Playlist – BIG

Gordon Lightfoot is one of Canada’s most iconic singer-songwriters. Born and raised in Orillia, Ont., he achieved popularity in the 1960s and 70s as a folk and country music artist with a real knack for the guitar. His songs are about the history and beauty of Canada, political and social issues, and love, loss, and loneliness.

Lightfoot has been dubbed Canada’s favourite songwriter and its most influential international musician. His songs particularly resonate in cottage country, where his lyrics often reflect on the beauty of the natural landscape of the region. We’ve curated nine Gordon Lightfoot songs to add to your cottage playlist and enhance the feel-good vibes this summer.

1. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”

One of Lightfoot’s most popular and well-known songs, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” tells the story of the eponymous ship that sank in Lake Superior in November 1975. It’s a song about the brutality of nature, but also the beauty and mystery of the Great Lakes. We don’t recommend listening to this song while boating, though!

2. “Christian Island (Georgian Bay)”

This is a classic cottage song and perfect for a day on the water. It was inspired by one of Lightfoot’s many trips to Christian Island in Georgian Bay. In December 2022, we ran a story on a community that also loves Christian Island so much they’ve been cottaging there together for decades.

3. “Carefree Highway”

Are you looking for the best song to listen to on the drive up to the cottage? Look no further than “Carefree Highway.” This song will make you want to roll your windows down, let the wind run through your hair, and forget your worries.

4. “Sundown”

A beautiful, bright, and sunny song about love and longing that’s perfect for those feel-good cottage vibes. Listen to this song while watching the sunset at the end of your dock. We also love when readers take photos of sunsets and tag us on our Instagram.

5. “Canadian Railroad Trilogy”

Gordon Lightfoot was commissioned by CBC to write a song for Canada’s centennial anniversary in 1967 and “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” was the result. Reflecting the optimistic tone of building the Canadian Pacific Railway, this song will make you proud to be Canadian and part of such a rich history. From the Rockies to Gaspé, the song covers the entirety of this great nation.

6. “Pussywillows, Cat-Tails”

This one is purely good fun. Inspired by Lightfoot’s youth in Orillia, it is an ode to Canada’s beauty that lasts through every season, beginning with the “soft winds” of spring and ending with the “harsh nights” of winter. It’s perfect for the cottage at any time of year.

7. “The Watchman’s Gone”

Lightfoot sings about Canada’s time-honoured tradition of train hopping and seeing the beauty of the country from the windows of a passing train. Although the watchman is trying to kick the train hoppers out, this doesn’t stop Lightfoot from wanting “to follow the golden sun.”

8. “Steel Rail Blues”

Trains and railroads are a common theme throughout Lightfoot’s songwriting. In this railroad song, Lightfoot invokes images of a carefree Canada mixed with a lover’s longing for his sweetheart back home. Even though the lovers in this song are never reunited, its tone is still lighthearted and jovial and great for your next journey, whether by train, plane, or car.

9. “Early Morning Rain”

Lightfoot wrote this after watching a friend depart from the Los Angeles airport, where he was feeling particularly homesick for Canada. Whether you’re longing for home or for the cottage, this song is the perfect conclusion to a weekend getaway and the best way to cap off your next cottage trip.

You can listen to our playlist here.

The Junos have been celebrating great Canadian music since 1971. And one thing Canadians like to write about is, well, Canada. From lakes and prairies to the Northern Lights, these Juno award-winning songs that reference the Canadian landscape are essential additions to your cottage playlist.

“Bobcaygeon” by The Tragically Hip

“Bobcaygeon,” which won best single in 2000, references the beauty of the small community of Bobcaygeon in the Kawarthas Lakes, Ont. “‘Cause it was in Bobcaygeon, where I saw the constellations/ Reveal themselves one star at a time,” sings Gord Downie, who was the lead singer of beloved Kingston band The Tragically Hip until his recent passing in 2017. The song emulates the serenity of cottage country, and is a relaxing pick for lounging on the dock.

“Far From Home” by Neil Young

“Far From Home” is a track with twang from the album Prairie Winds, which won adult alternative album of the year in 2006. Neil Young sings, “Bury me out on the prairie/ Where the buffalo used to roam/ Where the Canada geese once filled the sky/ And then I won’t be far from home.” He also references walking down the Trans-Canada Highway in the song.

“Northern Girl” by Terri Clark

Terri Clark won country album of the year for Roots and Wings in 2012, and “Northern Girl” is a star track that is perfect for singing along to at the cottage. Clark captures the essence of Canadian living with her lyrics. She sings, “Little cottage on a big lake/ Sunshine would be a shame to waste/ Warm days won’t last/ Come and go fast/ Bonfire in the moonlight/ People I’ve known all my life/ That’s where I belong/ I’m a Northern girl, wild and free.”

“Mountain Man” by Dean Brody

“Mountain Man” is a fun and humorous addition to any cottage playlist. From Dean Brody’s 2014 country album of the year Crop Circles, the song is about a couple getting lost in the Canadian mountain wilderness. “Baby, baby don’t panic/ I know how to cook bannock/ I can build you a fire/ I know you’re tired/ Ain’t this romantic?/ And that coyote howls/ And the grizzly bear, he growls/ I can get you through the night/ Oh yes, I can, I’m a mountain man,” sings Brody.

“Chase the Light” by Matt Mays

Need a slow dance song for your playlist? Matt Mays references the mountain range in Jasper National Park in “Chase the Light,” a song from his album Coyote which won rock album of the year in 2014. Mays sings, “I’m searching for something that won’t change/ As pure as the midnight snow on the Jasper ranges/ Into the everlasting night/ I’ll chase the light.”

“Kapuskasing Coffee” by Justin Rutledge

From Valleyheart, 2014 roots and traditional album of the year: solo, “Kapuskasing Coffee” is the road trip ballad you need for your cottage commute. Referencing the small town of Kapuskasing, Ont., Justin Rutledge sings, “I met you on a road of corduroy and maple/ Corduroy and maple and I sang to you/ Early one morning drinking Kapuskasing coffee/ Kapuskasing coffee and I sang to you.”

“Breathless” by William Prince

“Breathless” is a sweet love song by William Prince from his debut album Earthly Days, which won contemporary roots album of the year in 2017. Prince references the Northern Lights, singing, “I can never see the sunrise too many times/ Fall asleep with you under the Northern Lights/ And there’s something in your touch/ Leaves me so helpless/ You leave me breathless.”

“The Lake” by Gord Downie

Aside from frontlining The Tragically Hip, Gord Downie also recorded many solo albums, one of which was 2018 adult alternative album of the year Introduce Yerself. One song from the album, “The Lake,” is a love letter to Lake Ontario. “Silvery gold trout/ Sparkles and dances/ With all the warmth and calm/ Loving hand to my child/ I realized today/ You’re Lake Ontario/ The love of my life/ You willow,” Downie sings.

“Closer to the Sky” by The Glorious Sons

The Glorious Sons originated in Kingston, Ont., and The Tragically Hip’s influence on the band is evident in their sound; they even have a song called “Gordie.” Their album A War on Everything won rock album of the year in 2020, and the song “Closer to the Sky” is perfect for campfire nights spent at the cottage. “Bonfire’s shinin’ on the black water, it’s alright/ Sand on your feet, wind in your hair/ You’re a silhouette in the summer air, you’re so light/ On the edge of the lake, at the edge of the night/ She’s lookin’ at you with dangerous eyes and a half smile,” sings lead singer Brett Emmons.

“Song by the Supermoon” by Celeigh Cardinal

Celeigh Cardinal won Indigenous artist or group of the year in 2020 for her album Stories From a Downtown Apartment. In “Song by the Supermoon,” Cardinal’s roots and love for her home province of Alberta shine through. She sings, “When I look to the west and I see the sunset/ When I look to the east and see the long prairies/ I am home/ I am home.”

“Forest Song” by Crown Lands

This Oshawa band won rock album of the year in 2021 for their debut self-titled album, Crown Lands. In an interview with Apple Music, Crown Lands reveals that they wrote “Forest Song” while at a friend’s cottage after seeing a deer through the window, describing the experience as magical. The track is dynamic and a bit mystical in its sound—a great pick for cottage car rides with the windows rolled down. The duo sings, “A setting sun/ Warms the summer rain/ So far from home/ And yet so far to go/ Evergreen serenity/ Calls your name/ As the wind begins to blow/ Into the woods.”