Try (Blue Rodeo song)
| "Try" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Blue Rodeo | ||||
| from the album Outskirts | ||||
| Released | October 20, 1987 | |||
| Genre | Country rock | |||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
| Label | Risque Disque | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Greg Keelor Jim Cuddy | |||
| Producer(s) | Terry Brown | |||
| Blue Rodeo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Try" is a song written by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, and recorded by Canadian country rock group Blue Rodeo. Released in October 1987, it was the second single from their debut album, Outskirts. Considered one of the band's most enduring and beloved signature songs,[1] the song peaked at number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart, number 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and number 6 on the Top Singles chart.
At the 1989 Juno Awards, "Try" was named Single of the Year and Video of the Year.[2]
Background[edit]
Even prior to the release of Outskirts, the song already had a reputation as the highlight of the band's live performances in Toronto's live music clubs, with fan demand often leading it to it being performed two or even three times per show.[3]
Keelor would, however, later describe the song's production as having a very 1980s sound, "like Tears for Fears were backing us up". He stated that the album's production by Terry Brown saw the band capitulating to production decisions that Keelor later regretted, including the snare drum and a "cheesy" organ sound, both of which he toned down when remastering the album for the Blue Rodeo: 1987 - 1993 box set in 2012.[4]
Music video[edit]
Michelle McAdorey, a singer-songwriter who would later achieve prominence with her own band, Crash Vegas, appears in the song's video as a woman walking barefoot through a variety of settings. McAdorey was the girlfriend of Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor when the video was made.[5]
Chart performance[edit]
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary[6] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks[7] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[8] | 6 |
Covers[edit]
The song was covered by Jacksoul on the 2006 covers album mySoul.[3]
In 2012, Maestro Fresh Wes sampled the song on his single "Reach for the Sky".[9]
In 2020, Tanika Charles performed a live version of the song for the Junos 365 project promoting the Juno Awards of 2020.[10] In 2022, country singer Tim Hicks performed the song live during the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards broadcast.[11]
References[edit]
- ^ Amy O'Brian, "Blue Rodeo puts on great show at Orpheum". Vancouver Sun, January 14, 2008.
- ^ Juno Awards Database
- ^ a b Michael Barclay, "The Try-ing times of Blue Rodeo". Maclean's, November 9, 2012.
- ^ "Blue Rodeo remix 'cheesy' fan favourite 'Try'". CP24, October 17, 2012.
- ^ "Reel Toronto: Music Videos of the 1980s". Torontoist, January 19, 2011.
- ^ "RPM Adult Contemporary for December 19, 1987". RPM. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ "RPM Country Tracks for December 5, 1987". RPM. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ "RPM Top Singles for November 21, 1987". RPM. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ "Maestro, 'Reach for the Sky' (ft. Classified)". Exclaim!, September 30, 2012.
- ^ Holly Gordon, "'It's an earworm': Tanika Charles covers Blue Rodeo's 'Try'". CBC Music, January 29, 2020.
- ^ Eric Volmers, "Grande Prairie singer-songwriter Tenille Townes the big winner at CCMAs this year". Calgary Herald, September 11, 2022.
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