Our Neighbors To The North Want To Gift Barack Obama With Some Canadian Content

noah | January 15, 2009 1:00 am

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s radio division is so excited about the imminent Presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, they’ve decided to make him a 49-song mix of Canadian music divided into categories. And in the spirit of democracy, listeners are being asked to vote on the mix’s contents: there are 100 finalists, divided into categories of English-language pop, Francophone, classical, and whatever you’d call a category that unites Diana Krall, Michael Bublé, and a version of “Surrey With The Fringe On Top.”

The picks are split between Pitchfork faves (Feist, the Arcade Fire) and songs the incoming president has probably heard a bunch already (“Hallelujah,” “Rockin’ In The Free World,” “Takin’ Care Of Business”) and, of course, Rush (“Closer To The Heart”). Notable omissions include Alanis Morissette (OK, “You Oughta Know” would have probably been inappropriate, but what about “Hand In My Pocket”?), Celine Dion (I guess if Hillary had won, things would have been different), and Nickelback (honestly, guys, if you’re going to paint a picture of Canada, at least be honest about it). Of course, the Barenaked Ladies’ “If I Had $1,000,000” is a contender as well, and it’ll probably make it in there, although in these trying times, its lyrics could be twisted from something romantic into something that has as a couplet-closing line “…I still wouldn’t be able to fix the freaking banks.”

Obama’s Playlist [CBC via Wonkette]

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