The Tragically Hip, that is.
If you’re Canadian, you already know what I’m talking about. If you’re not — keep reading. It’s an excellent case study for the power of story.
First… the facts:
- The Tragically Hip is a Canadian rock band
- 13 albums over three decades
- 16 Juno Awards (the Canadian Grammys)
- Their final 2016 concert was watched by 11 million people (there are only 11 million households in Canada)
Yes, they’re kind of a big deal.
I watched their newly-released documentary this weekend: The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal. The Tragically Hip, to Canadians, is as big as bands like U2, the Beatles, or Elvis. No politician or public figure comes close to the connection Canadians feel to this band and their music. What makes The Hip so special? What can we all learn from them?
As a student of what makes humans connect, relate, and tap into collective energy, I was struck by the power of their songs to reflect and celebrate a nation.
Their songs are poetry. Anthems to a shared experience and culture of a country. Canada, one-tenth the size of our neighbour to the south, is dwarfed by its culture, music, entertainment, and politics. Here stands a band that captured dozens of uniquely Canadian stories in their songs, which made them less marketable globally and more loved at home.
What can we learn from this?
- The Hip songs put stories of a community into the world to share.
- They are stories everyone can see themselves in and own on their own.
- They galvanize a community that has so many differences within it — economically, socially, geographically.
- They give us a common language and identity that we hold independently and together.
Can your stories do that? For your family, your team, your business, your community?
I say yes. We just need our dreams big enough, our reality broad enough to fit everyone else’s dreams inside them.
That’s the power of story.
I’m a bit of a cultural transplant. I spent the first half of my life in the US and have been in Canada since then. You don’t have to love the songs or the style of music to feel gripped by the power of this band. If you’re Canadian and you don’t get it, I don’t get you…just kidding….maybe. 😉
Share this with your favourite Hip fan or someone you share stories with. They’ll understand.
