The Tragically Hip Tell the Story of Their Flubbed Lyric on SNL 30 Years Ago
It was an iconic moment for the band, who were introduced by fellow Canadian Dan Aykroyd.
Longtime fans of Canadian band The Tragically Hip know the significance of their sole Saturday Night Live appearance all too well. That's because the Musical Guests for John Goodman's March 25, 1995, episode made a lyric change that became part of the band's lore.
The Ontario rockers were looking to make their mark on the American music scene, and during their first performance of the evening — "Grace, Too" — frontman Gord Downie looked confident as he sang the song's iconic opening line: "He said I'm tragically hip."
Except those weren't the actual lyrics to the song.
The correct lyrics are, "He said I'm fabulously rich."
Whoops.
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Gord Downie's "Grace, Too" lyric change immortalized their Saturday Night Live performance
As viewers could tell by the look on Downie's face, the lead singer immediately knew he messed up — fortunately, the rest of the performance went on without a hitch. But what was the reason for the epic mistake?
As members of the band recount in their four-part docuseries No Dress Rehearsal, the band partook in a little too much of the green stuff in SNL's green room before taking the stage.
While Gord Downie died in 2017 of a rare brain cancer, the living band members looked back at the unbelievable moment that played out on live television. Check out a clip from the docu-series below:
"Live and learn," guitarist Paul Langlois said of his regretted decision to smoke marijuana before they went on. "Sometimes, it's not the best idea if you're super nervous."
SNL legend and fellow Canadian Dan Aykroyd — who introduced the band's first performance that night — says in the documentary that he understood how everything went down, adding that the pressure of performing on the show can be overwhelming for newer musicians.
"Hey, any way you loosen up, man — SNL is a pressurized gig," he explained.
Dan Aykroyd made The Tragically Hip a condition of his SNL return in 1995
Despite the monumental mess-up, it was a seminal moment for The Tragically Hip. The band reached more fans in eight minutes across two performances than they ever could have imagined (just ask Adele how much of an impact that can have) .
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Believe it or not, Downie's lyrical mistake became part of the band's legacy: the singer continued to start "Grace, Too" with the incorrect lyrics whenever The Tragically Hip performed live from then on.
"Gord misses the first lyric, but on a legendary scale," said bassist Gord Sinclair. "And I think he started the song like that probably for the rest of our career."
And as it turns out, the band had Aykroyd to thank for making it all happen.
When scheduling issues caused the ep's official Host, John Goodman, to miss much of the week's rehearsals, Aykroyd was called in to fill in however the cast needed him to — which is why Aykroyd was in so many sketches that night.
"I told Lorne I'll come back and do the show, but the bargaining chip was, you know, I got to have The Hip, it just has to happen," he recalled. "And the audience reaction was outstanding. It was a night of triumph, no doubt. It was a beautiful night."
