Cochrane was born in Lynn Lake, Manitoba to Violet and Tuck Cochrane, a bush pilot. The family relocated to Etobicoke, Ontario in the West Deane Park area when Tom was four years old. He purchased his first guitar at age 11 by selling a toy train set. He attended Martingrove Collegiate Institute in the 1960's. In the early 1970s, he was performing in coffee houses across Canada. He eventually made his way to Los Angeles where he found a job writing theme music for My Pleasure is My Business, a Xaviera Hollander movie. Unable to find steady income from music, Cochrane returned to Toronto where he drove a taxi cab and later took a job on a Caribbean cruise liner to help pay the bills. Cochrane went back to Los Angeles in 1976, trying to sell his songs to publishers but without success, and returned to Toronto in 1977. Cochrane walked into the El Mocambo club one night in Toronto and came across a band of locals calling themselves Red Rider. After an audition, they agreed to Cochrane joining the band as lead singer and songwriter, a decision that would change their musical careers.
After the Red Rider era, Cochrane set off on his soloist path again. In 1990, Cochrane took his family to West Africa where he helped to raise awareness and money for the World Vision famine relief organization. That experience shaped his next album Mad Mad World which contained the internationally acclaimed hit single "Life is a Highway".
The three-CD box set Ashes to Diamonds, including material by both Red Rider and Cochrane as a solo artist, was released in 1993.
In 1995, he released Ragged Ass Road and followed that with a Canadian tour in 1996. The tour resulted in Songs of a Circling Spirit, a live CD and multi-media package of previously released material.
In June 1999, Cochrane was involved in a light plane crash in Montreal, after his plane's engine stalled just after take-off. Fortunately, no one was injured.
At the 2003 Juno Awards, Tom Cochrane was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The special award ceremony took place April 5, 2003 at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec. According to the Life Is a Highway Songfacts, his other honors include seven Juno Awards, 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.
In December 2003 he was one of the musical guests on a CBC special called, Rick Mercer's Christmas in Kabul.
He currently lives with his family in Oakville, Ontario.
On July 2, 2005, Cochrane took part in the Live 8 concert series.
Cochrane's new album "No Stranger" recorded in rural Ontario was released in October 2006.
"Life Is A Highway" was re-made in 2006 by the country band Rascal Flatts for the motion picture "Cars" and became a successful country single.
Brave And Crazy
Tom Cochrane Lyrics
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When a man walks up and tells him
"Buddy there are some things you cannot say
I'll be damned if you'll tell me
What I can and cannot feel
And I won't be no puppet here
Of none of your back room deals
Where they used to hunt them down from town to town
Man, what deck are we dealing from here?
When a girl walks up and says
"You got something we've got to hear"
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Brave on
Along the boardwalk of this burned out tourist town
The ghosts of another day stalk the barren beaches
Where all come to hide from the rattling of the sounds
Of the skeletons in the closet
Hoping nothing brings them down
She said, "I have lived here nearly all of my life"
"I scare them to death because I say what I like"
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
There's a war here between freedom and the hypocrites
Who will try on all disguises just to see what fits
Truth is the one thing to live, love and die for
Raise your barbaric scream
High above the rooftops of the world
Brave on
He packs his car and picks a course upon a map
Maybe east of Eden
And maybe farther west than all of that
Then writes down everything he's seen
And everything that he feels
Then rips it up, it doesn't say enough
And throws it is a passing field
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
And on and on and on and on
Brave and crazy
Brave on
Brave and crazy, crazy, look out
Brave on
And on and on and on and on
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Crazy
Brave on
Brave and crazy
Brave on
Brave and crazy
Brave on
The song "Brave and Crazy" by Tom Cochrane explores the themes of freedom, love, and truth in the face of oppression and hypocrisy. The lyrics start with a man sitting alone with his guitar in a distant place, where he is approached by another man who warns him not to say certain things. The singer refuses to be silenced and asserts his freedom to express himself without being controlled by anyone's agenda.
The second part of the song introduces a woman who is unafraid to speak her mind, despite living in a burned out tourist town. She is a symbol of courage and resilience against the skeletons in the closet, the ghosts of the past who haunt the present. The final part of the song portrays a journey of self-discovery, where the singer packs his car and travels to find his voice, experiencing and feeling everything along the way. He writes it all down but discards it as not enough, reflecting the searching nature of artistic expression.
Overall, the song encourages the listener to be brave and crazy, to live and die for the truth and to reject the disguises of hypocrisy. It is a call to action to raise one's voice high above the rooftops of the world and to continue to be free, courageous and live one's truth.
Line by Line Meaning
He sat down with his guitar in a distant place
He found a quiet place to play music and create art
When a man walks up and tells him
"Buddy there are some things you cannot say
I'll be damned if you'll tell me
What I can and cannot feel
And I won't be no puppet here
Of none of your back room deals"
Someone tried to censor his art and control his feelings, but he refused to be silenced or manipulated
Modern love was invented by the minstrels in the dark ages
Where they used to hunt them down from town to town
Man, what deck are we dealing from here?
The origin of love songs dates back to ancient times, but their creators were often persecuted. He questions the fairness of the current societal norms.
When a girl walks up and says
"You got something we've got to hear"
Someone recognizes and appreciates his talents and unique perspective
Along the boardwalk of this burned out tourist town
The ghosts of another day stalk the barren beaches
Where all come to hide from the rattling of the sounds
Of the skeletons in the closet
Hoping nothing brings them down
She said, "I have lived here nearly all of my life"
"I scare them to death because I say what I like"
The town is abandoned and haunted by its past. He meets someone who has dared to speak up and stand out in this desolate place.
There's a war here between freedom and the hypocrites
Who will try on all disguises just to see what fits
Truth is the one thing to live, love and die for
Raise your barbaric scream
High above the rooftops of the world
There is a battle between those who value freedom and those who pretend to be something they are not. He believes in the importance of speaking and standing up for truth and passion.
He packs his car and picks a course upon a map
Maybe east of Eden
And maybe farther west than all of that
Then writes down everything he's seen
And everything that he feels
Then rips it up, it doesn't say enough
And throws it is a passing field
He travels and explores with the hopes of capturing his experiences in his writing. However, he finds that words alone cannot convey everything and throws away his attempts.
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
Brave and crazy (crazy)
Oh, brave on
He acknowledges the risks and challenges of pursuing art and being true to oneself, but encourages bravery and perseverance.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Thomas William Cochrane
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind