Video hit Tom Cochrane

Tom Cochrane - Life Is A Highway

"Life Is a Highway" is a song by Canadian-native Tom Cochrane. It is his only US Top-40 hit, reaching #6 in 1992. However, Cochrane is a celebrated artist within the Canadian music scene. His honors include seven Juno Awards, membership in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, being an Honorary Colonel in the Canadian Air Force, and having been inducted onto the Canadian Walk of Fame. They take their rock stars seriously in Canada.

Cochrane was also the front man and chief songwriter for the group Red Rider for ten years, and hit a few times with that group as well. Their best-known song in America is "Lunatic Fringe."

This song was inspired by Cochrane's trip to West Africa, where he was gaining exposure for the World Vision famine relief organization. Cochrane devotes a great deal of his time to activism and causes, blending them together with his music, similar to artists such as Neil Young.

Since 1992, this song has had a near-continuous popularity thanks to heavy use in commercials. These include one for Cleveland, Ohio-based bank National City Corp and one for the NBC TV series VIPER. Before you say "car commercials," that was different versions by other artists. It was most recently covered by Rascal Flatts who also got it to #7 on the Hot 100.

Rascal Flatts recorded a more kid-friendly version for the 2006 Disney movie Cars. The original version was used in the movies Cheaper by the Dozen and There Goes the Neighborhood.

The lyrics:

Life's like a road that you travel on

When there's one day here and the next day gone

Sometimes you bend sometimes you stand

Sometimes you turn your back to the wind

There's a world outside every darkened Door

Where blues won't haunt you anymore

Where the brave are free and lovers soar

Come ride with me to the distant shore

We won't hesitate break down the garden gate

There's not much left today

[Chorus]

Life is a highway

I want to ride it all night long

If you're going my way

I want to drive it all night long

Through all the cities and all these towns

It's in my blood and it's all around

I love you now like I loved you then

This is the road and these are the hands

From Mozambique to those Memphis nights

The Khyber pass to Vancouver's lights

Knock me down get back up again

You're in my blood I'm not a lonely man

There's no load I can't hold

Road so rough this I know

I'll bee there when the light comes in

Tell 'em we're survivors

[Chorus:Repeat x2]

There was a distance between you and I

A misunderstanding once but now

We look it in the eye

There's no load I can't hold

Road so rough this I know

I'll be there when the light comes in

Tell 'em we're survivors

[Chorus:Repeat x3]