Alberta’s Anthem

In my recent blog on the Live 8 concert, I noticed that Neil Young sang Ian and Sylvia’s “Four Strong Winds” as his opener. Very touching. I also suggested it as Alberta’s national anthem.

Fellow thepolitic.com scribe J. Franklin takes friendly issue with my suggestion by arguing that a true anthem for Alberta would “should be written from the perspective of someone, or something, that derives from this province.”

After surveying several candidates, including tunes by Stan Rogers, Big Sugar, Gordon Lightfoot, and Wilf Carter (plus k.d. Lang, as suggested by one of his commentators), Franklin nominates “Short Native Grasses (Prairies of Alberta)” by Corb Lund and His Hurtin’ Albertans. Incidently, he provides a link detailing Big Sugar lead Gordie Johnson’s frustrations with his Ontario-based record company that refused to produce their song, “All Hell for a Basement” because it was about Alberta, and thus too “regional” for Ontario and Quebec tastes (though songs about the Maritimes don’t seem to be a problem).

Franklin makes a good point that Alberta’s song should be written from the perspective of a local instead of from an outsider (though you can’t get much more Albertan than Tyson). I disagree on two points:

1) Alberta is the place where outsiders have arrived. While it’s an earthy place, it’s young and, despite the efforts of 3rd, 4th, or 5th generation Albertans, there’s nothing chthonic about Alberta identity. We’re all newcomers.

2) “Four Strong Winds” is about what endures. It’s a homecoming song as much as it’s a song from the perspective of an outsider.

So I stick by my nomination for “Four Strong Winds” as Alberta’s song.

I invite readers, especially Albertans, to nominate theirs on our comment page. While you’re at it, check out the list that Franklin considers in his post.