Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Songs That Mention Toronto: Toronto Mike'd Podcast Episode 1749

Episode Date: August 22, 2025

In this 1749th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike talks about songs that mention Toronto. Not T.O., not T-Dot, not The Six and not the 416, but Toronto. Or Trawna. I'm good with either. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball, the Waterfront BIA, Blue Sky Agency and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at [e-mail].

From an adventure in the beaches, this is City TV everywhere. everywhere. Hot-so-R-W-W-A-R-T-Rawroud! Oh, Buzz the Park! St. Robert's High School prepares for their winter carnival hot stuff. Brad here is like the most amazing singer. You're watching Toronto Rock on City TV. Welcome to Toronto Rocks and welcome once again to the start of another exciting week.

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homemade Italian pasta and entrees. From Palma Pasta in Mississauga and Oakville. Toronto's Waterfront, BIA. Check out what's happening on Toronto's Waterfront this summer. Blue Sky Agency, the official distributor of Silence's quiet, comfortable and customizable office pods. Create sanctuary within your workspace. Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball. Playoff action, Friday night, that's tonight at Christy Pitts, be there, 7.30.

Recycle My Electronics.C.A. Committing to our planet's future means properly recycling our electronics of the past and Ridley Funeral Home, pillars of the community since 1921. I saw Neil Young the other night. I know that makes it sound like we had lunch or something. But what I mean is I bought a ticket

and I saw him perform at the freshwater stage. In honor of Neil, that's what I'm going to call it. The Freshwater Stage. Neil opened with ambulance blues, the most Toronto of all the songs in his catalog, with references to the Riverboat Cafe, shout out to FOTM Jane Harbury,

and the Isabella. It's a purely Toronto jam, but Neil never says the word Toronto. He says, T.O. There are many great Toronto jams that don't actually include, the word Toronto. Heck, lowest of the low recorded several of these.

So then I started thinking, what are some great songs that actually include Toronto in the lyrics? I'll be okay if it includes Toronto or Toronto. I accept both. Let's begin with a few monster jams from FOTMs.

That's That's Oakville's own Produced by Bob Ezrin The album is called The Kings are Here And of course the first two tracks The beat goes on And that one, switch into glide,

are supposed to be played together If you ever hear one without the other they're doing it wrong From Oakville to Kingston This is of course the tragically hip Fun fact This is actually the fourth single That The Tragically Hip released

From Phantom Power Their 1998 album The first three being poets Something On and fireworks Bob Cajun won the Juno for single of the year and it is absolutely a definitive tragically hip song I warned you we were starting with three bangers from FOTMs.

This is of course the number one Billboard Hot 100 hit Informer by Toronto Snow So we've opened with Oakville We went to Kingston and here Here we are back in Toronto. I think it's safe to say this is the biggest song in the world to name-check Toronto. Much like Loest of the Low, Drake sings about Toronto a lot. But like Loest of the Low, Drake rarely says the word Toronto.

He mentions places, intersections, he uses the six, sort of the way. way Neil Young said T-O or Cardi uses T-DOT or Maestro Fresh West uses 416. Drake's got a song called 5am in Toronto

but that song does not drop the T-word. This song is called Summer 16 and was released as a single to promote views the fourth studio album from Drake but it actually

is not on views. And that reference to New Toronto is actually a shot at Torrey Lanes. In fact, let's hear Tori Lanes and his song, New Toronto, right now. Now when Drake says, all you boys in the New Toronto, want to be me a little. It all makes sense. Toray Lane's New Toronto

from the New Toronto mixtape. And while we're talking Toronto hip-hop, here's party next door. So party next door. On that jam, he's talking about a break from Toronto.

Here's Toronto's Toronto. chaos with a jam from Atlantis hymns for disco this is Aqua City Boy all one word this jam you're about to Ivy Ivy

I which if you know Roman numerals and super bowlers you know Roman numerals and Super Bowl and Rockies have taught us well. Ivy Ivy I is 416, and this is a love letter to Toronto's diversity. So a whole bunch of Canadian hip-hop references to Toronto. But let's hear a couple of hip-hop references from non-Canadians. Here's T-Pain with Lil Wayne in the mix.

To make the people say, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I can put you in a condo all the way up in Toronto. Baby, put you in the fur coat. So T. Payne wants to put you in a condo in Toronto, but ludicrous wants you to know you're a beautiful ho. seven weeks, the biggest jam to ever name check Toronto. But Sean Mendez has no slouch in that department himself, as, if I can't have you, went all the way to number two. Old Town Road by Little Nas X blocked it, and many other fine jams, I'll add. Sean's next single, Signorita, which doesn't mention Toronto at all, would go all the way to number one.

Sean Mendes, of course, was born in Toronto, but raised in Pickering. Close enough. Speaking of Ontario peeps with global hits, Stratford's Justin Bieber name drops Toronto. in intentions, his second single from his fifth studio album Changes,

released in 2020. The ring he references here is, of course, the Toronto Raptors NBA Championship of 2019. Flags fly forever. You got the upper head now. Don't need a sponsor,

no, you're the brand now. You're my rock, my Colorado. I like Toronto Love you now Let I'm on tomorrow I like The Beaches Does it get more Toronto

That a band called The Beaches? This song from their third EP The Professional Released in 2019 is called Want What You Got And shouts out their home city This song from the beach's fourth EPAS, is called Let's Go,

and it seems to be shouting out at Tobacco School of the Arts. Fun fact, the beach's biggest U.S. hit, Blame Brett, is about Brett Emmons from The Glorious Sons Margot's Margot's Cargo is a big stomping Tom Conner's song for me because the video was played all the time on much music

In fact it's the only Stomp and Tom Connor's video I can really remember seeing. I'm sure Stomp and Tom name-checked Toronto dozens of times, but this is absolutely my favorite. Now the truck was overflowing when Toronto hit the rise.

The 401 was full of dung and the cab was full of flies. We're losing lots of money, rich. We can't afford to stop. We got to find the place that makes the cowsy-dungsy clock. I played Bob Cajun earlier. But it's worth noting Gore Downey dropped the T-word in his solo work as well.

But this song is from another great Canadian Gord, Gordon Lightfoot, who mentions Toronto by name and his wonderful Alberta Bound from his 1972 album, Don Quixote. Albertabound, Alberta Bound, it's good to be Alberta Bound. Oh, skyline of Toronto is something you'll get on to But they say you've got to live there for a while And while we're in a bit of a country mood here Toronto was one of the many places name-checked In Hank Snow's I've Been Everywhere

To be specific, this song was written By Australian country singer Jeff Mack Way back in 1959 and it was popularized by Lucky Star. But that version didn't mention Toronto. Hank Snow from Nova Scotia wrote new words to make it more North American. Here's Johnny Cash's cover of Hank's version.

There was quite a bit of talk recently on Toronto-Mik, regarding Burlington Silverstein, You may remember the episode about In Too Deep When Canadian Punks took over the world Silverstein's eighth studio album I Am Alive in Everything I Touch Released in 2015 Includes two versions of the song

Toronto That indeed mentions Toronto by name This is the unabridged version A Stranger in my own home I'm back in Toronto, but you're still tomorrow. That's when the bleeding stops again. Put off all the feelings, forget all the meanings. Hamilton's The Arkells dropped the T-Bomb in Where Are You Going?

The second track off their second album, Michigan Left. That one came out way back in 2011. This list of songs that mentioned Toronto This list of songs that mentioned Toronto by its full and proper name is in no way definitive. I'll bet I've missed some obvious ones. And several have already entered your mind. You can always tell me at mic at tronomike.com,

so I'll know for next time. I did notice the overwhelming majority of these Toronto names drops come from Canadians, so I thought I'd close with a Scottish band. Actually, I'm going to close with a song called, I don't want to go to Toronto by Radio Free Vestibule, but they're from Montreal. The Scottish band in question is Camera Obscura, and this pretty ditty is called Forests and Sands. You'll find it on Desire Lines, released in 2013. Radio free Radio free vestibule

Now going by the vestibule Now going by the vestibules Won me over with grunge song But I just had to play I don't want to go to Toronto to close this episode. I hope you enjoyed these songs that mentioned Toronto. Go to Torontomike.com for all your Toronto mic needs.

And much love to all who made this possible. That is Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Toronto's Waterfront BIA, Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball, Recycle My Electronics.ca, Blue Sky Agency, and Redley Funeral Home. I'll see you Tuesday for toast. with Bob Willett and Rob Pruse. I don't want to go to Toronto. I don't want to go to Toronto. I don't want to go. All of the blocks are square. None of the streets are twisted. None of the streets are paved with bricks.

There's too many elevators in Toronto. Not enough stairs in Toronto. Not enough stairs in Toronto. enough stairs. All of the food in Toronto is made of edible oil products. I don't have bagels in Toronto. They have donuts. Donuts made of edible oil. I don't like donuts. They don't have bagels. I don't want to go to Toronto. People don't have faces in Toronto. They have cigarette ads instead. They listen to your phone calls. There's a tower in Toronto that controls people's minds. It's illegal to possess brightly colored balloons in Toronto. Illegal to own brightly Balloons. All of the children in Toronto must wear suits. Even the girls three-piece suits. The buildings in Toronto have no windows. I don't want to go!

Everyone lives in subterranean caverns filled with donuts made of edible oil. I don't want to go! Nobody goes to the bathroom in Toronto. They have a special operation. They have it removed surgically. There's attacks on all wicker goods in Toronto. There's huge buildings with no windows on streets with no curves. curves and inside you find little girls in suits running around with black balloons and munching on edible oil products the kids don't have names they have numbers which are assigned to them at birth they're called 387 412.9 and they all have cigarette

ads instead of faces I don't want to go to Toronto I don't want to go I have plenty of wicker goods I don't want a tax on my wicker goods I like going to the bathroom,I don't want to go to the hospital. I don't want to go to Toronto. I don't want to go. Do I have to go to Toronto? Do I? Do I have to go? I don't want to go. Do I have to go? I don't want to go.