Famous in Canada: hit songs that only we will remember

Written by journalist, essayist and cartoonist Gabrielle Drolet, and Mac Cameron, producer and co-host of the Big in Canada podcast.

If you grew up in Canada with friends outside of the country, there's an uncanny experience you've likely lived through: that of mentioning a famous song or musician, only to realize no one knows what you're talking about. 

It could be a song that feels like a cultural touchstone, something that played on the radio constantly during your teenage years and was blasted over supermarket speakers. But while it felt like a hit, it was only famous in Canada.

It turns out there's a lot of music that's Canada Famous, mainly because of content regulations put into place in 1971, a.k.a. Cancon, which required radio and music TV stations to play at least 30 per cent Canadian content. 

More than 50 years later, today's Cancon regulations still shape what we hear on the radio. But while Cancon requirements can be successful in elevating Canadian artists at home, a song's success on national airwaves doesn't mean it'll reach widespread listenership outside of the country. 

Here are 15 songs that climbed the Canadian charts to become national hits, but never broke through to international audiences in the same way. 

'Crabbuckit,' k-os 

Released in 2004 by rapper and singer k-os, "Crabbuckit" is quintessentially Canadian. Its lyrics, which are about the desire to impede others' success in order to propel yourself forward, feature references to Toronto's Yonge Street and the Tragically Hip. Nelly Furtado even has a cameo in the music video. This Canadianness — plus the fact that "Crabbuckit" is very catchy — likely contributed to the song's national success: it peaked at No. 23 on the Canadian Singles chart, and No. 3 on the Canada Contemporary Hit Radio chart. The video also hit No. 1 on the MuchMusic countdown for two weeks. It turns out the song only found an audience in one other country, though: it reached No. 90 on the German Singles chart, but was otherwise a uniquely Canadian success. — Gabrielle Drolet

'California,' Wave

For many Canadians, California can seem like the promised land — far from the frigid winters and relative anonymity of life farther north. This may explain why Canadians are the best at writing songs about the Golden State: On "California," Joni Mitchell dreams of returning; on "California," Grimes leaves feeling sad and bad; on "Drinking in L.A.," Bran Van 3000 wonders what the hell are they doing there. And on "California," Niagara Falls duo Wave dreams of sipping on tequila night after night. Had the boys in Wave ever been to California when they wrote the 18th most-played song on Canadian radio in 2001? It doesn't really matter, because the song didn't make it on any American charts. — Mac Cameron

'When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down),' Great Big Sea 

"When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)" is originally a 1993 song by an English folk group called Oysterband — but it wasn't made famous until 1997, when Newfoundland and Labrador's Great Big Sea released a cover of it as the lead single to its third studio album. Despite the song's international origins, it's now recognized as an East Coast classic: the folky, upbeat tune peaked at No. 6 on the Canadian RPM Singles chart, making it Great Big Sea's best-charting single. The song never charted outside of the country. — GD

'Sucks to Be You,' Prozzäk

Wielding a fake British accent and cartoon avatars, Prozzäk was kind of a joke. The project began as a way for Philosopher Kings bandmates Jay Levine and James McCollum to learn to work together after a fight. There was no intention of performing live, or any expectation of mainstream success. But then, "Sucks to Be You" climbed to No. 1 on the Much Countdown, the duo was nominated for multiple Junos in 2000, booked a cross-country arena tour, and Hot Show, Prozzäk's debut album, went multi-platinum, selling more than 600,000 copies — making it the 59th best-selling Canadian album ever. Cancon can sometimes be accused of trend chasing, but in this case, Prozzäk might have been setting the trend: noted cartoon band Gorillaz released its debut single "Clint Eastwood" — featuring a real British accent — in 2001, years after Prozzäk had not one, but two hit albums under its belt, even though neither really found success outside of Canada. — MC

'Fallout,' Marianas Trench 

Pop-punk band Marianas Trench has found an audience outside Canada over recent years, but has been a household name in its home country for more than a decade — which is especially clear when looking at the success of the band's early singles. Released in 2011 ahead of Marianas Trench's third studio album, "Fallout" was a massive hit in Canada: its music video received five MuchMusic Award nominations, and climbed multiple national charts, beating out hits including Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and Rihanna's "Diamonds" on Billboard's Canadian Hot 100 for 2012. Though it didn't chart in any other countries, "Fallout" is certified triple platinum in Canada. — GD

'What I Wouldn't Do,' Serena Ryder 

This 2012 single was one of singer-songwriter Serena Ryder's first forays out of the folk music she'd built her brand on and into pop — it's the kind of catchy song that easily gets stuck in your head, and was made for radio play. "What I Wouldn't Do" found moderate success in the United States, peaking at No. 24 on the US Adult Alternative charts, but it was ubiquitous on Canadian radio stations and reached No. 8 on the Canada Hot 100, and No. 5 on the Canada Adult Contemporary charts. — GD

'A Criminal Mind,' Gowan

To the wider world, Scottish-born Canadian Lawrence Gowan is now the lead singer of American rock band Styx. But when Styx plays in Canada — which it does fairly often — there is a song in the setlist that doesn't get played for American audiences: "A Criminal Mind," which is certified platinum in Canada but didn't chart at all elsewhere. It's one of several big hits from Gowan's 1985 album, Strange Animal, and peaked at No. 5 on the Canadian RPM chart, buoyed by its bizarre, semi-animated and "ground-breaking" Juno Award-winning music video. Gowan has better tunes, but having our very own "Thriller" or "Sledgehammer" video was enough to cement "A Criminal Mind" as a Canadian classic rock staple. — MC

'Whoa Is Me,' Down With Webster 

"Whoa Is Me" is a single from Down With Webster's second independent release, the band's 2009 EP, Time to Win, Vol. I., which is what first found them commercial success. "Whoa Is Me" is certified double platinum in Canada, and the song peaked at No. 13 on the Canada Hot 100. Though the single didn't chart internationally, its home success landed it on the national year-end Billboard chart for 2010, where it beat out tracks including "Naturally" by Selena Gomez and "Can't Be Tamed" by Miley Cyrus. — GD

'Hell,' Tegan and Sara 

"Hell" is the lead single from Sainthood, the sixth studio album by pop duo Tegan and Sara. The two sisters had been making music since the late '90s, but firmly established themselves as Canadian musicians to watch with the success of their 2007 album, The Con. Riding on that success, "Hell" was an indie-rock hit: it was Tegan and Sara's first song to chart on the Canada Hot 100, where it reached No. 56, and it made it to No. 20 on the Billboard Canadian Rock chart. Despite that mark of success at home, it didn't chart anywhere else. — GD

'Save Your Scissors,' City and Colour 

"Save Your Scissors" is the first single from City and Colour's 2005 debut record, Sometimes, and saw City and Colour — the pen name for St. Catharines-based singer-songwriter Dallas Green — reach solo success almost immediately. "Save Your Scissors" peaked at No. 18 on the Canada Adult Contemporary Billboard charts, and No. 9 on the Canada Rock Top 30, but never charted elsewhere. The quiet acoustic song, on which Green sings and plays guitar without accompaniment, was a strong start to what's become a successful solo career. — GD

'Fuel Injected,' Swollen Members

Before Drake, Canada's most famous rapper internationally was probably either Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies or Snow, depending on your definition of rap. But in the early 2000s, one independent Vancouver rap group managed to break into Canada's mainstream, despite being named after — well, nevermind. "Fuel Injected" mixed West Coast underground flavour, a repurposed Giorgio Moroder sample, hardcore esthetics and an undeniable Moka Only hook, making Swollen Members the best-selling Canadian hip-hop artists ever (at least for a while). The video for "Fuel Injected" won four MuchMusic Video Awards in 2002 — tied for the most wins in one night ever — and it helped Swollen Members win three Junos in a row for rap recording of the year. — MC

'I Believe,' Nikki Yanofsky 

When Canada hosted the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, the country pulled out all the stops — including the release of an official promotional song. Co-written by Grammy-nominated composer Stephan Moccio (who's worked with the likes of Céline Dion and Miley Cyrus) and performed by Montreal-based jazz singer Nikki Yanofsky, the song spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart, and was Canada's No. 33 single of the year overall. It never charted elsewhere. — GD

'Patio Lanterns,' Kim Mitchell 

Kim Mitchell's "Patio Lanterns" is not exclusively a Canadian success — the 1986 song performed well on the US Billboard Top Rock charts, peaking at No. 36 — but it was never a classic anywhere but here. The song peaked at No. 12 on the Canadian Singles chart and was one of the top 100 singles of the year in Canada, beating out tracks including "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi. It's a staple for hot summer nights and has become such a cultural mainstay that, in 2021, Mitchell joked with the CBC that he sometimes gets sick of it himself. — GD

'Barrett's Privateers,' Stan Rogers

Sea shanties as we know them — traditional folk songs that sailors sang on ships — date back to the 16th century, but Canadian musician Stan Rogers was enamored with them throughout his career in the 1970s. Rogers' music often told stories of sailors in the Maritimes, with "Barrett's Privateers" being his most famous example. Though it was never a radio hit, the 1976 modern sea shanty has become a staple throughout the country and especially in the Maritimes, where it's a classic drinking song and an unofficial anthem. So while this might not be a Cancon radio hit, it feels wrong to discuss music famous in Canada without mentioning Stan Rogers. — GD

'When the Night Feels My Song,' Bedouin Soundclash

The opening acoustic guitar chords of "When the Night Feels My Song" have a similar effect on Canadians as the opening chords of "Back in Black" or "Smells Like Teen Spirit." In those first few smacks you can already hear the entire song, and you can see years of your life flash before your eyes. "When the Night Feels My Song" hit No. 1 on the Much Countdown, was the CBC Kids' Canada theme song for years and is the ninth most-played song on Canadian radio ever. When it was released in 2004, Bedouin Soundclash had punk credibility at the height of Canadian punk's popularity — but the reggae-ska sound from Jay Malinowski and Eon Sinclair also fit nicely alongside Jack Johnson and all the other acoustic guitar guys of the era. While "When the Night Feels My Song" did find minor success across the pond when it had a U.K. release in 2005, nothing compared to its juggernaut status in Canada. — MC