Kathleen Edwards – I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory

You’re cool and cred like Fogerty
I’m Elvis Presley in the seventies
You’re Chateauneuf, I’m Yellow Label
You’re the buffet I’m just the table

This was recommended by a former blogger who reached out to me and wanted me to hear this song. I knew I had seen or heard of her somewhere. I asked Randy and sure enough, he posted a song called Six O’Clock News with her last June. I like her voice and her overall sound. After I finished this post…I must have listened to this around 8-9 times. It will stay in my rotation.

The song and Edwards were very likable on the first listen and now I’m hooked on it. Fun video also. Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian musician who released her first album in 2003. She was influenced by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Tom Petty growing up.

She also worked with John Doe, of the punk rock band X, on his solo album A Year in the Wilderness. She sings on three tracks.

This song was written in honor of fellow Canadian musician Jim Bryson, who made contributions to Edwards’ first two albums and also toured with her. In this song, she is self-deprecatingly suggesting in the song that her own success was obscuring Bryson’s talents.

I like some of the lyrics in this one. You’re cool and cred like Fogerty, I’m Elvis Presley in the seventies…You’re Chateauneuf, I’m Yellow  Label…You’re the buffet I’m just the table. And my favorite…a hockey reference You’re the Great One, I’m Marty McSorley. The Great One of course is Wayne Gretzky…Marty McSorley was a hockey player who was charged with assault and suspended by the NHL for the remainder of the 1999–2000 season and the playoffs, missing 23 games when he swung his stick and hit Donald Brashear in the head. After serving a full year he never would play in the NHL again. You can see him in the video…the big guy whom Edwards is hugging.

She has released 5 albums since 2003 and her last one was in 2020 called Total Freedom. Her 2012 album Voyageur hit the top 40 in America. In 2003 Rolling Stone declared her one of the year’s most promising new acts.

This song was on her 2008 album Asking For Flowers. The album peaked at #14 on the Canadian Album Charts, #102 on the Billboard Album Charts, and #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts.

The video features Kathleen Edwards and her band playing against Blue Rodeo singer Jim Cuddy and former NHL-ers, Paul Coffey and Brad Dalgarno for a lopsided game of shinny. Marty McSorley joins Edwards team and the video also features sportscaster Dave Hodge.

It’s hard not to like her. One of her songs is called “One More Song The Radio Won’t Like.”

I Make The Dough, But You Get The Glory

Blazing a trail to the southern cities
From the streets of our hometown
Basement bars we played from the heart
In the company of our friends

If I write down these memories
That I have saved away
Photographs of the years that passed
Inside my little brain

You’re cool and cred like Fogerty
I’m Elvis Presley in the 70’s
You’re Chateauneuf, I’m Yellow Label
You’re the buffet I’m just the table
I’m a Ford Tempo you’re a Maserati
You’re the Great One, I’m Marty McSorley
You’re the Concorde, I’m economy
I make the dough but you get the glory

Big fish small pond and some cover songs
We sang along the way
We used to midnight run to the Vesta Lunch
Cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes
Once I got drunk with Jeff
I told him I was in love with you
But I love you like a brother
So at least half of it was true

You’re cool and cred like Fogerty
I’m Elvis Presley in the seventies
You’re Chateauneuf, I’m Yellow Label
You’re the buffet I’m just the table
I’m a Dodge Fargo, you’re a Lamborghini
You’re the Great One, I’m Marty Mcsorley
You’re the Concorde, I’m economy
I make the dough, but you get the glory

If I write down these memories
That I have saved away
Photographs of the years that passed
Inside my little brain

I’m sure it’s been said in the finer print
You make me look legitimate
Heavy rotation on the CBC
Whatever in hell that really means
You’re cool and cred like Fogerty
I’m Elvis Presley in the 70’s
You’re the Concorde I’m economy
I make the dough, but you get the glory

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

38 thoughts on “Kathleen Edwards – I Make The Dough, You Get The Glory”

  1. Nice bit of Canadiana there! Blue Rodeo, Dave Hodge from ‘Hockey Night in Canada’… good song, but falls into that Toronto sound trap- too country for pop or rock playlists, too pop for country. I had an early album by her, it was quite good actually but kind of got forgotten after a few months.

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    1. I love the pop culture references…and the Marty McSorley line…how the hell do you come up with that? That is brilliant.
      I also like the Elvis line…

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      1. it’s good songwriting, though a lot of it would be lost on almost anyone outside of Canada. I looked back, ‘Failer’ was the album I had, her debut. Got great reviews and was a good record, but not a hit really. ‘Six o clock News’ was the single, it also had the song ‘Hockey Skates’ so I’m guessing she really likes hockey! Cuddy has played on celebrity hockey teams and I think in charity games against NHLers so he’s authentic on the video! I think I might try to check out some more of her music.

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      2. This one was instant to me…Ron pointed it out and the song plus the video…it’s hard not to like. Having McSorley in the video was a cool thing.

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  2. I’m amazed given all the music you must listen to every day that you would remember I posted a song by her. Thanks for the reference. She is great with those types of songs that sound self deprecating and then stick you with a message. I can’t say I listen to her on a regular basis but I do every now and again.

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    1. I looked back on that post and I commented that I liked her the best…she just stuck with me more than I thought. I was amazed I remembered also (I lose my car keys all the time lol…but remember a Canadian folk singer). She seems so likable and it’s cool that she paid tribute to Bryson like that. I’ve played this song to everyone.

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    1. Holy shit…my guess was that he was an “enforcer”…that bout would make Ali and Frazier jealous. Awesome stuff…that was a battle. She said making that video was the best day of her life.

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    1. Yea that video that CB sent… damn that was rough even for Hockey.
      I really like her lines in this… the Elvis reference and the Hockey were great…
      There is no misunderstanding him… that is what his purpose was for… I’m not a big hockey guy but most teams have one… but he was rough

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      1. Ya, I was happy to see him go but he has his fans. Like Tie Domi was similarly ‘talented’ for Toronto & seemed most popular guy on team which I never got.

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      2. Well they are “inforcers” in hockey…there is one on every team. I guess it’s just part of it…but don’t ask me man…I don’t know much about hockey

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      7. I’ve been listening to an Apple Music “essential playlist” of her while cleaning the bloody pool. I definitely like her sound. The combination of country and pop at times reminds me a bit of Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum). And, yep, I guess I can also hear some Suzanne Vega.

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      11. I mean, yes, when everything is up and running and the water has a decent temperature, a pool can be nice. But with an inground, unfortunately, it’s there to stay. Ours came with the house when we bought it. I never would have had an inground pool installed.

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  8. I’ve only picked up on her a few months ago but have been listening to her a lot. She doesn’t do anything revolutionary, but she’s talented and relatable. The opening track of her most recent album was the one that hooked me.

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    1. Thanks… anytime I pick up an artist within the last 20 years I always like to ask you. When I saw the lyrics to some of her songs…I really liked them. Her voice isn’t great but she is very likable.

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