On Saturday, when Sarah McLachlan, Tom Cochrane and the members of Blue Rodeo were inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, they each took a moment to acknowledge that writing great music usually involves incredible effort.
“Writing is often a solitary and isolating activity,” McLachlan told the audience at Toronto’s Massey Hall in her speech.
“But for me it’s also extremely cathartic.”
Sarah McLachlan delivers a speech at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony at Massey Hall in Toronto, Saturday, September 28, 2024.
Paige Taylor White/The Canadian Press
His sentiments were shared by Cochrane, who acknowledged that songwriting steals precious years from the people surrounding its creators. He thanked his daughters for their patience with him.
But the Life is a highway The writer suggested that the process of creation often leads to miracles.
“Songs have a beginning and an end, like lives,” he said. “And like the people we love, we don’t forget them.”
Tom Cochrane delivers an awards speech at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Massey Hall in Toronto, Saturday, September 28, 2024.
Paige Taylor White/The Canadian Press
All the nominees’ famous songs punctuated an evening’s show that saw fans dancing from their seats as Sam Roberts, Metric and Lights joined the others in emotion-spanning tributes.
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Husband and wife duo Whitehorse delivered a dark acoustic-electric version of McLachlan’s Sweet surrender while Brett Emmons of the Glorious Sons, barefoot, launched his voice into a plaintive version of Cochrane’s Big League.
Nelly Furtado shared how McLachlan inspired her early in her career while they were on one of Lilith Fair’s tours. He also praised McLachlan’s tireless efforts in raising funds for various charities.
The two concluded by performing a harmonious duet Angel with Furtado standing near McLachlan’s piano.
Aside from deeper reflections on the struggle of creation, the evening offered a good dose of humor, particularly regarding the introduction of Blue Rodeo songwriters Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor.
Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies, appearing in a video message, likened the pair to being as inseparable as maple syrup and pancakes.
Keelor kept the jokes flowing as he took to the podium with a large notebook with his handwritten speech. He assured the audience that it wasn’t as long as it seemed.
Shortly after, he pointed to McLachlan as she watched from the crowd next to her daughter Taja.
“I once said, a long time ago, that when I die, I want Sarah McLachlan to sing on my grave,” he said.
“So I think I’ll die in my place tonight.”
Country artists Tim Hicks and Tenille Townes paid a colorful tribute to Blue Rodeo in a rather literal way.
When they come on stage to sing a growling version until I’m myself again, both were dressed in blue: Hicks in a blue denim jacket and Townes in blue leather pants.
Toronto singer Ahi toasted the country-rock band with a blues twist Attempt this earned praise from Cuddy as she kicked off her induction speech.
The Blue Rodeo frontman said the whole celebration was overwhelming in some ways. He thanked his wife, actress Rena Polley, for her unwavering support.
“Every time we go to a concert, or every time I play her a record, I’m still surprised by all her enthusiasm, I think really after 40 years? It’s amazing,” he said.
Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo perform together at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Massey Hall in Toronto, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
Paige Taylor White/The Canadian Press
Other highlights of the evening included French-Canadian singer La Zara, who represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. She was among the artists who toasted Quebec singer Diane Tell with a sizzling rendition of her 1981 song If I were a manwhich translates as “If I were a man”.
Accepting her honor, Tell recalled how she wrote about 50 songs when she was just a teenager and sang them “for anyone who cared to listen.”
She said songwriting was invaluable to her life, and the words she wrote were so important to her that even in her early days she had “the need to own my music and protect it from the industry.”
“Those songs are my anchor,” he added.
Gary LeVox of the Nashville band Rascal Flatts closed out the night by joining Cochrane on harmonica Life is a highway. Halfway through the song, all of the evening’s artists returned to the stage to rock out together.
“You always hope and pray that one of your songs is timeless,” LeVox said of Cochrane’s presentation.
“And great songs like this just get rewarded.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
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