ONE HIT WONDERLAND: “Life Is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane

“Some real mixed messages about the greatness of highways from this guy I gotta say”

18:45 Grunge was popular in Canada in the early to mid 90s, but it wasn't an industry changing sound like it was in the US. (Our only noteworthy "grunge" bands that made it even up here were Moist and Junkhouse, and they were just glorified bar bands.) We got something much, much worse, the coffeehouse/poetry slam scene taking over. Sarah McLaughlin, Jann Arden, Moxy Fruvus, Hemingway Corner, Grapes of Wrath, and the one who blew up beyond that, Barenaked Ladies. This sound was shoved down our throats through the MTV imitator, MuchMusic, who was run by a Toronto arthouse snob and been pushing this scene since the mid 80s. What we got was an entire generation of ugly as sin, insufferable poetry slam lesbians who made our music utterly unlistenable for a generation. This poison was prevelant in Canada for over a decade and we never totally recovered from it.

Bryan Adams was 100% right about CanCon laws propping up mediocrity. You would see artists getting more airplay than the biggest artists. in the world, yet couldn't fill 200 seat bars anywhere in the country. Realizing this, most Canadian acts in the 90s save for the Tragically Hip, (who were one of those local institutions that were successful in spite of themselves,) would do the festival circuit as part of all the Lolapalooza/LilithFair imitators that dominated the summer concert scene in the 90s. This way they could not get exposed as CanCon creations.

OMG YOUR CANDIAN!

Have you ever listened to Stompin' Tom Connors? He's a gem.

Fun fact: Alice in Chains was huge before Nirvana.

This is the ITV World cup coverage song, and its thanks to seeing this video years ago that I know what it is lol

"Get oot of the road, A-hole!" should've been the title of the song.

🇨🇦Never liked the Tragically Hip but even I thought it was sus how badly they ricocheted everytime they tried to hit the US market.

What about Big League?

I don’t mind Bryan Adams, but you dunking on him every and any chance you get will never not be funny. Keep on dunking Todd!

Tom Cochrane a one hit wonder? Ever hear of Lunatic Fringe, The Boy Inside The Man, Big League or Sinking Like A Sunset?

I'm not allowed in Canada anymore….

Then Rascal Shats went and ruined it

Obviously, he had many hits. As a Canadian, I’d take him over the Hip- and I don’t like either. Gimme Big Wreck or Tea Party any day over there.

That juno awards footage just reminds me how much I miss rick moranis

I respectfully disagree.
Red Rider lunatic fringe

This song is a legit banger

No regrets is a banger too!!

Sunglasses at night is total dog shit!

Eh well, my kid loved 'Cars' and yay Cochrane but the Rascal Flatts is the one I gotta have

So many of these songs I heard since I was a kid on the radio, Didint realize they were all Tom Cochrane and only canadian staples

You did the Veggie Tales cover for your outro? Awesome! 😃👍

I had no idea he was one of us. I don't think he's that big up here