"Rise Again"
Single by The Rankin Family
from the album North Country
Released1993
GenreCountry, folk
Length3:47
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Leon Dubinsky
Producer(s)Chad Irschick
The Rankin Family singles chronology
"Gillis Mountain"
(1993)		 "Rise Again"
(1993)		 "North Country"
(1993)

"Rise Again" is a song recorded by Canadian music group The Rankin Family. It was released in 1993 as the first single from their third studio album, North Country. It peaked in the top 10 on the RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, and was a Top 20 hit on the magazine's pop chart and a Top 40 hit on its country chart. It received an East Coast Music Award nomination for best song in 1994.[1]

Background and writing

The song was written by Leon Dubinsky, a songwriter from Sydney, Nova Scotia, for a 1984 stage musical titled The Rise and Follies of Cape Breton,[2] as an anthem of resilience and hope at a time when Cape Breton Island was going through an economic crisis.[1] According to Dubinsky, the song is about "the cycles of immigration, the economic insecurity of living in Cape Breton, the power of the ocean, the meaning of children, and the strength of home given to us by our families, our friends and our music."[3]

Other versions

The Rankin Family's rendition, with its lead vocal performed by Raylene Rankin,[4] popularized the song across Canada. As well as the Rankins, the song was also frequently performed in concert by Rita MacNeil,[5] and recorded for her 2001 album Mining the Soul; it was also recorded by Anne Murray for her television special Anne Murray in Nova Scotia, with guest vocal appearances by MacNeil, the Rankins and The Men of the Deeps. The song has also been recorded and performed by Irish singing group, Celtic Thunder.

Because of the song's uplifting spiritual themes, it has been frequently performed by church choirs in Canada.[2] Because of Dubinsky's Jewish faith, it has also sometimes been performed by Jewish groups at commemorations of the Holocaust.[2]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the song was covered by Voices Rock Medicine, an ad hoc choir of women health care providers who recorded their parts virtually due to the social distancing restrictions on public gatherings.[6] Their version was included in the television special Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble.

Chart performance

Chart (1993) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] 12
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[8] 4
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[9] 31

Year-end charts

Chart (1993) Position
Canada Adult Contemporary Tracks (RPM)[10] 37

References

  1. 1 2 Cape Breton songwriter Leon Dubinsky dies at 81 CBC News
  2. 1 2 3 "Discovering Nova Scotia" Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine. Reform Judaism Online, Summer 2007.
  3. ↑ Larry Haiven, "Cultural Production and Social Cohesion Amid the Decline of Coal and Steel: The Case of Cape Breton Island". In Robert O'Brien, ed., Solidarity First: Canadian Workers and Social Cohesion. University of British Columbia, 2009. ISBN 9780774814409. pp. 106-127.
  4. ↑ "Fare thee well, Raylene". Cape Breton Post, September 30, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Rita vocal about all her men". Windsor Star, November 18, 2000.
  6. ↑ "5 music videos made in isolation that cheered us up this week". CBC Music, April 9, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2284." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 30, 1993. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2285." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. November 6, 1993. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2303." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. November 20, 1993. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1993". RPM. December 18, 1993. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
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