Room Clearers: Tom Cochrane
Posted by Dan
March 6th, 2008 at 02:12pm
In The Funk
Tom Cochrane’s rootsy pop anthem Life Is a Highway is a forgotten jukebox gem. That said, even though the song was/is pretty great, but there’s no way you could legitimately play it and not have people look like you’re insane. The grab-life-by-the-balls message is a bit too earnest to take seriously.
Furthermore, and I have no proof of this, I’m pretty sure that several naive, misguided middle school English teachers used this song to illustrate the difference between a metaphor and a simile.[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/nCPbL4yA7ik" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
6 Comments Add your own
1.
sara | March 6th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
There was an epic disagreement during the first CD game about whether Tom Petty or Tom Cochrane was responsible for this song (I believe someone listed it as Tom Petty on the CD liner). It has since been banned from the game. Or just heartily discouraged. I still like it, although the Rascal Flatts version is an abomination.
2. Vance | March 6th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
What? How dare you make snark at our Canadian national treasure (amongst them, Celine, SCTV alums and Rita MacNeil)?
Seriously, I hate this guy so much that I actually LIKED the Rascal Flatts version of this song. (But as I’ve mentioned before, I have no taste in music anymore since I turned 30).
3. Jeremy | March 6th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
The Rascal Flatts version of this song is the perfect example of what thin vocals sound like when they are auto-tuned in Pro Tools. If you want to hear the terrifying robotic harmonies of the future, check it out.
I’m totally lame, but I still like this tune as well. That is NOT what I remember Tom Cochrane looking like, though. It’s like a young Jeff Daniels with a Telecaster.
4. jesse | March 7th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I remember that Rolling Stone called “Life is a Highway” “quite possibly the stupidest song ever recorded”… on a list of the ten best driving songs (that was the entire blurb). I think that’s about right.
I had an epic disagreement among my friends over whether Tom Cochrane is dead.
5. Danielle | March 7th, 2008 at 10:45 am
We could only be so lucky in Canada to call this song a long forgotten hit. They play it on the radio at least 50 times a day!! Don’t even get me started about “Big League” (all you Canadians out there know what I’m talking about).
6.
sara | March 7th, 2008 at 10:49 am
So, Jeremy, what you’re saying is that with a fairly well-equipped MacBook Pro you could make me sound like Kelly Clarkson? Because that would be fun.
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