If you were alive in 1981, you probably heard a high-pitched voice screaming about taking off to the "Great White North." It was everywhere. On the radio, in record stores, and definitely in every Canadian basement where kids were learning to say "eh" ironically.
The great white north song, officially titled "Take Off," wasn't supposed to be a hit. It wasn't even supposed to be a song, really. It was a joke. A filler. A middle finger to government bureaucracy.
How Spite Created a Canadian Masterpiece
Television in Canada in the late 70s and early 80s was governed by strict "Canadian Content" regulations. Basically, the government told broadcasters they had to show a certain amount of homegrown stuff.
When SCTV (Second City Television) moved to the CBC, the network heads told the producers they needed two more minutes of "identifiably Canadian" content for the domestic broadcast. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas thought this was incredibly stupid. They were already Canadian. The show was filmed in Edmonton and Toronto.
So, they decided to give the network exactly what they asked for: a parody of every single Canadian stereotype they could think of. They grabbed some beer, threw on some parkas and toques, and sat in front of a map. Bob and Doug McKenzie were born.
The great white north song grew out of this improvised nonsense. They’d sit there, drink real beer, and talk about back bacon. It was low-budget, low-effort, and high-concept. And of course, people loved it.
The Geddy Lee Connection
One of the weirdest facts about "Take Off" is that it features Geddy Lee, the legendary frontman of Rush. You might wonder why a prog-rock god would spend his afternoon singing a chorus for two guys pretending to be "hosers."
It turns out Rick Moranis and Geddy Lee were actually elementary school classmates in Toronto. They went to school together from kindergarten through grade six. When the comedy album The Great White North was being put together, Moranis just called up his old buddy.
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Geddy reportedly showed up, put on a toque, and recorded his parts in about 15 minutes. He even jokes on the track that "ten bucks is ten bucks." Ironically, this novelty track ended up charting higher on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at number 16) than any actual Rush song had at that point.
The Anatomy of the Great White North Song
The track itself is a chaotic mess of banter and music. It’s categorized as "the hit single section" of the album. Bob and Doug argue over who’s a bigger star while a surprisingly slick synth-pop beat plays in the background.
Most people remember the "Coo loo coo coo" hook. That little bird-call sound wasn't random. It was actually a parody of the flute music used in Hinterland Who’s Who, those 60-second nature vignettes that every Canadian kid grew up watching.
What’s actually on the record?
- The Banter: Bob and Doug arguing about who is in the "band."
- The Chorus: Geddy Lee’s soaring, operatic vocals singing "Take off! To the Great White North!"
- The Lyrics: Mentions of the "Great White North," being a "beauty," and of course, a lot of "ehs."
Honestly, it shouldn't work. It’s a comedy sketch layered over a rock track. But the production value, handled by Kerry Crawford and Jonathan Goldsmith, was actually decent. It sounded like a "real" song, which made the stupidity of the lyrics even funnier.
Why it Exploded in the US
You’d think a song about Canadian stereotypes would only work in, well, Canada. Wrong.
The album reached number 8 on the Billboard 200. It sold over half a million copies in the States. Americans didn't necessarily get all the inside jokes about back bacon or the CBC, but they loved the "hoser" personas.
There is something universally funny about two dim-witted brothers who think they’re geniuses. It’s the same energy that made Beavis and Butt-Head or Dumb and Dumber work later on. Bob and Doug were the pioneers of the "lovable idiot" archetype in the 80s.
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The 12 Days of Christmas
We can't talk about the great white north song without mentioning the other big hit from that album: their version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
It is arguably the most famous version of the song in North America today. Instead of lords-a-leaping, you get:
- Eight pairs of earmuffs
- Seven packs of smokes
- Six cases of two-four
- Five golden toques
- Four pounds of back bacon
- Three French toasts
- Two turtlenecks
- And a beer... in a tree.
They don't even finish the song because they run out of things to say and start arguing about how many days are left. It’s pure, unscripted chaos.
The Legacy of the Hoser
The success of the song and the album led directly to the movie Strange Brew in 1983. It also cemented the word "hoser" in the English dictionary.
Before Bob and Doug, "hoser" was a relatively obscure Canadian slang term—supposedly referring to the losing team in a pond hockey game having to "hose down" the ice. After the song, it became a global shorthand for a Canadian goofball.
Even decades later, the influence is still there. You see it in the "Terrance and Phillip" characters on South Park and the general vibe of shows like Letterkenny.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive back into the world of the McKenzie brothers, here is how to do it right.
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Check the Vinyl: The original 1981 LP on Anthem Records (Canada) or Mercury (US) is surprisingly easy to find in thrift stores, but look for the "Daily Hoser" newspaper insert. It’s a parody newspaper that came with the record and is often missing from used copies.
Listen for the Backwards Message: On the track "Black Holes," Bob McKenzie claims that the spaces between tracks on a record are actually black holes. If you play certain parts of the record backward, there are supposedly hidden messages, though they’re mostly just the duo messing around.
Digital Quality: Most streaming versions of "Take Off" are the single edits. To get the full experience, you need the album version which includes the long intro and the "argument" between the brothers that sets the stage for Geddy’s entrance.
The Strange Brew Soundtrack: Don't confuse the Great White North album with the Strange Brew soundtrack. The first one is the classic comedy record; the second is mostly dialogue from the movie and didn't have the same cultural impact.
The great white north song remains a weird, perfect time capsule of 1981. It reminds us that sometimes the best creative work happens when you're just trying to annoy your boss.
To get the full 1981 experience, listen to the "Take Off" album version back-to-back with Rush's Moving Pictures. It highlights the hilarious contrast between Geddy Lee's "serious" work and the 15 minutes he spent being a hoser for his childhood friend.