Introduce Yerself’s five most notable, heartfelt tracks

Here are five notable tracks and their backstories from Gord Downie’s

Introduce Yerself:

“First Person”: Setting a sombre tone, Downie offers flashes of what seem to be early memories of his mother, Lorna. “First person, this is the gift of my life,” he sings. “First person to lean down and kiss me goodnight.” He finishes with a lesson he took to heart in his final days: “You said, ‘What you do is you.’ ”

“Introduce Yerself”: One of the songs Downie wrote after his invasive brain surgery, it begins while he’s riding in the back seat of a vehicle with a friend. His memory is deteriorating and he’s struggling with the name of his driver, even though he feels he should know him. He writes “Introduce Yerself” on his hand and pokes his friend, hoping the suggestion might ease the tension.

“You, Me and the Bs”: Downie’s hockey obsession was no secret, so it’s completely appropriate that one of the album’s most upbeat songs pays tribute to the sport that brought him so much joy. His younger brother Patrick shares the spotlight in this memory, with Downie singing about their love for the Boston Bruins.

“My First Girlfriend”: Dipping deepest into nostalgia here, Downie reflects on his first relationship, with someone six years his senior. “You read books all the time and made me want to read books over my head,” he sings. “You had long blond hair to your waist and didn’t give a damn.”

“The North”: After last year’s whirlwind summer tour, the Hip embarked on a trip to James Bay with Canadian novelist Joseph Boyden and a group of Indigenous guides. Downie tells of his mindset of “keeping things real and keeping things day-to-day” while he learned more about “life of the North, in a Canada we should’ve never called Canada.” He sheds light on problems “over 100 years old” and the scars left by residential schools.