Canadian Music

There are many styles of music played across Canada today. Many of the styles of music produced by Canadian artists are hard to recognize as Canadian content. The reason for the lack of Canadian identity is due to the similarity of music coming from the United States. The five of the six articles of music played in class are a perfect example of music lacking Canadian identity.

The first piece of music by Sloan demonstrated a Beatles style of music. The song "I Hate My Generation" can closely be linked to the Who's song "My Generation". The lyrics seem to say that the band is rebelling about this generation and talks about earlier generations, and how being a teen in the fifties may lead to a different lifestyle. The song also seems to generate the idea that the generation that the band has gone through their teen years in has changed them for the worst. In contrast to the Who's song about generations, this song is much more depressed and lacking the enthusiasm that the Who's song holds. The Rheostatics also seem to play a style of music that has been derived from musical groups that come from outside Canada. The song "Me and Stupid" had

The music group Len is a classic representation of an Americanized-Canadian music group. The song "Steal My Sunshine" is a perfect example of a pop song that has been massed produced and marketed towards a younger generation. Due to the large amount of pop groups and 'boy bands' in the United States, Len fits right in with many of these bands and it is hard to recognize their music as Canadian content. The style of song that Len sings has become a part of Canadian popular culture, but only in the younger generations in which pop has largely come to dominate.

Sarah Mclachlan is another Canadian artist whose music does not have its own Canadian identity. Her song "Into the Fire" seems to have the style of Madonna linked to it. Her tone is very soft and somewhat upbeat, a style that Madonna uses in many of her songs. The subject of this song also seems to follow along the theme of a relationship, much like Madonna's theme. The only way that Sarah Mclachlan has become recognized as a Canadian artist it because of her popular music style that Canadians have become comfortable with.

The final group that was displayed in class, The Tragically