Vancouver is well known as a major hub for the Canadian music scene, with international stars, significant darlings and up-and-comers all over the city.
The region has seen artists like Michael Buble, Bryan Adams, Grimes and Carly Rae Jepsen appear on stages around the world, while locals like the New Pornographers, Dan Mangan and the Snotty Nose Rez Kids are making waves nationwide. increase.
With such a vibrant music scene, as a major Canadian city, Vancouver has also had its own weird musical moments.
1. YMCA was written in Vancouver
According to Victor Willis (Village People frontman and cop), this was simply because the band toured the area, which happened to be where he wrote the lyrics while producer Jack Morali wrote the music. I was.
2. Loretta Lynn rested in an old chicken coop in Vancouver
As the story goes, South Vancouver had a chicken coop turned makeshift dance hall and jam space. By the late ’50s, it was a staple of the region’s country music scene, according to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.
As such, it attracted a pair of producers who had just moved from Toronto to Vancouver in search of new talent. At the same time, Loretta Lynn was finding her voice as a musician. She moved from Kentucky with her husband and was the mother of her four children living in the lumber town of Custer, Washington.
In 1959, she played at the co-op the night the producers who had just founded Zero Records were in the building.
Together they singled Lynn’s “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl”, which caught the attention of industry giant Decca in 1960, and from there Lynn’s star took off.
3. Irish rock star Bob Geldof was a Georgia Straight music critic and CBC children’s show host
Born in Dublin in 1951, Geldof worked a variety of odd jobs before becoming a major rock star and activist.
He eventually ended up in Vancouver, where he worked as a music journalist and editor for Georgia Straight in the 1970s. While here, he was added to CBC’s roster of hosts for the children’s show Switchback, which aired on Sunday mornings.Music segments such as his videos and cartoons were intersected with his local hosts and content. Let
4. Downtown has public art featuring two notes from a famous rock song written by a local band
Vancouver-based Loverboy may not be the band everyone remembers today, but their iconic hit “Working for the Weekend” was one of the most famous Canadian rock songs of the 1980s. It’s one.
Local sound artist Brady Cranfield decided to turn the song’s two notes into a sort of wake-up call for the people of Vancouver.
of weekend chime Singer Mike Reno sings “Weekend” in an installation near an art gallery that plays two notes from the song’s chorus.
A chime will ring every Friday at 5pm
5. Legendary Punks The Clash Played Soccer With Some Locals
The Clash were one of the biggest early punk rock bands on the scene, releasing their 1979 album London calling It’s one of the most acclaimed albums of all time.
Shortly before their success, they toured North America, kicking off that tour at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.
But before doing the gig, they decided to take advantage of the city’s mild weather (this was January 31st) and played a football match with the fans. They took to the pitch at Kitsilano’s McBride Park.
Nick Jones (background) #pointed stick Mick Jones #collision With journalist Tom Harrison during an impromptu football game at McBride Park on 4th Avenue in Vancouver, Canada, 1979.
Photo by Heather Ewasew. pic.twitter.com/G01TC6NhwM— PunkAndNewWave (@NewWaveAndPunk) February 2, 2022
