microphone. Her favorite pastime instantly became singing along with country tunes by artists like Barbara Mandrell and Loretta Lynn. She preferably sang in front of an audience, with her older brothers' help.
Over the next few years, she gained experience singing at her family's church. At age 12, she entered a local talent contest and won. With a newfound confidence, she entered more contests, winning over and over. While still in her teens, she put together a band of her own called TC Country. The group appeared at fairs, weddings, and clubs.
She finished high school and took vocational training to be a secretary. In 1991, she moved to Nashville with her parents. In 1996 she married, but divorced after a few years. In 1998, she was introduced to Shane Decker after one of her performances. Decker worked for Warner-Chappell Music as a songwriter. He offered to help her get a demo ready. He also helped her land a job writing songs at Warner-Chappell. She signed to Sony Music Nashville, which released her first single, the very traditional "If You Can," in 2000. After a second single stalled, "Angels in Waiting" cracked the Top 10; Cochran co-wrote the song about her two brothers, who had died of cystic fibrosis. Her follow-up album included the single "Life Happened," but didn't sell well and she parted ways with the label shortly afterwards.
Life Happened
Tammy Cochran Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That someday she would see her name in lights
After every high school play the grownups all would say
That Julie's future sure is looking bright
Well I saw her selling videos at a store in Eastland Mall
I said why aren't you in Hollywood taking casting calls
Life happened
Daddy passed away and the babies came and drama school was just too much
Now there's Little League and mouths to feed
And I direct the kindergarten Christmas pageant
Life happened
Curtis had an old Chevelle the cops knew that car well
He never lost a race on Windy Hollow Rd.
By the time he turned 18 he was the Georgia dirt track king
Proudly sponsored by the local Texaco
Well I bumped into him at Murphy's Bar and I ordered us a round
I said why aren't you in Rockingham chasing Gordon down
He killed his drink and tore the corners off his napkin and said. . .
Life happened
I was driving home from Athens late one night
Trucker fell asleep and swapped paint with me they said I rolled that van at
least 5 times
Now I thank my lucky stars and I sell used cars
And I teach driver's education at St. Catherine's
Yeah life happened
I saw the rest of my old friends at our reunion at the Holiday Inn
It seemed like it was only yesterday
Standing in the gym in our caps and gown full of wanderlust and glory bound
We set out to chase our dreams on wings of passion
But somewhere along the way we got distracted
Life happened
Our clothes went out of fashion with our songs
We started families and bough SUV's became step dads and soccer moms
I finally realized we turned out alright
And we spend the night just catching up and dancing
And life happened
The song "Life Happened" by Tammy Cochran is a poignant reflection on how life can unexpectedly take us in different directions than what we had hoped and planned for. The opening verse introduces us to Julie Thompson, who had a dream of becoming a Hollywood actress from a young age. However, life took a different course for her and the singer bumps into her one day selling videos in a mall instead of auditioning for roles. The following lines introduce us to other characters, such as Curtis, the dirt track king sponsored by Texaco, who had dreams of becoming a race car driver but meets the singer at a bar instead of competing on the track.
The chorus of the song highlights how "life happened" for these characters, and they were forced to re-evaluate their goals and ambitions due to unexpected events such as falling in love, financial instability, or family responsibilities. Despite having their dreams deferred or changed, the characters seem to have found a sense of contentment with their lives.
Tammy Cochran's powerful lyrics are relatable for anyone who has experienced their fair share of disappointments, setbacks or life-changing events. The song offers a message of hope and resilience that even though life may not turn out as planned, we still have the ability to find joy and fulfilment in the present.
Line by Line Meaning
From the time she was 13 Julie Thompson had a dream
Julie Thompson dreamt of becoming famous from the age of 13
That someday she would see her name in lights
Julie dreamt of seeing her name in lights, as a symbol of her fame
After every high school play the grownups all would say
Julie received a lot of praise for her performance in high school plays
That Julie's future sure is looking bright
People were convinced that Julie's future was bright and full of possibilities
Well I saw her selling videos at a store in Eastland Mall
The artist saw Julie working a regular job at a video store in Eastland Mall, instead of pursuing her dream
I said why aren't you in Hollywood taking casting calls
The singer asked Julie why she wasn't in Hollywood pursuing her dream of fame
Life happened
Julie's life took a different turn than she planned
Me and Bobby Chapman fell in love
Julie fell in love with Bobby Chapman
Daddy passed away and the babies came and drama school was just too much
Julie's father passed away, she had children, and drama school was too demanding for her real-life responsibilities
Now there's Little League and mouths to feed
Julie has to take care of her children and take them to their Little League games
And I direct the kindergarten Christmas pageant
Despite not pursuing her dream, Julie still contributes to her community by directing the kindergarten Christmas pageant
Curtis had an old Chevelle the cops knew that car well
Curtis had a famous Chevelle that the local cops were familiar with
He never lost a race on Windy Hollow Rd.
Curtis was unbeatable on Windy Hollow Rd. while racing his Chevelle
By the time he turned 18 he was the Georgia dirt track king
Curtis was so good at dirt racing that he became known as the Georgia dirt track king at the age of 18
Well I bumped into him at Murphy's Bar and I ordered us a round
The singer met Curtis at Murphy's Bar and bought them drinks
I said why aren't you in Rockingham chasing Gordon down
The artist asked Curtis why he wasn't racing in Rockingham and competing with the famous driver Gordon
He killed his drink and tore the corners off his napkin and said. . .
Curtis finished his drink and nervously tore the corners off his napkin before answering
I was driving home from Athens late one night
Curtis was driving home from Athens one night
Trucker fell asleep and swapped paint with me they said I rolled that van at least 5 times
A truck driver fell asleep while driving, causing a collision with Curtis that resulted in his van rolling over several times
Now I thank my lucky stars and I sell used cars
Curtis now sells used cars and is grateful to be alive after the accident
And I teach driver's education at St. Catherine's
Curtis contributes to his community by teaching driver's education at St. Catherine's, despite not pursuing his dream of racing
I saw the rest of my old friends at our reunion at the Holiday Inn
The artist attended a reunion at the Holiday Inn with old friends
It seemed like it was only yesterday
The singer feels like it was just yesterday that they were in high school and full of dreams
Standing in the gym in our caps and gown full of wanderlust and glory bound
The artist and their friends were ready to take on the world, full of wanderlust and ambition, when they graduated high school
We set out to chase our dreams on wings of passion
The singer and their friends were determined to pursue their dreams with fiery passion
But somewhere along the way we got distracted
The group got sidetracked from their dreams by the challenges and responsibilities of life
Our clothes went out of fashion with our songs
As the group got older, they moved on from the fashion and music styles they once loved
We started families and bough SUV's became step dads and soccer moms
The group got married, started families, and took on the roles of soccer moms and step dads
I finally realized we turned out alright
The artist realizes that despite not achieving all their dreams, they and their friends have turned out well
And we spend the night just catching up and dancing
The group enjoys catching up with each other and dancing the night away, reminiscing on old times
And life happened
Despite not achieving all their dreams and facing challenges, life still goes on for the group
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PATRICK JASON MATTHEWS, KERRY KURT PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind