Starting in the 1970s, Canadian radio stations have been required to include a certain percentage of Canadian content in their playlists. This started at 25% and is currently 35% for older stations and 40% for newer. As a consequence, some stations would play Canadian cover versions of songs rather than the non-Canadian originals. For instance, in Toronto, radio station CHUM played Shirley Eikhard's cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Love Me" rather than the original. (The two versions sound reasonably similar to me.)
Shirley Eikhard (1955-2022) was from Sackville, New Brunswick; her parents were both musicians. She was both a musician and a songwriter; when she was 15, she wrote "It Takes Time", which was recorded by Anne Murray. She also wrote "Something To Talk About", which was recorded by Bonnie Raitt in 1991 and reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It won a Grammy award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Created June 25, 2026.