By Steve Newton
The way U.S. president Donald Trump and his Republican toadies turned on Canada with their tariff threats and calls for our annexation took most Canucks by surprise. We couldn’t believe that our close friends and allies since day one would stab us in the back and then twist the knife so viciously.
The sudden attack on our country has resulted in a wave of Canadian patriotism the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Henderson scored on Tretiak back in ’72, when Russia–and not the U.S.A.–was seen as the threatening nation you couldn’t trust.
Canadian citizens are dealing with Trump’s unhinged antics by looking for ways to “Buy Canadian”, avoiding trips to the U.S., and booing the American national anthem at hockey games. And some Canadian musicians are using their art to cast a light on the sad state of affairs.
Take Jim Cuddy, co-singer, songwriter, and guitarist with one of Canada’s most beloved bands, Blue Rodeo. Just the other day he posted a video of a new song he was inspired to write “due to our troubles with our neighbours in the States”.
In “We Used to Be the Best of Friends”, Cuddy–who was born in Toronto in 1955–references U.S. TV culture and the major historical events that had a monumental effect on Canadians and Americans both, like the JFK assassination, 9/11, and the moon landing.
He likens the close relationship between the perennial partners to two singers sharing verses in a song, before noting the bad intentions emanating from Washington, D.C. recently.
“Lately there’s been a storm on high/Things got bad and god knows why/Give us a call when the fever ends/Used to be the best of friends.”
Like a true Canadian looking for the bright side of life, Cuddy ends the tune on a positive note, singing “maybe we could be best friends again”.
Let’s hope, eh?
To hear the full audio of my 1990 interview with Jim Cuddy subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can eavesdrop on over 500 of my uncut, one-on-one conversations with musicians since 1982.