"Try" is a song written by Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, and recorded by Canadian country rock group Blue Rodeo. Released in June 1987, it was the second single from their debut album, Outskirts, and took about four months to break the top 10 RPM charts. Considered one of the band's most enduring and beloved signature songs,Amy O'Brian, "Blue Rodeo puts on great show at Orpheum". Vancouver Sun, January 14, 2008. the song peaked at number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart, number 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and number 6 on the Top Singles chart.
At the 1989 Juno Awards, "Try" was named Single of the Year and Video of the Year.Juno Awards Database
Background Even prior to the release of Outskirts, the song already had a reputation as the highlight of the band's live performances in Toronto's live music clubs, with fan demand often leading it to it being performed two or even three times per show.Michael Barclay, "The Try-ing times of Blue Rodeo". Maclean's, November 9, 2012.
Keelor would, however, later describe the song's production as having a very 1980s sound, "like Tears for Fears were backing us up". He stated that the album's production by Terry Brown saw the band capitulating to production decisions that Keelor later regretted, including the snare drum and a "cheesy" organ sound, both of which he toned down when remastering the album for the Blue Rodeo: 1987 - 1993 box set in 2012."Blue Rodeo remix 'cheesy' fan favourite 'Try'". CP24, October 17, 2012.
Music video Michelle McAdorey, a singer-songwriter who would later achieve prominence with her own band, Crash Vegas, appears in the song's video as a woman walking barefoot through a variety of settings. McAdorey was the girlfriend of Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor when the video was made."Reel Toronto: Music Videos of the 1980s". Torontoist, January 19, 2011.
Chart performance Chart (1987)PeakpositionCanadian RPM Adult Contemporary3Canadian RPM Country Tracks1Canadian RPM Top Singles6
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