Artist · chart history
54 40
Band Vancouver Canada Formed 1981
54 40 formed in 1981 in Vancouver, Canada. 54 40 has 16 chart appearances on 5 radio countdowns from 2 stations on RockLists, spanning 1991–2010. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Baby Ran”, which appears on 2 lists with a best position of #146. The station that charted 54 40 most often is CFNY 102.1 The Edge (Toronto, ON), with 15 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 2003.
54-40 take their name from "54-40 or Fight!", the slogan of James K. Polk's failed push to claim a disputed stretch of the U.S.-Canada border in the Oregon boundary dispute, a nicely sly joke for a Canadian band that came together in Tsawwassen, British Columbia, in 1981. Neil Osborne and Brad Merritt are the constants, with Matt Johnson joining in 1986 and Phil Comparelli and Dave Genn among those who came through.
Their self-titled album that same year is jangly, earnest and a little bit haunted, with "Baby Ran" loping along on a hypnotic groove and "I Go Blind" as a wistful, chiming heart-tugger. Show Me followed in 1987 with the tense, rolling "One Gun", and Fight for Love in 1989 brought "Miss You".
The '90s kept them busy, from Dear Dear and its warm, strummed "Nice To Luv You" to Smilin' Buddha Cabaret with "Ocean Pearl" and Trusted by Millions with "Love You All". Four of their albums went platinum in Canada, and they have been up for eight Juno Awards.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by 54 40 on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baby Ran | 2 | #146 | – | – | |
| 2 | One Gun | 2 | #346 | – | – | |
| 3 | I Go Blind | 2 | #110 | – | – | |
| 4 | Love You All | 2 | #164 | – | – | |
| 5 | Blame Your Parents | 1 | #445 | – | – | |
| 6 | Ocean Pearl | 2 | #152 | – | – | |
| 7 | Nice To Luv You | 3 | #80 | – | 1992 | |
| 8 | Wish I Knew | 1 | #82 | – | 2003 | |
| 9 | Miss You | 1 | #878 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
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