"Da-DA-Da-Da, Da-Da-DA-Da-Da" No More????

I used to be a huuge hockey fan, and a pretty big sports fan in general. These days I'm not as engrossed in sports as I used to be because I've discovered other things. However, there are certain things that define your childhood, and the experience of growing up in Canada, and one of them happens to be the Hockey Night in Canada theme song. For 40 years, generations have turned on the television on Saturday night at 7 p.m. to hear the legendary jingle before the evening's games began. The classic Canadian saturday night can never be complete without Hockey Night in Canada, and Hockey Night in Canada can never be complete without that legendary jingle. Some have gone so far as to call the song "Canada's second national anthem"--an important unifying institution in a country fraught with regionalism and divided nationalistic sympathies.

The song was originally composed in 1968 by Vancouver-native Dolores Claman, an alma mater of the University of British Columbia who received a graduate scholarship to the famed Julliard School of Music. Since CBC bought the right to use the tune as the theme song for Hockey Night in Canada, it has been played, in various different forms, from jazz to rock, prior to the commencement of their saturday night hockey series. Over the years, Canadians have fallen in love with the tune. It has been known to have a great emotional affect on Canadians at home and abroad, with a myriad of anecdotal tales describing the importance this melody has had in inspiring nationalism and encouragement into Canadians across the globe. When the sheet music was released in 2000, it sold more copies than the year's top-of-the-chart albums.

Recently, after the expiry of the copyright agreement between its owners and the CBC, the CBC announced that it might not be renewed, and Canadians may have very well heard the last of "Da-DA-Da Da, Da-Da-DA-Da-Da" with the conclusion of the most recent Stanley Cup Finals. The copyright holders announced that they hoped the crown corporation would have a change of heart, and it is known that the composer is having a particularly hard time with the news of this possibility. The CBC said that, if a deal cannot be reached under any circumstances, a nationwide contest would be held to select a new theme. Somehow, however, I think that if a national contest was held, everyone would send in the same theme song as before :P It has become such an important part of national life in this country that getting rid of it is as foolish as getting rid of the Maple Leaf. Even some politicians, such as Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and NDP national leader Jack Layton, have expressed their anger and disbelief with this attitude on the part of the CBC.

So far, Canadians that have been confronted with the news on the street have responded with shock, anger, and disbelief. I hope the CBC's bureaucracy is proud of what it is stealing from our national experience. It should be reminded that it is part of the CBC's mandate to "contribute to shared national consciousness and identity" (part iv), and failing to renew the copyright for this jingle would be contrary to this. The royalty is $500, and I think that is measly in comparison to the amount of revenue they make from the program. I truly hope the CBC and the jingle's copyright holders can come to a mutually-acceptable agreement, if not for anything else but the benefit of this nation's heritage, traditions, and future generations.

Considering its mandate, the CBC should not give up at the negotiating table as easily as it seems to be, as indicated by comments such as "oh, we thought the deadline was tomorrow!". Comments such as this indicate to me that they are actually trying to get away with not renewing the theme, for reasons that are beyond my comprehension and definitely not in their, or this nation's, best interest. If the CBC does indeed decide to do away with the classic HNIC theme, it will have made, in my eyes, an anti-Canadian decision.

Associated Links:

thestar.com, "Hockey Theme Not Dead Yet"
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/437636

Hockey Night in Canada Theme Website
http://www.hockeytheme.com

CBC/Radio Canada Mandate
http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/about/mandate.shtml