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road music

YUKON

Bruce Cockburn - Bright Sky

Back in the day, the Canadian legend once played the Faro folk festival in the Yukon. This song captures his experience of being in the North: "All those people floating like Noah's Ark," coming together in an isolated place, if only for an evening of music.

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NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Stan Rogers - Northwest Passage



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This Stan Rogers classic from 1981 captures the frozen grandeur of Canada's Northern frontier. Despite its treacherous waters being subdued some by global warming, the Northwest Passage still holds a certain mystique, if only for its coveted status as a trade route.

NUNAVUT

Lucie Idlout - Angel Street



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Inuk rocker Lucie Idlout originally named this song Lovely Irene, in memory of a friend who was a victim of abuse. This rerecorded acoustic version, which includes an Iqaluit children's choir, took on the name Angel Street. And, after a push from the mayor of Iqaluit, you can now find Angel Street as the address of the Qimaavik Women's Shelter, located on the outskirts of the capital city.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

The Smugglers - Vancouver, B.C.



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These nineties punk stalwarts wrote the ultimate tribute to their hometown. You'll have to break out a pen and paper to catch all the local references: East Hastings and Main, Grouse Mountain, rain, the SkyTrain, the ferry, Robson Square, TV personality Terry David Mulligan, Granville Island Stage, and even beloved Zulu Records.

ALBERTA

Rural Alberta Advantage - Edmonton



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The Rural Alberta Advantage may be based in Toronto, but lead singer Nils Edenloff - who grew up in Fort McMurray and went to university in Edmonton - isn't one to forget his roots. This foot-stomping ode to the capital finds long-distance Albertan lovers finally reunited, awash in blinding yellow "under the lights at the Leg."

SASKATCHEWAN

Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans - Long Gone to Saskatchewan



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One of Alberta's favourite sons writes a kind song about his home province's love for its neighbour. Not every rancher enjoys the high cost of living in the land of oil: "I like Alberta, but dang ain't ya hearda, how much it can cost to buy oats?" And so goes the affinity for the slower-paced - and lower-priced - pastures to the east.

MANITOBA



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The Five Bells - Moody Manitoba Morning

Troubadour Rick Neufeld penned this hit for the Five Bells in 1969. As the song moves from morning to "lazy prairie town afternoon" to "sort of leisurely past the evening," you can't help but feel the same laidback vibe from decades ago has survived the passage of time in Neufeld's hometown of Boissevain, Man., and across the province.

ONTARIO

The Tragically Hip - Fifty Mission Cap



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Lead singer Gord Downie captures the chilling story of Toronto Maple Leafs Bill Barilko's disappearance after a fishing trip, and the team's championship drought until his remains were found. Not many things say "yours to discover" than Northern Ontario fishing and a little professional shinny.

QUEBEC

Leonard Cohen - Suzanne



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Yes, the infamous song is about a fictional romance with Suzanne Verdal, Quebec sculptor Armand Vaillancourt's now former wife. But arguably, the star of the song is Montreal, from Verdal's flat down in rustic Vieux-Montreal to the nearby Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel and, of course, "the river" that runs through it - the St. Lawrence.

NEW BRUNSWICK

David Myles - Way Too Long



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Originally from Fredericton, singer-songwriter David Myles has seen much more of the world since his youth, including stints studying near Shanghai and living in Calgary. When he croons, "Crossed the country, crossed the sea," he certainly means it as much as "Now it's time to find my way back home."

NOVA SCOTIA

Natalie MacMaster- David's Jig/Valerie Pringle's Reel



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There may not be a single lyric to be heard on this traditional Celtic song from Natalie McMaster, but do you really need words when a fiddle will do? The instrument, with its deep Cape Breton roots, requires only a few bars before it transports you to the windswept island - preferably to a cozy pub for a jig or two.

PEI

Catherine MacLellan - Take A Break



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The daughter of singer-songwriter Gene MacLellan takes on the family's folk mantle and channels a bit of her hometown, Summerside, PEI. As she slyly puts it in one YouTube video, this is "a song about planting potatoes." That is, besides being about the handsome farmer she has spent the day hoeing with.

NEWFOUNDLAND

Great Big Sea - Boston and St. John's



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Alan Doyle's ballad tells the tale of a rover about to set out to sea. He tries to assure his love, "There isn't that much ocean between Boston and St. John's." Like all good Newfoundlanders, he knows he'll go back home - just how and when no one knows.

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