"Canada" (also known as "Ca-na-da" or "The Centennial Song", French version "Une chanson du centenaire") was written by

Bobby Gimby Robert Stead Gimby, OC (October 25, 1918 – June 20, 1998) was a Canadian orchestra leader, trumpeter, and singer-songwriter. Biography Gimby (pronounced Jim-bee) was born in Cabri, Saskatchewan, a small town of about 300 people. He came from ...

in 1967 to celebrate

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

and

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

, and was commissioned by the ''Centennial Commission'' (a special Federal Government agency). The song was written in both of Canada's official languages, English and French. The song's recording was performed by the Young Canada Singers, two groups of children — one that sang the French lyrics, led by

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

conductor

Raymond Berthiaume Raymond Berthiaume (born May 9, 1931 and died June 23, 2009) was a Canadian jazz singer, musician, producer and composer from Quebec, Canada. Biography Berthiaume was born in Laval, Quebec, on May 9, 1931. He studied piano and saxophone at Colle ...

, and another that sang in English, under conductor Laurie Bower in Toronto. The song was composed by

. The song was recorded at Hallmark Recording Studios in Toronto, and the 45 rpm release was manufactured for the Centennial Commission by

Quality Records Quality Records was a Canadian entertainment company which released music albums in Canada on behalf of American record labels. They also released recordings by Canadian artists. The company operated between 1950 and 1985 with offices in Toron ...

Ltd. The single was the most successful single in Canada in 1967, selling a then unprecedented 270,000 copies. It was No. 1 for 2 weeks on the RPM Top 100 Singles in Canada, in April 1967. In 1971, Gimby donated all royalties to the Boy Scouts of Canada, but the song only earned one cent per airplay, which is one of the lowest rates in the world. Since its release, the song has been recorded by over 30 different musicians. Canadian comedian and impressionist

Rich Little Richard Caruthers Little (born November 26, 1938) is a Canadian-American comedian, impressionist and voice actor. Sometimes known as the "Man of a Thousand Voices", Little has recorded nine comedy albums and made numerous television appearance ...

recorded a version of the song, also in 1967, in which he performed the lyrics while impersonating then-Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

and former Prime Minister

John Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker (September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 an ...

. Little's version was released in March 1967 on the Allied Records label (AR 6350), one month after the original single. In the Canadian/British animated television show ''

Bob and Margaret ''Bob and Margaret'' is an adult animated sitcom created by David Fine and Alison Snowden and co-produced by Nelvana Limited and Channel 4 as a collaboration, both financial and artistic. The last two seasons were co-produced without Channel 4 ...

'', the ''Centennial Song'' is loudly and crudely sung by the wife of Bob's cousin while showering.

Lyrics

The song is sung as a continuous round. Although both English and French versions of the lyrics were produced, they are both bilingual. In the English version, the English verse is sung first, followed by the chorus in English, and then the French verse. In the French version, the order of the verses is reversed, and the first chorus is sung in French. The second, bilingual, chorus is the same for both versions, with the exception of the last line.

Honours

In recognition of writing the song, Gimby was among the first cohorts of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, the country's highest civilian award which was established as part of the Centennial. He was named an Officer of the Order, with "Canada" cited by title as a reason for the recognition.

References

External links

"Ca-na-da" at the Expo 67 website

1967 in Canadian music Canadian patriotic songs Canadian Centennial Expo 67 World's fair music 1967 songs 1967 singles Quality Records singles {{World-music-song-stub

Lyrics

Honours

See also

References

External links