Up to Here

Up to Here is the first full-length album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. The album was released in 1989 and was very successful in Canada; although it was also released in the United States, there was little reaction to it there. Many of the songs on the album are now considered classics and are staples of Canadian radio. "38 Years Old" is a fictional account of an escape from Millhaven Institution in the band's hometown of Kingston, O... more

Up to Here is the first full-length album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. The album was released in 1989 and was very successful in Canada; although it was also released in the United States, there was little reaction to it there. Many of the songs on the album are now considered classics and are staples of Canadian radio. "38 Years Old" is a fictional account of an escape from Millhaven Institution in the band's hometown of Kingston, Ontario. "New Orleans Is Sinking" is perhaps the band's most well-known song. When performed live, Downie often improvises lyrics. In the most famous such version, a live recording from the "Roxy Theater" in L.A., he performs a monologue about swimming with orcas, one of which bites his arm off after its mate falls in love with him. This version is known as "Killerwhaletank". In other known versions, including the one that appears on the live album Live Between Us, he sings additional verses from songs by David Bowie, Joni Mitchell and The... less