{"data":{"id":"ea7c11f4-497d-4f2b-b7f0-422ddc5d675a","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"What is the best song by The Tragically Hip? Day 25: Blow at High Dough vs. Emergency","summary":"Ten years ago, iconic Canadian band The Tragically Hip recaptured the attention of a nation, first with the devastating news that lead singer Gord Downie had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, and secondly, despite the diagnosis the band went out on the road for what would become their final tour.\n\nTheir final show, in their hometown Kingston on Aug. 20, 2016, was broadcast by the CBC and watched by more than 11 million people.\n\nThe intervening years have seen posthumous solo projects from Downie, as well as album reissues and archival releases from the band itself. Just last week, the band announced a live album documenting the Man Machine Poem tour.\n\nReflecting on the events of 10 years ago, which also included the release of Man Machine Poem, the band‘s best reviewed album in a number of years, I got myself thinking. Is there a fun way to look back on the work of Canada‘s most beloved band? And yes, they are Canada’s most beloved band with many apologies to Rush and others.\n\nSo taking inspiration from one of my favourite social media accounts, which does voter-based bracket competitions for the best albums of a given year, I thought why the hell not? Let’s dive in let’s look at more than 100 of The Hip’s most popular songs and decide which is the best of them all\n\nBut how to set up a tournament like this, how to rank their songs? It seemed the only fair way to do this was to look at which of their songs have the biggest number of streams.\n\nWhy does this work for voting? Well just because this song is popular does not mean it’s their best. Sure Bobcaygeon, with more than 50 million streams on Spotify, will probably fare well in this tournament.\n\nBut there are other contenders that may prove dark horses in the competition.\n\nCourage, once seen as a standard bearer for the band and also recently featured in a campaign for the Terry Fox Foundation, is only the 10th most popular song they have.\n\nNew Orleans Is Sinking is their third most popular song, but is it their best? Is it even their third-best? That will be left up to voters?\n\nThe bracket But again, why do this? Well, it’s a lot of fun and who doesn’t need a little bit of fun in this world, in this country at this moment?\n\nThe tournament started Tuesday, May 19. Matchups will run daily through my social media accounts. So please follow and play along.\n\nThe full bracket can be found here.\n\nDay 25: Iconic Up to Here single Blow at High Dough takes on Day for Night deep cut Emergency\n\nVote now! Have a listen to all the songs:\n\nSo far in round 1: Bobcaygeon beat A Beautiful Thing\n\nEldorado beat Just as Well.\n\nHighway Girl beat Here, in the Dark\n\nPigeon Camera beat Yawning or Snarling\n\nNautical Disaster beat Put it Off\n\nThe Wherewithal upset Yer Not the Ocean\n\nFifty Mission Cap beat World Container\n\nWhen the Weight Comes Down beat Reformed Baptist Blues\n\nLong Time Running defeated Family Band\n\nLionized beat No Thread\n\nFully Completely held of a strong challenge from Inevitability of Death\n\nLove is a First defeated In Sarnia\n\nGrace, Too Trounced Killing Time\n\nThe Luxury defeated It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night\n\nIt’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken beat The Rules\n\nVapour Trails upset higher seed Morning Moon\n\nNew Orleans is Sinking trounced As I Wind Down the Pines\n\nFlamenco eked out a win over Get Back Again\n\nGift Shop bested The Depression Suite\n\nEscape is at Hand for the Travellin’ Man took down Machine\n\nAt the Hundredth Meridian was victorious over Let’s Stay Engaged\n\nOn the Verge bested What Blue\n\nFireworks defeated Ocean Next\n\nOuch stung The New Maybe\n\nAlso, if you happen to have a song that you’re particularly passionate about and you wanna make the case as to why it’s the best Tragically Hip song, I want you to send it to me dbreakenridge@postmedia.com","url":"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/tragically-hip-best-song","imageUrl":"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/doroszuk2016poy_61088228.jpg","publishedAt":"2026-05-17T16:13:58.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Entertainment","Music"],"authorName":"Dave Breakenridge","contentHtml":"\"Gord

Ten years ago, iconic Canadian band The Tragically Hip recaptured the attention of a nation, first with the devastating news that lead singer Gord Downie had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, and secondly, despite the diagnosis the band went out on the road for what would become their final tour.

Their final show, in their hometown Kingston on Aug. 20, 2016, was broadcast by the CBC and watched by more than 11 million people.

The intervening years have seen posthumoussolo projects from Downie, as well as album reissues and archival releases from the band itself. Just last week, the band announced a live album documenting the Man Machine Poem tour.

Reflecting on the events of 10 years ago, which also included the release of Man Machine Poem, the band‘s best reviewed album in a number of years, I got myself thinking. Is there a fun way to look back on the work of Canada‘s most beloved band? And yes, they are Canada’s most beloved band with many apologies to Rush and others.

So taking inspiration from one of my favourite social media accounts , which does voter-based bracket competitions for the best albums of a given year, I thought why the hell not? Let’s dive in let’s look at more than 100 of The Hip’s most popular songs and decide which is the best of them all

But how to set up a tournament like this, how to rank their songs? It seemed the only fair way to do this was to look at which of their songs have the biggest number of streams.

Why does this work for voting? Well just because this song is popular does not mean it’s their best. Sure Bobcaygeon, with more than 50 million streams on Spotify, will probably fare well in this tournament.

But there are other contenders that may prove dark horses in the competition.

Courage, once seen as a standard bearer for the band and also recently featured in a campaign for the Terry Fox Foundation, is only the 10th most popular song they have.

New Orleans Is Sinking is their third most popular song, but is it their best? Is it even their third-best? That will be left up to voters?

The bracket

But again, why do this? Well, it’s a lot of fun and who doesn’t need a little bit of fun in this world, in this country at this moment?

The tournament started Tuesday, May 19. Matchups will run daily through my social mediaaccounts . So please follow and play along.

The full bracket can be found here .

Day 25: Iconic Up to Here single Blow at High Dough takes on Day for Night deep cut Emergency

Vote now!

Have a listen to all the songs:

So far in round 1:

  1. Bobcaygeon beat A Beautiful Thing
  2. Eldorado beat Just as Well.
  3. Highway Girl beat Here, in the Dark
  4. Pigeon Camera beat Yawning or Snarling
  5. Nautical Disaster beat Put it Off
  6. The Wherewithal upset Yer Not the Ocean
  7. Fifty Mission Cap beat World Container
  8. When the Weight Comes Down beat Reformed Baptist Blues
  9. Long Time Running defeated Family Band
  10. Lionized beat No Thread
  11. Fully Completely held of a strong challenge from Inevitability of Death
  12. Love is a First defeated In Sarnia
  13. Grace, Too Trounced Killing Time
  14. The Luxury defeated It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night
  15. It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken beat The Rules
  16. Vapour Trails upset higher seed Morning Moon
  17. New Orleans is Sinking trounced As I Wind Down the Pines
  18. Flamenco eked out a win over Get Back Again
  19. Gift Shop bested The Depression Suite
  20. Escape is at Hand for the Travellin’ Man took down Machine
  21. At the Hundredth Meridian was victorious over Let’s Stay Engaged
  22. On the Verge bested What Blue
  23. Fireworks defeated Ocean Next
  24. Ouch stung The New Maybe

Also, if you happen to have a song that you’re particularly passionate about and you wanna make the case as to why it’s the best Tragically Hip song, I want you to send it to me dbreakenridge@postmedia.com

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