“2015 has given us many things … most importantly the term ‘woes,’ ” writes Jake Woolf on Wednesday (9/23) at GQ magazine’s website. “The term, which stands for ‘Working On Excellence,’ came via Drake’s song ‘Know Yourself’ off of his mixtape/album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.” The Toronto Symphony Orchestra “has now unveiled their rendition of Drake’s hit single, adding beautiful strings and live instrumentation to the originally synth-based beat.” The Drake album was among the nominees for Canada’s 2015 Polaris Music prize; “Know Yourself” was performed live by the TSO at the Polaris Music Prize gala on September 21. “Who knew that beat drops sound even better when you’ve got a few dozen cellos and violins doing the heavy lifting? It’s also pretty funny when you remember that the strings are playing, note-for-note, lines like ‘you know how that shit goes.’ Anyway, Drake, if you’re reading this, it’s not too late to bring these folks on your next tour.” Buffy Sainte-Marie won the Polaris 2015 Prize for her album Power in the Blood, and will perform original works with the TSO at Roy Thomson Hall in 2016.
Posted September 24, 2015
