Canadian music

Instructions

Students will receive credit for one original post (or position statement) and responses to other forum member’s posts.

I have copied other forum member’s post. All posts are regarding Canadian music issue.

My assignment to you is answering (responding) the post they have written below. Each one about 180-250 words will be good enough. Basically, you are replying to the posts. The number of reference is not limited to 8 (though I have stated 8).  Total questions are 32 questions. (with each answer between 180-250 words will do)

1. Canadian music has reflect a diverse influences that have shaped the country.  Aboriginal people in Canada, the French, British and Irish has made contributions to the musical heritage of Canada.  Subsequently, it was heavily influenced by American culture due to its proximity and migration between two countries.   Canadian music industry has expanded and is sixth largest in the world with renowned artists.  During 1960s Canadian musicians were generally turned toward the United States to establish a healthy long lasting careers and in the early 2000s Canadian artists continued to expand their audience toward the United States and beyond.  Mainstream Canadian artists with global recorded contracts such as Justin Bieber reached new heights in terms of international success while dominating the American music charts.  Most renowned Canadians musicians used many forms of artistic expression to link with their identity to Canada.  My questions is Does the musicians reflect Canadian identity in the music lyrics they write?

2. To me, Canadian is living in a multi-cultural society free of oppression and the freedom to express oneself. This is significant when it comes to music. I believe that acceptance, not only tolerance, on people’s differences is a shared value by all Canadians. This is because many people came from other countries and immigrated to Canada. In addition, as Canada’s Confederation in 1867 was far different and less violent than the American Revolution, it created a unique country wanting to step away from British and American influences. Connolly argues that Canada had to try to create their own identity, which also involved music. The British Invasion, with bands such as the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, had a large impact in music but the musical styles of the Tragically Hip remained uniquely Canadian. When it comes to the Tragically Hip, many Canadians will recognize their style of music despite never penetrating the American or world market. The Tragically Hip’s lyrics do not stem from violence, misogyny, or capitalism. Instead, in “Fifty-Mission Cap” it tells the story of the Toronto Maple Leafs trying to win the Stanley Cup, which hockey is a Canadian sport, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, part of the Original Six, is one of the most well-known hockey teams in Canada. The Tragically Hip go against the grain and does not conform to American culture by creating unique Canadian music through their lyrics and message. In Kingston Ontario, The Tragically Hip’s last concert before the death of the late Gord Downie, Prime Minister Trudeau and Downie addressed the issues of the past treatment and conditions of Aboriginal people in Canada. This attests to Canadian identity stating that Canada is not perfect but trying to fix the troubles of the past. My question is that does Canadian music influence other countries such as the U.S. and the U.K, rather than Canada being influenced by these countries?

3. The topic of Canadian Identity in music is an interesting and captivating phenomenon that needs to be viewed through a cultural and philosophical lens. Foremost, we need to discuss what “Canadianness” is and what is “Canadian culture”? If we simply connect whiteness with this Canadian identity then our interpretation becomes fallacious since, after the arrival of the colonizers, Canada has become a melting pot that embodies many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. In addition to this, the lack of integration of the Indigenous Peoples in this identity becomes problematic. This confusion of Canadian Identity has been also, in my opinion, projected itself, globally, in the music industry. As Tristanne Connolly argues, in her chapter, Canadian identity has become dominated by the hegemony of American identity. The author uses the song titled “American Woman” by the Canadian Band, Guess Who, to explore this domination and lack of the presence of Canadian identity in the global scene. As Connolly demonstrates in her chapter the misperception of the true meaning of this song in America, which is against the illusionary image of “the American Woman, who is, among other things, a seductive media archetype propagated by advertisement, movies, and of course rock ‘n’ roll”(Connolly & Iino, 2017, p. 6) . Moreover, as Connolly notes, the song is about the disidentification of Canada with its neighbor which uses the symbol of American Woman. Not only had the Americans misunderstood the “American woman” rather, with the help of singers such as Lenny Kravitz, connected with the so-called American attributes: American flag, cars, bikes, etc. This is an ample example of the domination of American market over the Canadian artists. As long as the American hegemony shadows over Canada, particularly in terms of economics, then Canadian identity will be misrepresented. However, in the contemporary era, artists, such as Drake have used a hybrid identity that has been, somewhat successful in the representation of Canadian identity by using the Toronto name and skyline in his videos (Deschamps, 2017). The question, nevertheless, remains: is this the authentic Canadian identity that Drake is portraying?

4. What does it genuinely mean for music to be ‘Canadian’? Is it an intrinsic quality or feature that can be heard or found in the music, or is it something more? In what ways can we define and differentiate ‘Canadian’ music from everything else?

5. Are there some songs create stereotypes about Canada or some of the provinces? Is Canadian culture (music, fashion, etc.) influenced by American?

6. Is it important for well-known Canadian musicians and artists to present their nationality to the public and represent it in a positive light?

If the micro labels that existed in Canada in the 1960’s such as the two for example in Guelph (as spoken about in lecture 3) put more effort in to get the music recorded by artists in their studios out to the larger record companies in the U.S it would have made artists more successful and maybe today we would have more famous Canadian singers who made it big from the 1960’s time period. Due to these micro labels only trying to make their own profit by selling studio time they had no interest in promoting any of the artists who walked through the doors. Therefore, due to the lack of effort on the part of the micro labels the artist had to promote themselves with little to know backing. For artists to keep