembers is sitting beside' her...she is tilting him away from both hockey and a fist-pumping concern with The Nation (both are thus framed as juvenile concerns, I'd say).
It's the same in the second verse, where he dismisses 'crisis in the Kremlin,' 'fake Cold War,' etc.---all the bafflegab affiliated with politics. The country he believes in is 'me and you,' none of that other nonsense. 'Isn't it amazing what you can accomplish when you don't let the nation get in your way?' he asks. That's pretty straightforward.
Cynicism about nationalism continues into the middle-eight, where the National Fitness Program (Participaction? Anyone remember THAT? :mrgreen: ) is dissed.
The final verse introduces the idea of fireworks, presumably of the Canada Day variety. These 'obliterate heaven'; the idea here could be clearer (I never liked this verse) but it seems to be a reinforcement of the idea that nationalism, the nation, obliterates good things, such as a sky full of stars.
But the last line---'isn't it amazing what you can accomplish, EH?' is probably one of Gord's funniest. The 'eh'---another famous Canadianism---amounts to a wry acknowledgement that, despite everything he's just said, he remains ultimately stuck in his Canadian box...just as the Hip remain Canada's National Band in large measure due to Gord's Canadiana lyrics.
All told, the song amounts to as direct a statement as we're likely to get from Downie about his standing as Canada's 'National Lyric-writer.' :thumb: And his attitude seems to be one of justifiably wry bemusement. Gord can knock nationalism all he wants, but the fact is it's helped his bank account by a considerable amount! :lol: