Great Canadian Song Contest – The Finalists
I’m one of the judges in Dave Pollard’s Great Canadian Song Contest. I’ve already discussed my original submissions and the 76 possible nominees. Along with three other judges, I listened to and ranked the 76 songs on a scale of 0 for lousy and 3 for great. Dave tabulated those rankings and came up with a list of 21 finalists, which we have to sort in order from most favourite to least favourite. At the risk of starting a massive, flaming debate, here are my rankings:
1. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, The – Gordon Lightfoot
2. Real Canadian Girl, A – Stompin’ Tom Connors
3. Northwest Passage, The – Stan Rogers
4. Wheat Kings – Tragically Hip
5. Case of You, A – Joni Mitchell
6. Helpless – Neil Young
7. Log Driver’s Waltz – Wade Hemsworth
8. Four Strong Winds – Ian Tyson (Ian & Sylvia)
9. Acadian Driftwood – The Band
10. Canadian Railroad Trilogy – Gordon Lightfoot
11. C’est l’Hiver Demain – Robert Charlebois
12. Hillcrest Mine – James Keelaghan
13. Lukey’s Boat – Traditional (Great Big Sea)
14. Far Too Canadian – Spirit of the West
15. Bord de la Fontaine, Au – Traditional (Le Vent du Nord)
16. Crawl, The – Spirit of the West
17. It’s Hockey Night in Canada – Lynn Miles
18. Ziguezon, La – Traditional (La Bottine Souriante)
19. Barrett’s Privateers – Stan Rogers
20. Mon Pays (C’est l’Hiver) – Gilles Vigneault
21. Last Saskatchewan Pirate, The – Arrogant Worms
