Happy Canada Day!
While I’m really not the biggest fan of our Northernmost state, there are a lot of things I do like about it. The Perlorian Brothers, for one thing. But number one on that list would be “Canada Day,” the phrase, not the holiday.
I absolutely LOVE saying “Canada Day.” I love the way the syllables roll around on my tongue. I look forward to July 1st every year for this very reason. About a week before I can start telling people that I am looking forward to “Canada Day.” Then, on July 1st, I can say “Canada Day” pretty much whenever I want. And finally, for a week or so after, I can talk about how much fun I had on “Canada Day.” It’s the holiday that keeps on giving.
While I’d love to feature Neil Young on “Canada Day,” I’ve already used him. And I’m not ready yet for Leonard Cohen. I refuse to do the normal things like Rush or K.D. Lang and I’ll never have enough estrogen to post Sarah McLaughlin. No, here in Margauxville, we celebrate “Canada Day” with The Diodes, one of Canada’s first and very best punk bands.
And today’s song comes about from classic punk ethos. The Diodes heard that Paul Simon hated punk rock (yet another strike against him on an already lengthy list) so they decided to stick it to the man by recording one of his songs. They happened to choose a personal favorite of mine (yes, a small tick in his positive column – a very short column) – “Red Rubber Ball,” which he had co-written for the group The Cyrkle in the ’60s. I have always adored The Cyrkle’s version too, so you get this as well.
It’s true what they say; Canada Day is just like Christmas in July!
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