In 1978, Tom Cochrane joined up with Rob Baker on drums, Jeff Jones on bass, Peter Boynton on keyboards and Ken Greer to form Red Rider. They were signed to Capitol Records and released their first album Don't Fight It in 1980. With the singles "White Hot" and "Don't Fight It", the album quickly reached gold status. Their second album As Far as Siam was released in 1981 and featured the hit "Lunatic Fringe" which was in the 1982 movie "Vision Quest.". "Lunatic Fringe" and two other tracks, "Cowboys in Hong Kong" and "What Have You Got To Do" were featured in an episode of Miami Vice in addition to which helped push the album to platinum. Boynton was replaced by keyboardist Steve Sexton on Red Rider's third album Neruda, released in 1983. The track "Napoleon Sheds His Skin" would become one of the more popular songs from the album.
For their 1984 album Breaking Curfew, John Webster replaced Sexton on keyboards. The album did not sell as well as Neruda and a dispute with Capitol Records over the future direction of the band resulted in Red Rider being dropped from the record label later in 1984.
The band subsequently signed with RCA. In what became a strong signal regarding the future of the band, they officially became known as Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, and released their self-titled fifth album in 1986.
In 1987, Capitol released a compilation CD titled Over 60 Minutes with Red Rider, covering the band's first four albums.
In the fall of 1988, the band released their sixth album Victory Day which contained the track "Big League", about a boy's dream of playing in the National Hockey League. The song was featured in a segment on CBC Television's Hockey Night in Canada.
Red Rider's final album, The Symphony Sessions, was released in 1989 and saw the band performing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, as Procol Harum had done seventeen years before. Cochrane's solo career was taking off and the band broke up shortly after the album was released.
The three-CD box set Ashes to Diamonds, including material by both Red Rider and Cochrane as a solo artist, was released in 1993.
Caught In The Middle
Red Rider Lyrics
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I never thought that I could ever deceive her
But you never know until you're
Standing there yourself
Just how it feels to love somebody else
When you've tried
And you've tried and tried and tried
Roll when your heart says roll
Look to yourself and be true
Call me again when you're through
I know how hard it is to make the changes
When your life's in line
And you can't rearrange it
I'm on your side but that hasn't helped
You don't want to hurt somebody
Because you don't want to get hurt yourself
Caught in the middle and there's a door to either side
You walk through the one
But you're going to leave the other one wide
You never know when you're going
To want to slip back inside
And go the other way
When it comes another day
Now you say that you've changed your mind
You're going to try it with him
Just one more time
That's alright I've really want to say
Is that you're taking the easy way out
The lyrics of Red Rider's song "Caught In The Middle" is about the difficult decision one has to make when they are in love with two people at the same time. The singer is conflicted about his feelings towards two women and does not want to hurt anyone. He has tried all possible ways to divert his mind and be true to his partner, but his heart doesn't allow him. The lines "Caught in the middle and there's a door to either side, you walk through the one, but you're going to leave the other one wide" reflect his mental state of being in a dilemma about which path to choose.
The song portrays the struggle of being caught between two worlds and the haunting fear of making the wrong choice. People who are in a similar situation will relate to the lyrics that convey their emotions of love and guilt. The song suggests that one should be true to their own feelings and not let the fear of hurting someone stop them from making the right decision.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I am with my hand back on the lever
I am in control of my actions, ready to make another choice.
I never thought that I could ever deceive her
I didn't expect to have to choose between two paths, and one may cause harm to someone else.
But you never know until you're
Standing there yourself
Just how it feels to love somebody else
When you've tried
And you've tried and tried and tried
You cannot comprehend the emotional struggle until you experience it firsthand, where both choices carry emotional weight and risk.
You've got to do what you've got to do
Roll when your heart says roll
Look to yourself and be true
Call me again when you're through
You have to make a difficult decision and live with the consequences, but you should stay true to yourself and come back to me when you're ready.
I know how hard it is to make the changes
When your life's in line
And you can't rearrange it
I'm on your side but that hasn't helped
I understand how realigning your life is daunting and you feel unsupported, even if I'm standing with you.
You don't want to hurt somebody
Because you don't want to get hurt yourself
Caught in the middle and there's a door to either side
You walk through the one
But you're going to leave the other one wide
You struggle to make a choice that doesn't hurt you or someone else, and in turn, you leave a path unexplored.
You never know when you're going
To want to slip back inside
And go the other way
When it comes another day
You may regret your decision and long for the other path another day.
Now you say that you've changed your mind
You're going to try it with him
Just one more time
That's alright I've really want to say
Is that you're taking the easy way out
You claim to have made a decision, but I know you're just avoiding the real problem and not facing the hard truth.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: THOMAS WILLIAM COCHRANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind