Canadian Songs: Top 100

First posted 2/4/2021; updated 2/14/2021.

Canada: Top 100 Songs

These are the top songs by Canadian artists, as determined by an aggregate of 19 best-of lists. Songs which were only considered which were by artists born in Canada or groups which originated in Canada. Note: click here to see other genre-specific song lists. You can also check out the DMDB’s rating of Canada’s Biggest #1 Songs, most of which are not actually by Canadian artists. 1. Neil Young “Heart of Gold” (1972) 2. Bachman-Turner Overdrive “Takin’ Care of Business” (1974) 3. Bryan Adams “Summer of ‘69” (1984) 4. The Guess Who “American Woman” (1970) 5. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” (1995) 6. The Band “The Weight” (1968) 7. Loverboy “Working for the Weekend” (1981) 8. Tom Cochrane “Life Is a Highway” (1992) 9. Gordon Lightfoot “If You Could Read My Mind” (1970) 10. Leonard Cohen “Hallelujah” (1984) 11. Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” (1997) 12. Joni Mitchell “Big Yellow Taxi” (1970) 13. Corey Hart “Sunglasses at Night” (1984) 14. Nickelback “How You Remind Me” (2001) 15. Carly Rae Jepsen “Call Me Maybe” (2011) 16. Bachman-Turner Overdrive “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” (1974) 17. Rush “Tom Sawyer” (1981) 18. Barenaked Ladies “If I Had a $1,000,000” (1992) 19. Gordon Lightfoot “Sundown” (1974) 20. Barenaked Ladies “One Week” (1998) 21. The Tragically Hip “Bobcaygeon” (1998) 22. Steppenwolf “Born to Be Wild” (1968) 23. Men Without Hats “The Safety Dance” (1982) 24. Alanis Morissette “Ironic” (1995) 25. The Guess Who “No Sugar Tonight” (1970) 26. Paul Anka “Diana” (1957) 27. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991) 28. k.d. lang “Constant Craving” (1992) 29. Avril Lavigne “Complicated” (2002) 30. Allanah Myles “Black Velvet” (1989) 31. Anne Murray “Snowbird” (1970) 32. Neil Young “Rockin’ in the Free World” (1989) 33. Trooper “Raise a Little Hell” (1978) 34. Gordon Lightfoot “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (1976) 35. Spirit of the West “Home for a Rest” (1990) 36. Rush “The Spirit of Radio” (1980) 37. The Guess Who “These Eyes” (1969) 38. Glass Tiger “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone” (1986) 39. Steppenwolf “Magic Carpet Ride” (1968) 40. Justin Bieber “Sorry” (2015) 41. Andy Kim “Rock Me Gently” (1974) 42. Terry Jacks “Seasons in the Sun” (1974) 43. Bryan Adams “Heaven” (1984) 44. The Weeknd “Can’t Feel My Face” (2015) 45. Daniel Powter “Bad Day” (2005) 46. Neil Young “Old Man” (1972) 47. Justin Bieber “Love Yourself” (2015) 48. Arcade Fire “Wake Up” (2004) 49. Bruce Cockburn “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” (1984) 50. Tom Cochrane & Red Rider “Big League” (1988) 51. Rush “Closer to the Heart” (1977) 52. Five Man Electrical Band “Signs” (1971) 53. Celine Dion “Because You Loved Me” (1996) 54. The Weeknd with Daft Punk “Starboy” (2016) 55. Bryan Adams “Run to You” (1984) 56. Snow “Informer” (1993) 57. Celine Dion “The Power of Love” (1993) 58. The Tragically Hip “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)” (1992) 59. The Weeknd “The Hills” (2015) 60. Martha & the Muffins “Echo Beach” (1980) 61. The Tragically Hip “New Orleans Is Sinking” (1989) 62. Nelly Furtado with Timbaland “Promiscuous” (2006) 63. Blue Rodeo “Lost Together” (1992) 64. Shania Twain “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” (1997) 65. Drake with Wizkid & Kyla “One Dance” (4/5/2016) 66. Magic! “Rude” (2013) 67. Nick Gilder “Hot Child in the City” (1978) 68. Nelly Furtado “Say It Right” (2006) 69. Sheriff “When I’m with You” (1983) 70. The Guess Who “Share the Land” (1970) 71. Paul Anka with Odia Coates “You’re Having My Baby” (1974) 72. Neil Young “My My Hey Hey (Into the Black)” (1979) 73. Joni Mitchell “Both Sides Now” (1969) 74. Ian & Sylvia “Four Strong Winds” (1963) 75. Barenaked Ladies “Brian Wilson” (1992) 76. Bryan Adams “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” (1995) 77. Neil Young “Cinnamon Girl” (1969) 78. Anne Murray “You Needed Me” (1978) 79. Bryan Adams with Sting & Rod Stewart “All for Love” (1993) 80. Crash Test Dummies “Superman’s Song” (1991) 81. The Crew-Cuts “Sh-Boom” (1954) 82. Nickelback “Photograph” (2005) 83. Drake “In My Feelings” (2018) 84. Justin Bieber “What Do You Mean?” (2015) 85. The Tragically Hip “Wheat Kings” (1992) 86. Shania Twain “You’re Still the One” (1997) 87. Red Rider “Lunatic Fringe” (1981) 88. The Weeknd “Blinding Lights” (2019) 89. Avril Lavigne “Girlfriend” (2007) 90. Shania Twain “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (1997) 91. The Guess Who “No Time” (1969) 92. Sarah McLachlan “Angel” (1997) 93. The Tragically Hip “Ahead by a Century” (1996) 94. Drake “Hotline Bling” (2015) 95. Drake “Nice for What” (2018) 96. Finger Eleven “Paralyzer” (2007) 97. Jeff Healey Band “Angel Eyes” (1988) 98. Celine Dion “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” (1996) 99. Neil Young with Crosby, Stills & Nash “Ohio” (1970) 100. Payola$ “Eyes of a Stranger” (1982) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists” Dave’s Music Database: “Canada: Biggest #1 Songs”

The Guess Who hit #1 with “American Woman”

American Woman The Guess Who

Writer(s): Randy Bachman/Burton Cummings/Jim Kale/Garry Peterson (see lyrics here) First Charted: March 21, 1970 Peak: 13 US, 12 CB, 11 HR, 1 CL, 19 UK, 13 CN, 43 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 1.04 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 31.07 video, 87.55 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Guess Who went through a few name changes from their origins in 1958. They were known as Chad Allan & the Expression in 1965, but released their cover of “Shakin’ All Over” without putting their name on it. Canadian artists actually found it difficult to get airplay in their native country so this was the group’s attempt to avoid that trap. FB Instead, the song was credited to “Guess Who?” and the name stuck. The move worked and they took the song to #1 in Canada. They also reached the peak with “Laughing” and “No Time.” The latter two also reached the top 10 in the U.S. as did “These Eyes.” However, the Canadian group would find its greatest success with “American Woman,” a #1 in both Canada and the United States. The song has been interpreted as an attack on American politics. Guitarist Randy Bachman said it was an “antiwar protest song” SF and that his group and their audience had a problem with the Vietnam War at the time. Lines such as, “I don’t want your war machines, I don’t want your ghetto scenes” would seem to support that. SF However, Burton Cummings, the song’s singer and lyricist, told the Toronto Star in 2014 it wasn’t about politics, but how “girls in the states seemed to get older quicker…and that made them, well, dangerous. When I said ‘American woman, stay away from me,’ I really meant ‘Canadian woman, I prefer you.’” SF The lyrics and music originated through improvisation on stage. Bachman had replaced a broken string on his guitar and when tuning it, started playing a new riff. The rest of the group joined in, including Cummings with the impromptu lyrics. When they saw a kid in the audience making a bootleg recording, they asked him for the tape. WK They were able to write down the words after listening to the tape. SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Guess Who FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 273. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 2/9/2021; last updated 7/27/2022.