Hello, fellow music fans!

This week, we start our celebration of Sarah McLachlan. 

The singer, originally from Halifax but now a decades-long British Columbian, released her breakthrough third album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, in 1993, and her influence more than three decades later is immeasurable. 

She’s won Grammys, Junos and started Lilith Fair, the groundbreaking all-women music festival that was born out of the singer being told that women couldn't play back-to-back at a festival or on the radio — and it broke records.

And on Sept. 19., McLachlan will release her 10th studio album, Better Broken, which is around the same time that Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, will hit film festivals and CBC Gem: a documentary about the lasting legacy of that late ’90s project.

In honour of all this, CBC Music dove in head first and ranked McLachlan's 15 best songs. Is your favourite on the list? You can tell us (or fight us) by replying to this email. 
 

Watch Jann Arden perform inspired covers of ’90s hits 

Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden captivated the Massey Hall audience with some of her favourite ’90s pop covers, off her latest album, Mixtape — and ended with a fan favourite for good measure. 

Happy 60th birthday, Shania Twain!

The country legend from Timmins, Ont., turned 60 this week, shortly after announcing a collaboration with the place she worked as a teenager. To celebrate, we’re revisiting our ranking of her albums, from her 1993 self-titled debut to her most recent, 2023’s Queen of Me.

Neil Young unveils new anti-Trump song, Big Crime

On the fiery track, Young sings, "Got to get the fascists out, got to clean the White House out," and "There's big crime in D.C. at the White House."

The story behind the sample on 1 of Destiny’s Child’s biggest hits

On this episode of The Block, Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe tells the story of how the internet revealed the source of the musical backbone behind one of Destiny's Child's biggest hits.

Carly Rae Jepsen's unreleased gem, and 2 more songs you need to hear this week

Any week with new Carly Rae Jepsen is a great one — but we were twice blessed by the pop queen as she also announced that a soon-to-be-released deluxe anniversary edition of her masterpiece album Emotion would include five more unreleased tracks. This new single, a pop banger aptly titled More, will have to hold us over until Oct. 17.

CBC Music Class Challenge 2025 fall anniversary edition: register now

Educators from across Canada are invited to teach their students a Canadian song from our list for a chance to win MusiCounts grants for their classes. Sign your class or community program up now with our registration form if you intend to enter the Challenge!

Thanks so much for joining us for this issue of Listen Up! If you loved it, feel free to let us know at listenup@cbc.ca — and use the same email if you have questions or suggestions. Please share it with your friends, family and even enemies via cbc.ca/listenup.