The group met while in high school at Kingston Collegiate Vocational Institute (KCVI) and all attended Queen's University in Kingston. They started as a cover band playing Rolling Stones and Doors covers, and were first represented by a local Kingston agent named Bernie Dobson.
They were first signed in 1987 after Bruce Dickinson, the then VP of A&R at MCA Records saw them perform live at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Ontario. Later that year they released their debut EP The Tragically Hip, though they were largely unrecognized until 1989's Up To Here. Up To Here established them as one of the best and most influential bands in Canada. In 1992, they created the Another Roadside Attraction festival, which tours Canada to promote smaller, unknown emerging bands.
The band is immensely popular in Canada. Although they have never achieved great success in the United States, they have never specifically sought it and have enjoyed their warm Canadian reception. When touring in Canada they typically play to sold-out arenas; when touring in the United States they play smaller venues and clubs. Performances abroad are usually attended by Canadian expatriates. In Europe, The Hip perhaps have their greatest following in the Netherlands.
The band permits recordings of their performances, so an active trading community thrives. The tone and content of much of their music is a paean to the Canadian experience and touches on such themes as small-town life, geography, and hockey.
The Tragically Hip received a star on the Canadian Walk of Fame in 2002, and they were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2005 Juno Awards. They have performed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and played a three-song set at the worldwide broadcast Live 8 benefit concert on July 2nd, 2005 to help make poverty history for the poor African nations.
On April 7th, 2009, the band's twelfth album We Are The Same was being released in North America, and it immediately rose to Number 1 on the Canadian charts. The album features twelve diverse new recordings produced by Bob Rock who had produced 2007's World Container and is perhaps best known for his work with Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, The Offspring, Michael Bublé and Simple Plan. This album features songs that range from "levity and light to melancholy and anger" according to the band's website. Recorded primarily at The Bathouse Studio, band's recording studio located in a historical coach house west of their hometown, Kingston, Ontario, and its first single was "Love Is A First", which features the ironical addictive hook, 'love is a curse'.
Despite some side solo projects in the past couple of years, the band has completed a new studio album at The Bathouse Studio and in Toronto with Gavin Brown, who is perhaps best known for his work producing Metric, Three Days Grace, Barenaked Ladies and Billy Talent. The album is entitled Now For Plan A and it was released on October 2nd, 2012. This album's first singles were "At Transformation" and "Streets Ahead" and they are available on iTunes and through the band's website.
Man Machine Poem is the fourteenth studio album which is scheduled to be released June 17th, 2016. The album takes its name from a track on their Gold-selling 2012 release, Now For Plan A, and it was recorded at The Hip’s home studio The Bathouse, produced by Kevin Drew, founding member and producer of Broken Social Scene, Andy Kim (singer, songwriter and Arts & Crafts label co-founder) and Dave Hamelin, songwriter and producer from The Stills and Eight and a Half. Album pre-orders are currently available on either CD or Vinyl through the band's "Gift Shop" on their official website: www.TheHip.com or digitally through iTunes. “In A World Possessed By The Human Mind” and “Tired As Fuck" were its first singles, and both were made immediately available for digital download with the album's pre-order.
Early on May 24, 2016, The Tragically Hip announced via a post on their official website and through e-mail subscribers that its lead singer and primary lyricist, Gord Downie, is suffering from aggressive terminal brain cancer, and that the band will do one final national Canadian tour "For Gord". Concert dates for this final tour were available on-line through Ticketmaster, but sold out in minutes. There was a national outcry from devoted fans who claimed that scalpers had scooped up most of the tour's tickets using "bots". Petitions were filed to successfully encourage Canada's national television network, the CBC, to produce and air Live the final August 20, 2016 concert. Broadcast live from the band's hometown, at Kingston's Rogers K-Rock Centre, a national audience viewed The Tragically Hip's final tour show, The concert opened with "50 Mission Cap" and ended almost two hours later, after a third encore, with "Ahead By A Century". All proceeds from the tour were donated to The Gord Downie Fund, at the Sunnybrook Foundation for Brain Cancer Research. Donations can be sent to: http://sunnybrook.ca/foundation.
For the latest band details, please visit their official website: www.TheHip.com.
Escape is at Hand for the Travellin
The Tragically Hip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was your fourth time in New York
We were fifth and sixth on the bill
We talk a little about our bands
Talk a little of our future plans
It's not like we were best friends
That number scheme comes back to me
We hung around 'til the final band called
"Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man"
You yelled in my ear, this music speaks to me
They launched into, "Lonely From Rock 'n Roll"
Followed by, "They Checked Out An Hour Ago"
Closing with, "All Desires Turn Concrete"
Those melodies come back to me
Time beyond our heartbeat
I guess I'm too slow, yes, I'm too, yes, I'm too slow
But you said anytime of the day was fine
You said anytime of the night was also fine
I walked through your revolving door
Got no answer on the seventh floor
Elevator gave a low moan
The pigeons sagged the wire with their weight
Listening to the singing chambermaid
She sang, "They Checked Out An Hour Ago," and chuckled
Those melodies come back to me
Time beyond our heartbeat
I guess I'm too slow, yes, I'm too, yes, I'm too slow
But you said anytime of the day was fine
You said anytime of the night was also fine
Our heartbeat, our heartbeat, our heartbeat
Long conversation or idle chit chat
Maybe dive in or maybe hang back
Idle conversation or idle chit chat
Maybe dive in or maybe hang back
The Tragically Hip's song "Escape is at Hand for the Travellin" is a poignant reflection on memories, relationships, and the power of music to evoke and transport. The lyrics set the scene of two acquaintances, on their third and fourth trips to New York, respectively. They talk about their bands and their future plans, a casual encounter that does not necessarily spark a deep connection or friendship. However, it is during the final band's performance that something clicks. The song they play, "Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man," speaks to them on a level that goes beyond their conversation. The lyrics of the song describe the feeling of being caught in a moment and seeking a way out. The band follows it up with "Lonely From Rock 'n Roll" and "They Checked Out An Hour Ago," songs that further convey a sense of alienation and disconnection. The final song, "All Desires Turn Concrete," suggests an acceptance of the fleeting nature of dreams and wishes.
As the music plays, the singer reflects on the significance of these songs and their melodies. They become symbols of memories that persist beyond the moment, "in times beyond our heartbeat." The encounter ends somewhat awkwardly, with the singer being "too slow" to catch up with their acquaintance. They walk through a revolving door into a silent, empty space, where they hear the singing chambermaid perform "They Checked Out An Hour Ago" and find solace in the shared experience of the music.
The song captures the wistful nostalgia that comes from remembering a time and place that may have been brief or insignificant, but still resonates emotionally. The power of music to evoke these memories is a central theme, as is the sense of yearning for an escape from the mundane or the disappointing aspects of life. The closing lines ("long conversation or idle chit chat, maybe dive in or maybe hang back") suggest an ambivalence about engaging with others and seeking connections, a struggle that can be eased by the right music.
Line by Line Meaning
It was our third time in New York
We had been to New York twice before
It was your fourth time in New York
You had been to New York three times before
We were fifth and sixth on the bill
We were the fifth and sixth acts scheduled to perform
We talk a little about our bands
We discussed our respective musical groups
Talk a little of our future plans
We touched upon our plans for the future
It's not like we were best friends
We were not particularly close
That number scheme comes back to me
I remember the numbering system
In times beyond our heartbeat
In a time long ago
We hung around 'til the final band called
We stayed until the last group performed
"Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man"
"Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man" was the name of the song
You yelled in my ear, this music speaks to me
You shouted that the music resonated with you
They launched into, "Lonely From Rock 'n Roll"
The band began playing their song "Lonely From Rock 'n Roll"
Followed by, "They Checked Out An Hour Ago"
The band played "They Checked Out An Hour Ago" after that
Closing with, "All Desires Turn Concrete"
The band ended their set with "All Desires Turn Concrete"
Those melodies come back to me
I still remember those songs
Time beyond our heartbeat
From a long time ago
I guess I'm too slow, yes, I'm too, yes, I'm too slow
I feel like I'm too slow
But you said anytime of the day was fine
You told me that any time of day was good for you
You said anytime of the night was also fine
You also said that any time of night was okay
I walked through your revolving door
I entered through the rotating door of your building
Got no answer on the seventh floor
You did not respond to me on the seventh floor
Elevator gave a low moan
The elevator made a low noise
The pigeons sagged the wire with their weight
The weight of the pigeons caused the wire to droop
Listening to the singing chambermaid
I heard the chambermaid singing
She sang, "They Checked Out An Hour Ago", and chuckled
She sang the song "They Checked Out An Hour Ago" and laughed
Our heartbeat, our heartbeat, our heartbeat
The rhythm of our lives
Long conversation or idle chit chat
Either a lengthy discussion or casual talk
Maybe dive in or maybe hang back
Perhaps getting involved or staying on the sidelines
Idle conversation or idle chit chat
Small talk or a casual conversation
Maybe dive in or maybe hang back
Perhaps engaging or remaining detached
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Gordon Downie, Johnny Fay, Joseph Paul Langlois, Robert Baker, Robert Gordon Sinclair
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@StevenMichels
What a amazing song. I saw them 4-5 times on the Henhouse tour and got to hear it evolve out of their "New Orleans" jams. Miss you, Gord!
@rh5466
One of their best.
@trashdaman9753
I fucking love this!!!! So very much!
@joshuakeegwell2896
I love this song because you want it to break out into a slam jam. But it never does.
Edgy
I miss you Gordie
I miss the Hip
@sfd1147
One of my favorites.
@davehansford7677
It’s one of The Hip’s favourites on Phantom Power, as stated on 25th anniversary Town Hall on Facebook tonight (November 8 ‘23).
@garrett020614
this instrumental is one of their best for sure. And Gordie brought it home on vocals as usual ofc
@derykclark
Material Issue brought me here after learning this is Gord's tribute to front man Jim Elllison. RIP both.
@aloken9250
Maybe the best love song ever written? Just sayin.