# "Blame Canada": the song. It's not even funny in the least. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2014, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812 "2014-09-28T23:32:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/61 "2014-09-29T21:02:29Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > The song got nominated because it’s the only song from the film that could’ve remotely been performed on the Oscars. The rest were far too vulgar. How about “Up There”? I don’t recall a single dirty word or image in it – and it’s SUNG BY THE DEVIL. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/62 "2014-09-29T21:43:53Z")
It isn’t like **Leaffan** is the first troublesome thing to come out of Canada. Let us not forget Bryan Adams. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/63 "2014-09-29T22:09:44Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Let us not forget Bryan Adams. No, let’s. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/64 "2014-09-29T22:10:00Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’d have to agree “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” is the better song in a lot of respects. > > However, in terms of determining which should have been Oscar nominated, I think it’s worth noting “Blame Canada!” actually contributes to the narrative of the movie; it imparts the intent and motives of the characters. “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” is a good song but it’s kind of a one-off joke by comparison. > > I’m not saying the Academy follows that idea all the time, necessarily, but to my mind it’s one they should and so in this case they made the right choice. Was this song even eligible? Wasn’t it originally on one of the TV episodes? ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/65 "2014-09-29T22:42:40Z")
The origins of “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” …(and South Park): [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYIz5vLAPE8) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/66 "2014-09-29T23:46:10Z")
> [@Subterraneanus](#): > > So? That bitch needs to shut the fuck up. There’s a South Park song about that, too! NSFW: [noparse][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Isybzdaf8[/noparse]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0Isybzdaf8%5B/noparse%5D) The lyrics aren’t that clever, but the “talk to kids around the world” part always cracks me up. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/67 "2014-09-30T01:18:21Z")
The Academy only considers songs that are officially submitted by the film (after ruling proper eligibility), so in **SP: BL&U** , they only submitted one song, a strategy often (but not always) used to improve your chances of getting nominated by not diluting your support among multiple choices. Nominations are decided by preferential ranking, so every fan of the movie would have only one song to put as their #1 choice, increasing that song’s odds of making the final 5. The Music Branch was also going through some changes (which are even more pronounced now) that emphasized preference for songs that play a role in forwarding the plot in some way (rather than just scrolling over the closing credits). So that was another strength of the song. Plus, they needed to pick a song that was written by both Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman (some of the songs were written by Parker alone), so that narrowed the field a little further. Personally, I would’ve picked “It’s Easy, MmmmKay” as the best song from the film for the reasons I’ve itemized, but I suspect the language was a practical deal-breaker in that regard (less about performing it on TV and more about ruffling the feathers of more conservative Academy members). Of course, they lost to a hopelessly tedious Phil Collins song, as did the remarkable “When She Loved Me” from **Toy Story 2** , the deserved winner that year (and the best song of that entire trilogy). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/68 "2014-09-30T01:34:14Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > …Of course, they lost to a hopelessly tedious Phil Collins song, as did the remarkable “When She Loved Me” from **Toy Story 2** , the deserved winner that year (and the best song of that entire trilogy). If you can watch “When She Loved Me” and not get choked up, then you might be a serial killer. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/69 "2014-09-30T01:50:44Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > It isn’t like **Leaffan** is the first troublesome thing to come out of Canada. Let us not forget Bryan Adams. Alan Thicke ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/70 "2014-09-30T02:06:01Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > It isn’t like **Leaffan** is the first troublesome thing to come out of Canada. Let us not forget Bryan Adams. Now now, the Canadian government has apologized for Bryan Adams on several occasions. Sheesh! Didn’t any of you see this movie? ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/71 "2014-09-30T03:14:17Z")
Wow. Just read the Wikipedia entry for “Blame Canada”. Robin Williams sang the song during the Awards ceremony. I remember that. Did not know that Mary Kay Bergman, who voiced Sheila Broflovski (and others) and did the female part of the song, committed suicide several months beforehand. I also remember thinking that, of the songs nominated and performed, “Blame Canada” was head and shoulders above the others in energy and snarky fun. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/72 "2014-09-30T03:57:21Z")
> [@jimbuff314](#): > > Mary Kay Bergman, who voiced Sheila Broflovski (and others) and did the female part of the song, committed suicide several months beforehand. What, what, _WHAT?_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/73 "2014-09-30T04:59:11Z")
From [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blame_Canada). > [@](#): > > Comedian Robin Williams performed the song with a chorus who gasped when the word was to be sung (Williams turned around at the crucial moment, and did not actually sing it). He included digs at Margaret Trudeau and Bryan Adams, partially taken from lyrics of Sheila Broflovski’s reprise of the song in “La Resistance”. He referenced Celine Dion as well. _ **Mary Kay Bergman, the voice actress who sang the female parts in the song, committed suicide months before the performance, forcing the organizers to search for a replacement for her** _ and Trey Parker, who did the male voices. Apropos takeoff on Sheila, **Johnny**. Anne Murray was asked to sing the song on the telecast but had to decline due to a prior commitment. She was not at all offended by her inclusion in it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/74 "2014-09-30T09:44:10Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > It isn’t like **Leaffan** is the first troublesome thing to come out of Canada. Let us not forget Bryan Adams. > > > [@Enginerd](#): > > > > Now now, the Canadian government has apologized for Bryan Adams on several occasions. > > > > Sheesh! Didn’t any of you see this movie? Now, let’s do try to keep up, mmm-kay? > [@cochrane](#): > > That Anne Murray is still a bitch, though. And don’t even get me started on Bryan Adams. > > > [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > > > Come on now. The Canadian government has apologized for Bryan Adams on numerous occasions… ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/75 "2014-09-30T10:17:21Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Here’s my problem with the movie > > Kyle’s mom was right. The Terrence and Phillip movie really did corrupt the kids and teach them to use foul language The point: you missed it. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/76 "2014-09-30T11:18:43Z")
The kids were already using foul language before they saw “Asses of Fire.” The movie just taught them some new phrases. Catch the two original South Park cartoons, “Jesus vs. Frosty” and “The Spirit of Christmas.” They can be found on YouTube. I won’t link to them because they’re both very NSFW. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/77 "2014-09-30T12:30:41Z")
the movie must take place before any of the episodes, because the kids were good kids who didn’t cuss at the beginning also Kenny dies in the movie, but he is in a lot of episodes ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/78 "2014-09-30T12:40:14Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > At the company where I work, most of our corporate management is based in Canada. So whenever something gets fucked up we start playing the Blame Canada song. Several months after _SP:BL&U_ had been in the theaters, my wife and I were in an artsy-type movie house (remember when they still had those?), and one of the previews was for a Canadian movie. I couldn’t resist the urge to say, _sotto voce_, “It’s a foreign film…from Canada!” I’m glad to say there was a fair amount of laughter from the handful of people within earshot. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/79 "2014-09-30T13:21:18Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > the movie must take place before any of the episodes, because the kids were good kids who didn’t cuss at the beginning Wrong. It takes place just before Season 4. A few episodes into Season 4 the Pentagon comments about how it’s been a few months since Saddam was killed by a pack of wild boars. Also, Satan’s story directly continues in two season 4 episodes (“Do The Handicapped Go To Hell?” and “Probably”) and continues after that in the season 6 episode “Ladder To Heaven”. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812/80 "2014-09-30T13:27:24Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I thought the best song was “Uncle Fucka,” but it would never have gotten an Oscar nomination. By the way, just to poke fun at the way people take things seriously, Trey Parker and Matt Stone showed up at the awards ceremonies in drag. Not just in drag. I forget which was which, but one was wearing a knock-off of the cut-to-the-belly button green dress Jennifer Lopez made famous, and the other wore a knock-off of the pink spaghetti strap dress Gwynneth Paltrow was wearing when she won her Oscar. I can’t link to pics right now but it was pretty funny for those who recognized those dresses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blame-canada-the-song-its-not-even-funny-in-the-least/699812.md?page=5)