CBC Documentaries

Rise Up-Canadian Pop Music In the 1980s (2009x2)

Air date: Sep 01, 2009

Rise Up looks at the digital ago of Canadian music in the 1980s, a visual era of big hair and shoulder pads, when music videos helped homegrown artists to take off internationally. America’s MTV and Canada’s Much Music provide launching pads for artists as varied as Triumph, Bruce Cockburn, Chilliwack, Jane Siberry, Men Without Hats, and Bryan Adams. Blending illuminating interviews with thrilling concert footage and videos, including Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”, 54-40’s “I Go Blind”, Blue Rodeo’s “Try”, and k.d. lang’s “Hanky Panky”, Rise Up takes views on a thrilling ride into the decade’s pop stratosphere. Along with such telegenic performers as Gowan and Dalbello, the hit-filled documentary includes cult favorites like Slow, Handsome Ned and Mary Margaret O’Hara. By the end of the Eighties, Canadian music has exploded—both at home and abroad. From hip-hop pioneers like Maestro and Michie Mee to such pop superstars as Mitsou and Corey Hart, Rise Up charts the global rise of Canadian music with a treasure trove of classic hits and cult classics.