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You need these weekend cottage playlists in your life

The lake on an Autumn day oriontrail/Shutterstock

When Gord Downie passed away, the country collectively mourned. Given that so many of the Tragically Hip’s lyrics are rooted in cottage country, we have no doubt that the band has been on heavy rotation in cottages and cabins nationwide.

As Downie and the Hip illustrate, music is central to the cottage experience. That’s why we’ve created five playlists for your weekend away. Heavy on the Canadiana, these playlists are perfect to cue up during key moments—from sipping coffee down by the dock in the morning, to roasting marshmallows late into the night.

Driving to the cottage


1. Book Club – Arkells
2. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
3. Life is a Highway – Tom Cochrane
4. All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow
5. Graceland – Paul Simon
6. Take It Easy – Eagles
7. Oh, Alberta – Elliot Brood
8. Dog Days Are Over – Florence and the Machine
9. On the Hood – Matt Mays & El Torpedo
10. Run to You – Bryan Adams
11. Hard Road – Sam Roberts
12. Hit the Road Jack – Ray Charles

Quiet cottage morning

1. Bach Cello Suite No.1 Prelude
2. Ends of the Earth – Lord Huron
3. Astral Weeks – Van Morrison
4. Lost in the Light – Bahamas
5. Luscious Life – Patrick Watson
6. Both Sides Now – Joni Mitchell
7. Curs in the Weeds – Horse Feathers
8. Churchill – Greg MacPherson
9. Sun It Rises – Fleet Foxes
10. Child of the Valley – The Wooden Sky
11. Orange Sky – Alexi Murdoch
12. Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles

Boating Adventures

1. Paddling Out – Miike Snow
2. Take Me to the River – Talking Heads
3. Islands in the Stream – Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
4. Sea of Love – Cat Power
5. Rock the Boat – Hues Corporation
6. Sailing – Christopher Cross
7. Sail Away – David Gray
8. Seaside – The Kooks
9. The Wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald – Gordon Lightfoot
10. Bend in the Water (cover) – Harry Manx
11. The Swimming Song (cover) – The Bruce Peninsula
12. Northwest Passage – Stan Rogers

Barbecuing

1. Love You Madly – Cake
2. The World (Is Going Up in Flames) – Charles Bradley
3. Mustang Sally – Wilson Pickett
4. Jack and Diane – John Mellancamp
5. Patio Lanterns – Kim Mitchell
6. Sitting on The Dock of the Bay – Otis Redding
7. Cooking Up Something Good – Mac DeMarco
8. Turn the Lights On – Big Sugar
9. Pump Up the Jam (cover) – The Lost Fingers
10. You Don’t Know How It Feels – Tom Petty
11. Born on the Bayou – Credence Clearwater Revival
12. Blow at High Dough – The Tragically Hip

Sitting Around a Bonfire

1. Hasn’t Hit Me Yet – Blue Rodeo
2. Night Moves – Bob Seger
3. Harvest Moon – Neil Young
4. Credence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising
5. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
6. Redemption Song – Bob Marley
7. I Lost My Baby – Jean Leloup
8. I Wish I Was the Moon – Neko Case
9. Landslide – Fleetwood Mac
10. Wild World – Cat Stevens
11. Pink Moon – Nick Drake

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