Great Canadian songs to play at your long weekend BBQ

The long weekend is here and since we’ve already given you some delicious Canada Day meal ideas and told you about our cooler packing program, we’re doing something a little different on the blog this week. It’s time to create an amazing Canada Day playlist—something to listen to while you grill those delicious burgers, sausages, hot dogs, pork chops and chicken breasts. Download these auditory gems, hook up your outdoor speaker and get ready for a good time—happy Canada Day!

Olliffe’s favourite summer jams

For obvious reasons, we’re going with Canadian musicians for this long weekend playlist. If you’ve got songs to add to this list, let us know in the comments on Facebook. There’s no such thing as too much awesome music, so share your picks and create a Canada Day playlist that’s entirely your own! Here are our picks to start with.

• Courage, Fully Completely, Fifty Mission Cap, Blow At High Dough, Little Bones, New Orleans is Sinking and Boots or Hearts by The Tragically Hip. (You’ll want to hear Bobcaygeon, Wheat Kings and Ahead By A Century later in the evening, but start your day with something more upbeat.)
• Five Days In May, Hasn’t Hit Me Yet, Til I Am Myself Again and Lost Together by Blue Rodeo. (Throw on Try, Bad Timing and Bulletproof later on, if you’re feeling mellow and nostalgic after sunset.)
• Sundown, Carefree Highway, If You Could Read My Mind and The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. The latter may turn into a dramatic singalong, which isn’t a bad thing.
• Heart of Gold, Harvest Moon and Old Man by Neil Young. These ones deserve to be played at full volume—singalong optional but definitely encouraged.
• Tom Sawyer, The Spirit of Radio, Working Man and Closer To The Heart by Rush. Don’t play these ones unless you’re comfortable with at least one guy doing air guitar.
• The Weight and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down by The Band. You’ve gotta appreciate the classics.
• Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane. Love it or hate it, it’s a crowd-pleaser and it belongs on your long weekend playlist!
• Patio Lanterns by Kim Mitchell for the same reason. Including this song on Canadian-themed playlists may actually be a Toronto bylaw.
• Summer of ‘69 by Bryan Adams (see above re: potential bylaws). Depending on the crowd, you may want to add Cuts Like A Knife, Run To You and Can’t Stop This Thing We Started. Save the ballads for another day—a BBQ is simply not the place for Everything I Do, I Do It For You (though you might get away with Heaven).
• All of the hits from Arkells, City and Colour, The Trews, Billy Talent and Sloan. This could be a playlist of its own—have fun choosing your favourites!
• For the millennial crowd, a selection of songs by Metric, Broken Social Scene and Feist, plus one Our Lady Peace song from the ‘90s (probably Superman’s Dead).
• Canada Day, Up Canada Way by Stompin’ Tom if your goal is to encourage older friends and relatives to start dancing in a jaunty, enthusiastic way that sort of resembles a jig. Feel free to phase into Great Big Sea songs at this point in the night!
• A selection of your favourite Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen songs to end the evening and show off your sophisticated side. A Case Of You is a great way to end any night, particularly when you get to that iconic line…O Canada(aaaa)!

Thanks for reading and singing along with us. If we’ve missed your favourite Canadian song or artist, add your recommendations in the comments on Facebook. Olliffe will be open all weekend, so please stop by for all of your long weekend BBQ needs. With delicious food, great music and awesome people surrounding you, you’re bound to have an amazing time. Happy Canada Day!