Ahead by a Century
| "Ahead by a Century" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Tragically Hip | ||||
| from the album Trouble at the Henhouse | ||||
| Released | April 22, 1996 | |||
| Format | Promo-CD Single | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, Folk rock | |||
| Length | 3:43 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Writer(s) |
Rob Baker Gordon Downie Johnny Fay Paul Langlois Gord Sinclair | |||
| Producer(s) | Mark Vreeken, The Tragically Hip | |||
| Certification | Platinum (Canada)[1] | |||
| The Tragically Hip singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Ahead by a Century" is the first single from The Tragically Hip's fifth studio album, Trouble at the Henhouse. The song reached number one on Canada's singles chart,[2] and was nominated for "Best Single" at the 1997 Juno Awards.[3] It is the band's most successful single in their native Canada. The song was certified Platinum in Canada in 2016.[1]
The song was the final one performed by the band at their final concert on August 20, 2016.[4] CBC also used the song for their highlight montage to close their coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics.[5]
Background
The song is one of several Tragically Hip singles which were developed from improvised bridge jams during live performances of the band's signature song "New Orleans Is Sinking".[6]
Music video
The song's music video was directed by Eric Yealland and filmed on a small farm in Brooklin, Ontario. The music video won the award for Best Video at the 1996 MuchMusic Video Awards.[7][8] The video was also nominated for "Best Video" at the 1997 Juno Awards.[9]
Charts
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart[2] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Alternative 30[10] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Chart[11] | 14 |
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] | 32 |
| Preceded by "Machinehead" by Bush |
Canadian RPM Alternative 30 number-one single May 20, 1996 |
Succeeded by "Pretty Noose" by Soundgarden |
References
- 1 2 "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- 1 2 "Top Singles - Volume 63, No. 21, July 08 1996". RPM. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- ↑ "1997 Juno Awards". MetroLeap Media. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
- ↑ Noronha, Charmaine. "Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip holds final show". The Associated Press. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gowWDfltXJE
- ↑ Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-992-9.
- ↑ "Best Video Winners 1991-2003". MuchMusic. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ Howell, Peter (1996-09-20). "Morissette wins 4 more trophies at video awards" (Pay-per-view). Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "1997 Best Video". junoawards.ca. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
- ↑ "Rock/Alternative - Volume 63, No. 14, May 20 1996". RPM. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- ↑ "Adult Contemporary - Volume 63, No. 22, July 15 1996". RPM. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- ↑ "The Tragically Hip – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for The Tragically Hip. Retrieved 2016-08-30.