What songs were written about Vancouver, BC?

Every big city has an anthem. New York has at least three fights for the top spot (although few will truly contend for Sinatra’s classic).

But ask Vancouverites to name this town’s most iconic song and they’ll be hard pressed to agree, assuming they can name one at all. Matthew Good wrote a song literally titled “Vancouver’s National Anthem” (as part of the Vancouver album), but does he really have to win on a technicality?

A music writer told me recently that the Village People’s ‘YMCA’ was written in Vancouver and it made me think of other songs that could be inspired by Vancouver, not just by local artists but international ones as well. Thus was born the ultimate Vancouver playlist. We’ve opened up the music and anthem settings to include any vaguely musical piece available to listen to on the internet that mentions Vancouver. Currently the list is 71 strong but will continue to grow as we learn new songs or new music is released. There are the usual suspects with Tegan and Sara, said the whale, and the Zolas make a few entries from local bands that have become acclaimed out of town—Dan Mangan and the japandroids also.

Writing this list also drew my attention to the Pigeon Park reference in Billy Talent’s “Fallen Leaves”, a song I’ve listened to dozens of times but had absolutely no idea it was about. of Vancouver. I also learned that Death Cab for Cutie wrote a song called “Expo 86”.

We recently asked readers of our daily newsletter for song suggestions and a few people mentioned the historic Mushroom studios which were based in Vancouver before moving to Toronto in 2010. Between 1966 and 2006 the building saw dozens of musical projects high-level artists who have created many surprising Vancouver-related songs, including the score of Superior gun.

There are also parody entries on this list—”The Kingsgate Mall Tribute” which I first heard on CFOX and rap Save On Foods that fellow journalist Brendan Kergin found to name a few. There’s a surprising amount of raps that have been written about random parts of Vancouver like the “SkyTrain” rap by Emotion and All Stars at low pressure.

We know of a Portuguese Vancouver rap that exists but we haven’t been able to find it, so if anyone knows what it’s called, please let us know. Did we miss anything else?

1. “Vancouver, baby!” by Behind the Sapphire
2. “Robson Girl” door Mac DeMarco
3. “Big Wave Goodbye” by Said the Whale
4. “Kingsgate Mall Tribute” by Ian Boothby and Vicky Van
5. “West Van Girl” by The Awkward Stage
6. “Vancouver” by Reckless Kelly
7. “The Vancouver Song” by tree lines
8. Blue Rodeo’s “English Bay”
9. “Expo ’86” by Death Cab For Cutie
10. “Expo in British Columbia” by The Spores
11. “Fallen Leaves” by Billy Talent
12. “Summer Wages” by Ian Tyson
13. “Vancouver” by Jeff Buckley
14. Main & Broadway by Cub
15. “Touch of the North” by Rascalz ft. Kardinal offishallpush, checkmate, Choclair
16. “Vancouver” by Joey Lau
17. “Vancouver” by Genesis
18. “Vancouver BC” by The Smugglers
19. “City of Vancouver ’71” by Rolf Harris
20. “Vancouver’s National Anthem” by Matthew Good
21. “バンクーバー (Vancouver)” by superfly
22. “Commercial Drive” by The Gruff
23. “Hell” by Tegan and Sarah
24. “The Remedy” Tegan and Sarah
25. “Vancouver, a night as a other” by Aut’Thing
26. “Vancouver (Richards on Richards)” door They Might Be Giants
27. “Vancouver” a song and album of the same name by Speedwell Sanson
28. “Vancouver (Instrumental)” door Violent Femmes
29. “Vancouver Girl” by Svavar Knutur
30. “Tropical Rainstorm” by Doug and the Slugs
31. “Chinatown Calculation” by Doug and the Slugs
32. “Doldrums” by Elbow
33. “Wreck Beach/Totem Park” van The Zolas
34. “Effort” by Blue J
35. “Time Zone” by Blue J
36. “At the top Granvilleby Peach Pit
37. “Back to Vancouver” by funboy Five
38. “The Town You Live In Is Ugly” door Young and Sexy
39. “The Pine for the Cedars” by Dan Mangan
40. “East Vancouver Rockers” by japandroids
41. “False Creek Change” by Said The Whale
42. “Black Day in December” by Said The Whale
43. “Vancouver Blues” by Tim Hus
44. “Commercial Drive” by Low Pressure All Stars
45. “Vancouver BC” by Team Orca
46. “Rock Deep (Vancouver)” door Heart
47. “Vancouver Divorce” by God Downie
48. “The bridge has come tomblin‘ By stompin‘Tom Connors
49. “The Crawl” by Spirit Of The West
50. “Sovereignty” by japandroids
51. “sky train” by Emotion and low pressure All Stars
52. “Vancouver BC” by Curious Hands
53. “The Wrong Side of the Country” by Old Man Luedecke
54. “2010” by Said the whale
55. “dump truck” from Blind Melon
56. “Vancouver Shakedown” by Nazareth
57. “Vancouver, BC” by Vic Vodka
58. “East Van Girls” by Twinkling Stars
59. “Canadian Boyfriend” by All Girl Summer Fun Band
60. “Vancouver” by Anamanaguchi
61. “Vancouver” and “Vancouver (Remix)” by Donae’o ft. Blanco (original) and Kwesi Arthur, frenzy Harami (remix)
62. “Ayahuasca” by Vancouver Sleep Clinic
63. “Flow Vancouver” by Shanty Boy
64. “Miss Me” by Grandphone Vancouver
65. “Jubab” by Vancouver Shullai
66. “Vancouver Time” by Leif Vollebek
67. “Roll in EastVanby Money Hungry
68. “Vancouver” by Raz Fresco
69. “Vancouver x Ice drippy” by Xapp
70. “Vancouver” by Ligia Oancea
71. “Save-On-Foods #940 Vancouver Produce Rap” by Miguel Cruz
72. “Cordoba” by Limb lifters