At Toronto\u2019s Meridian Arts Centre on Oct. 17, Andy Kim, Gino Vannelli, Jane Siberry, Ian Thomas and the three members of the rock band Triumph will be ushered into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Globe and Mail asked each of the inductors to select a song written by the songwriter they are inducting and pose a question. <\/p>\n
Murray McLauchlan asks his Lunch at Allen\u2019s bandmate Ian Thomas about the 2010 song, <\/b>Waiting for the Sunrise<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Ian Thomas.Jos\u00e9 Crespo\/Supplied<\/p>\n Lyrically, the song exposes the thoughtful, introspective and deeply romantic side of Ian that he only reveals when he writes. My question to Ian: You are certainly among the funniest people on the planet and yet there is this other Ian; philosophical, contemplative and deeply sentimental. How do you square the two?<\/p>\n Thomas responds<\/b>: \u201cWhen it comes to songwriting, there is a deep-seated sense of gratitude. Every sunrise can be an amazing thing \u2013 it\u2019s a door opening to a new day. As for laughter and philosophy, I think those things are connected. <\/p>\n It\u2019s about joy. It\u2019s in birds\u2019 songs. It\u2019s in the unconditional love of a dog. There\u2019s such joy in sentience, and that\u2019s present in my songs. Even the silly songs, just for the sake of that. I think, \u2018Alright, maybe I went deep on the last song, so here\u2019s a song that\u2019s totally ridiculous.\u2019 I love the absurd. If it wasn\u2019t for laughter, I believe we would implode.\u201d <\/p>\n k.d. lang asks Jane Siberry about 1999\u2019s <\/b>The Valley<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Jane Siberry.SOCAN Archives\/Supplied<\/p>\n Why this song resonates with me is why all Jane Siberry\u2019s music resonates with me, and that is, very simply, her stunning comprehension of humanity in her lyrics. Jane, did you know this was a masterpiece when you wrote it?<\/p>\n Siberry responds<\/b>: \u201cActually, I called my mom after I wrote it, and said, \u2018Mom, I did a good thing. I earned myself a few more years in this life.\u2019 I don\u2019t perform The Valley live very much. It\u2019s hard for me to sing. k.d. does a very beautiful version of it. She called my mom\u2019s house one time when we were having a family dinner. My mom asked, \u2018Who\u2019s calling?\u2019 k.d. said, \u2018k.d. lang.\u2019 My mom said, \u2018Yes, and I\u2019m the queen of England,\u2019 and hung up.\u201d <\/p>\n Tom Cochrane asks Triumph\u2019s Rik Emmett about 1981\u2019s <\/b>Magic Power<\/b><\/a> <\/b><\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Triumph has always been inspirational rock, especially for the kids. Rik, were you, as the song goes, young, wild, and free? And in what way?<\/p>\n Emmett responds<\/b>: \u201cFor Magic Power, I was embodying the kid I had been, listening to the radio. Then I just changed the pronouns to \u2018her\u2019 and \u2018she.\u2019 Was I young, wild and free? Certainly, the person people saw on stage running around in stage clothes that are now questionable when you\u2019re in your seventies wasn\u2019t thinking about what it would be like to grow old and going into a hall of fame. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was writing the song, I was thinking about the magic Johnny Mercer wrote about in That Old Black Magic. My mom would sing that song around the house. There was a magic power that existed in songs. I was also thinking about the Lovin\u2019 Spoonful\u2019s Do You Believe in Magic, written by John Sebastian. Magic Power is a different kind of song, but I think songs are incredible because they take on so many shapes and styles and come in so many different flavours. I think the magic may be in finding the universal vantage point and putting it in whatever forms suits it.\u201d<\/p>\n Barenaked Ladies\u2019 Ed Robertson asks Andy Kim about 1974\u2019s<\/b> <\/b>Rock Me Gently<\/b><\/a> <\/b><\/p>\n Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n Andy, what is your relationship with Rock Me Gently and your other hits? Many artists are embarrassed by their hits. Did you ever struggle with them?<\/p>\n Kim responds<\/b>: \u201cWhy would I be embarrassed by God\u2019s songwriting angels tapping me on the shoulder and writing Sugar, Sugar or Rock Me Gently? Why would anybody feel funky about that? I have no idea.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe for some artists to have a hit record is not a badge of honour. But I feel lucky and blessed to even be a part of this whirlwind that allows me to get on stage to perform, to travel, to do all of this stuff.\u201d <\/p>\n Canadian record producer and music publisher Frank Davies asks Gino Vannelli about 1978\u2019s <\/b>Wheels of Life<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n