Ahead by a Century

"Ahead by a Century"
Single by the Tragically Hip
from the album Trouble at the Henhouse
ReleasedApril 22, 1996 (1996-04-22)
Length3:43
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Mark Vreeken
  • the Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip singles chronology
"Thugs"
(1996)
"Ahead by a Century"
(1996)
"Gift Shop"
(1996)

"Ahead by a Century" is a song by Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, Trouble at the Henhouse. The song reached number one on Canada's singles chart, and is the band's most successful single in their native Canada. It was one of the 10 most-played songs in Canada in 1996.[1] The song was nominated for "Best Single" at the 1997 Juno Awards.[2] The song was certified platinum in Canada in 2016.

"Ahead by a Century" was the final song performed by the band at their final concert on August 20, 2016.[3] CBC Television used the song for their highlight montage to close their coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics.[4] It subsequently was also used for the opening titles of the CBC/Netflix series Anne with an E and in an important montage in Season 4 of Netflix's The Umbrella Academy.[5][6]

On October 18, 2017, the day Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie's death was announced, "Ahead by a Century" was the single most played song on Canadian radio.[7]

  1. ^ "If Hip can win twice, Socan Shania". Archived from the original on September 20, 2004. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "1997 Juno Awards". MetroLeap Media. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ Noronha, Charmaine. "Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip holds final show". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  4. ^ CBC Rio 2016 Olympics Closing Montage – YouTube
  5. ^ CBC Music, The Tragically Hip provide theme song to new Anne series, March 16, 2017.
  6. ^ Netflix, Challenge Your Siblings to a Dance-Off with The Umbrella Academy Playlist, August 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "Tragically Hip album sales, audio streams soar after Gord Downie's death". CTV News, October 23, 2017.