| Secret Path | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 18, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | November 3–10, 2013 November 27–December 2, 2013 | |||
| Studio | The Bathouse Recording Studio,Bath, ON,Canada, | |||
| Length | 41:10 | |||
| Label | Arts & Crafts Productions | |||
| Producer | Kevin Drew,Dave Hamelin | |||
| Gord Downie chronology | ||||
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| secretpath | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.0/10)[1] |
Secret Path is a Canadianmultimedia storytelling project including a ten-songmusic album, agraphic novel, ananimatedtelevision film, andinstructional materials.[1] Released on October 18, 2016,[2] the centrepiece of the project is aconcept album aboutChanie Wenjack, a youngAnishinaabe boy from theMarten Falls First Nation who died in 1966 while trying to return home after escaping from anIndian residential school.[3]
The albumSecret Path was the fifth studio album byGord Downie and the final album released during his lifetime. The album was accompanied by a graphic novel of the same name, written by Downie, illustrated byJeff Lemire, and published bySimon & Schuster;[2] as well as an animated television film aired onCBC Television on October 23, 2016.[4] All proceeds from the album and book are being donated to theUniversity of Manitoba'sNational Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.[3]
Downie performed the album in a concert atRoy Thomson Hall on October 21, 2016, which was his last full concert performance in his lifetime and was attended by members of the Wenjack family. The concert was aired by CBC Television in October 2017 following Downie's death. The project was further followed in 2018 byFinding the Secret Path, a documentary film by Downie's brotherMike Downie about the creation of the original project.[5]
The centrepiece of the project isSecret Path, Downie's fifthstudio album and the final album released during his lifetime. All proceeds from the album are being donated to theUniversity of Manitoba'sNational Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.[3]
All tracks written by Gord Downie unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Stranger" | 5:33 |
| 2. | "Swing Set" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Seven Matches" | 3:31 |
| 4. | "I Will Not Be Struck" | 4:02 |
| 5. | "Son" | 3:17 |
| 6. | "Secret Path" (Downie,Kevin Drew) | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Don't Let This Touch You" (Downie, Drew) | 5:05 |
| 8. | "Haunt Them, Haunt Them, Haunt Them" (Downie, Drew) | 5:02 |
| 9. | "The Only Place to Be" | 2:55 |
| 10. | "Here, Here and Here" (Downie, Drew) | 4:13 |
Additional personnel:
Downie performed the album in a concert atRoy Thomson Hall on October 21, 2016, attended by members of the Wenjack family. The concert was filmed for an hour-long special,Gord Downie's Secret Path in Concert, which also featured backstage footage and scenes from the animated film. Downie and his collaborators performed the album, again with members of the Wenjack family, in Halifax's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on November 29, 2016.[6] This proved to be Downie's last performance. The special aired on October 22, 2017, onCBC Television, following Downie's death earlier that week.[7]
| Author | Gord Downie |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jeff Lemire |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | October 18, 2016 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| Pages | 96 |
| ISBN | 9781501155949 |
The graphic novel, also titledSecret Path, was written by Gord Downie, illustrated by Jeff Lemire, and published bySimon & Schuster.[2] It was released on October 18, 2016, concurrently with the album.[3]
As with the album itself, all proceeds from the book are being donated to the University of Manitoba's National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.[3]
Theanimated film, also titledThe Secret Path, adapts Downie's album and Lemire's graphic novel. It is divided into ten chapters, according to the ten songs from Downie's album.[1]
It was executive produced by Gord Downie, along with Mike Downie, Patrick Downie, andSarah Polley. The film was produced with the participation of theCanada Media Fund and the Canadian Film or Video Productiontax credit.[1]
The Secret Path was broadcast by CBC in an hour-long television special on October 23, 2016.[1]
The project was widely adopted by many Canadian schools as a teaching tool in indigenous history lessons on the residential school system,[8] and led to the creation of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund to support efforts in indigenous reconciliation.[9]
In an opinion piece in theNational Post,Peter Shawn Taylor has criticized the story for containing fictionalized elements.[10][undue weight? –discuss]
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[11] | 4 |
The album won twoJuno Awards at theJuno Awards of 2017, forAdult Alternative Album of the Year andRecording Package of the Year, and Downie wonSongwriter of the Year for the songs "The Stranger", "The Only Place to Be" and "Son". The album was also a shortlisted nominee for the2017 Polaris Music Prize.[12]
At the6th Canadian Screen Awards, the television film received nominations for theDonald Brittain Award and Best Music in a Non-Fiction Program. It won the Best Music award at the non-fiction programming event on March 6, 2017,[13] and the Donald Brittain Award at the broadcast gala on March 11.[14]
At the7th Canadian Screen Awards, the concert special won two awards, for best variety or entertainment special and best sound in a non-fiction program.[15]
At the8th Canadian Screen Awards,Finding the Secret Path won the awards for Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series and Best Direction in a Documentary Program (Mike Downie).[16]
