Music

6 things you might not know about the Log Driver's Waltz

by Mark Teo

If you’re a Canadian of a certain vintage, you most likely remember “Log Driver’s Waltz” as a feverish dream. That’s because, for a period, the song was ubiquitous: It was seemingly played as a commercial, as a music video, and as a buffer between daytime television. It vaguely resembled edutainment, not unlike Canadian Heritage Minutes—even if it wasn’t particularly educational or entertaining. And even if it was the first Canadian music video many of us had seen, it was hard to remember the specifics. Was there a moose in the video? A priest? A dancing beaver?

In retrospect, the entire short was weird as hell. It had the musty whiff of Canadiana to it, and despite its creation in the 1970s, felt like an archival NFB clip from a much earlier era—it made Telefrancais feel downright contemporary. It vaguely hinted at Canada’s reputation as a rugged, outdoorsy nation, even if its primary audience was bored latchkey kids. And on one hand, it’s aggressively quaint—doesn’t “Log Driver’s Waltz” sound like a Chromewaves-era Can-journalist blog?—but at the same time, nailed lumbersexuals far before your pal Cole decorated his condo with luxury axes, leather-scented fragrances, and Red Wing boots. Fuck you, Cole.

So, our question: What in the actual heck was “Log Driver’s Waltz?” Check the gallery above for answers.