{"data":{"id":"3131628c-c616-4f3e-9f7a-c7beacf9ae2a","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"What is the best song by The Tragically Hip? The end of round 2","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\nThe playlist has been updated for all the Round 2 matchups\n\nRound 2 results: Bobcaygeon beat Eldorado\n\nPigeon Camera defeated Highway Girl\n\nNautical Disaster beat the Wherewithal\n\nFifty Mission Cap defeated When the Weight Comes Down\n\nLong Time Running scared off Lionized\n\nFully Completely beat Love is a First\n\nGrace, Too defeated The Luxury\n\nIt’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken cleared away Vapour Trails\n\nNew Orleans is Sinking won over Flamenco\n\nGift Shop sent off Escape is at Hand for the Travellin’ Man\n\nAt the Hundredth Meridian defeated On the Verge\n\nFireworks blew out Ouch\n\nBlow at High Dough blew off Daredevil\n\nLooking for a Place to Happen beat Springtime in Vienna\n\nPoets defeated Another Midnight\n\nTwist My Arm took down Small Town Bringdown\n\nWheat Kings ruled over The Last of the Unplucked Gems\n\nThe Darkest One trickled past Trickle Down\n\nThree Pistols whipped Thugs\n\nSomething On slipped past Boots or Hearts\n\nLittle Bones beat I’ll Believe in You (Or I’ll Be Leavin’ You Tonight)\n\nSo Hard Done By defeated Tired as F***\n\nCourage beat Everytime You Go\n\nScared advanced over Silver Jet\n\nAhead By A Century defeated We’ll Go Too\n\nEmperor Penguin edged Fire in the Hole\n\nLocked in the Trunk of a Car beat At Transformation\n\nCordelia defeated Opiated\n\n38 Years Old beat Gus: The Polar Bear From Central Park\n\nIn View beat Last American Exit\n\nFiddler’s Green beat Bring it All Back\n\nMy Music At Work beat Greasy Jungle\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/2026/05/hip-downie-9_48219387.jpg","publishedAt":"2026-05-17T16:13:58.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Entertainment","Music"],"authorName":"Dave Breakenridge","contentHtml":"\"The

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 .

The playlist has been updated for all the Round 2 matchups

Round 2 results:

  1. Bobcaygeon beat Eldorado
  2. Pigeon Camera defeated Highway Girl
  3. Nautical Disaster beat the Wherewithal
  4. Fifty Mission Cap defeated When the Weight Comes Down
  5. Long Time Running scared off Lionized
  6. Fully Completely beat Love is a First
  7. Grace, Too defeated The Luxury
  8. It’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken cleared away Vapour Trails
  9. New Orleans is Sinking won over Flamenco
  10. Gift Shop sent off Escape is at Hand for the Travellin’ Man
  11. At the Hundredth Meridian defeated On the Verge
  12. Fireworks blew out Ouch
  13. Blow at High Dough blew off Daredevil
  14. Looking for a Place to Happen beat Springtime in Vienna
  15. Poets defeated Another Midnight
  16. Twist My Arm took down Small Town Bringdown
  17. Wheat Kings ruled over The Last of the Unplucked Gems
  18. The Darkest One trickled past Trickle Down
  19. Three Pistols whipped Thugs
  20. Something On slipped past Boots or Hearts
  21. Little Bones beat I’ll Believe in You (Or I’ll Be Leavin’ You Tonight)
  22. So Hard Done By defeated Tired as F***
  23. Courage beat Everytime You Go
  24. Scared advanced over Silver Jet
  25. Ahead By A Century defeated We’ll Go Too
  26. Emperor Penguin edged Fire in the Hole
  27. Locked in the Trunk of a Car beat At Transformation
  28. Cordelia defeated Opiated
  29. 38 Years Old beat Gus: The Polar Bear From Central Park
  30. In View beat Last American Exit
  31. Fiddler’s Green beat Bring it All Back
  32. My Music At Work beat Greasy Jungle

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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