Might be the best song ever written for a Canadian kid born in the 70 / 80s. The line a about the banana seat bike and the Pop Shoppe made me cry. Ryan your are a Canadian troubadour, a Stompin Tom for the our generation. Thank you
Long time Hawk fan, and an 80s kid from northern Alberta. This song slams. It hits for me AND I sent it to my newfoundland parents who also Get It. Beautiful nostalgia.
Born in '64. When I first heard this tune on Spotify, I was flying to Australia from Singapore. I thought. Shite, this is my youth who wrote this? Gotta be an Ontario lad. Just about to move back to Ontario after 23 years in Asia. This morning this tune just had to be played. May even drive from Ottawa to Port Severn next summer on 60 just because of it!!! Thanks a lot, bro!!! It/You are loved!!! .✌✌🙏🙏☮☮☯☯😍😍😘😘
David Cholewa I’ve been a fan of his for like twenty years. My oldest son and I were lucky to be front row at a show in Eastern Canada last year. My son spent all his money on a CD (one we didn’t already have thankfully). It was his first concert, he was 9 :) He loves to put on Hawksley vinyls and sing along. I’m a proud mama!
I grew up in the East-end of Montréal in the '60s and this song pretty much describes my life. I had a green Schwinn Sting-Ray banana seat bike with gold metal flakes in the paint job that I thought was the coolest ride in the neighbourhood. We all put our multiple hockey cards not worth trading in the spokes with Moms' clothes pegs. She always wondered why she had so few. haha sorry Mom. There was a little penny candy store on the corner where I would spend my nickle a day allowance (if I did all of my chores). On Sundays I would take my red wagon out to collect pop bottles to cash in for my goldmine of comics, candy, ice cream and/or pop. I woke up very early on the week-ends to watch cartoons very quietly so as not to wake my parents. To this day, I don't like my tv loud. My Mom would make me eggs on corned beef hash as a treat and then Dad would get up for his. He would then pronounce; "go outside and play in traffic. That was my signal to get on my bike and ride out to the local forest to meet up with the other local kids where we played and learned about life. You didn't go home until you heard your name yelled 3 times. LOL. What I trying to say is that the appeal to me of Hawksleys' great song is its' Canadian universality. I think most of us from around this time shared this life. It brings happy tears to my eyes every time I hear it and like a great opera piece fills my mind and bursting heart with memories and deep feelings of events and people from my past. Thank you Hawksley!
I have to tell you how much this reminds me of spending time at Uncle Bill and Auntie Glady's Cottage. Walking over to the Blue Jay for ice cream or snacks, catching frogs in the weedy bay by the cottage. Love It!!!
Just got back today from Battleford Saskatchewan visiting my Birth Dad. It was so great to see him! He's 91. I hope there are many more visits ahead since I only found him 12 years ago. I love him dearly
I came up on this song about a year ago and loved it immediately as it was a callback to my youth. And last night, at my friend, Eric’s place on Clear Lake, I discovered the inspiration for the babysitter with the freckled smile. I am still smiling.
Heard this on CBC on my way back to the States. Reminded me so much of my childhood in Mount Dennis that I had to look it up on the CBC playlist when I got home. Great song...made me long for those innocent times.
last summer i took a trip to visit friends in Europe, and after 3 weeks away I was missing my home in Vancouver. On my last night, looking for things to do in Manchester before my morning flight, I found that Hawksley was playing a small club down the street. I knew nothing of who he was, just a name I recognize from the thing he did with Stuart Maclean. I watched a dude on stage singing songs about the world I grew up in to a group of maybe 12 british people in a tiny venue with good beer. He sang this song and I smiled thinking about hockey cards in the spokes, just this stream of nostalgia that must seem so unfamiliar to many of the other audience members. This tune was the one I remembered and whistled to myself on the long flight home. Thanks Hawksley. Great show.
What an emotional ride you've taken us on with this incredible song. A musical photograph. Thank you. Somehow it also made me miss our brother Paul who left us a few years ago too soon.
I am from Meadow Lake SK (an hour and a bit from the Battlefords) And currently live an hour west of Meadow in Bonnyville, AB. None of the background images are representative of The scenery there...however, the lyrics ring true for this 50ish music lover! Maybe there’s another “Battlefords” in Canada?
It was good to see you again in Calgary years ago, reminded me of home. I've moved back since. If you're ever around on the weekend, I do the Saturday afternoon show on HBR. Good to see some representation of Emsdale.
What a great song! And Emsdale??? No way! I drive by Emsdale a few times a year when I go canoeing in Algonquin (west access points). Guess what song I'll be singing on my next paddling adventure?
This video confused me. Apparently there's a Battlefords in Ontario? Where I come from there's the city of North Battleford and across the river there's the town of Battleford, and collectively the two communities is called the Battlefords. They even share a chamber of commerce. The town of Battleford was once the capitol of the entire North West Territories, by far the largest chunk of land on the continent.
This reminds me of nothing. Though; I’ve listened to it over a hundred times. Mostly, I think of driving around with my kids in the car BUT ALSO, it reminds me of Huntsville, ON. My babysitter used to take me to the store for lick a’ sticks and feeezies. I’ve only played bingo twice. Your words, your melodies rock me to the core. I’m not sure you will ever really know, that you, you’re once a prodigy turned genius. Just my 2 cents...
You sang our lives, summers gone by in north Ontario.....I always ride 592 on my motorcycle going north, just as a side trip. I know Emsdale, Kearny, Novar. Part of 592 was closed last time, had to detour back onto 11 (boring!!).
Just saw this performed in Ottawa on Saturday - great show Hawksley! It's been great maturing along with your music. You just keep speaking to me man. Like you said on stage, I used to rage, now I just cry. Keep singing from the heart my dude!
Amazing song! Loved it live at Windsong, loved the video! Can't wait to see you in Huntsville December 15th and then back in T.O. on the 16th! Beautiful debut to your new album Hawksley!
Ok, people, yeah, it clearly isn't shot in the Battlefords, (I grew up there) but even I can appreciate the sentiment the title evokes with the lyrics. Battlefords just sounds like it should belong to small town where not much happens. And that is probably the reason Hawksley chose it. Recently, the place has a lot of petty crimes and vandalism, but when I was growing up there (2000s) it never seemed as bad as it is now. It's a common practice to chose a title that matches the mood/sentiment/metaphor of a song, rather than what it literally is about. I mean, there are bands called Boston and Kansas and I'm pretty sure not every song they write is about those locations.
I think Mr. Workman grew up in and around the small town of Huntsville Ontario. Big enough to get into trouble, not really big enough to get out of it. "Nobody really asked for this." Edited to say it looks like it was shot around Parry Sound District. I love the lakes up there.
You could sing about The Battlefords, and all its ice cream flavours and cheap candy stores and I’d still love your vocalistic tendencies. Oh wait. (Thanks for the new tune. Sounds awesome!)
