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.
I Wonder
Tom Cochrane Lyrics
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Be an island, I don't care
Not depending on what others think
Change your plans, your style, your flair
I'd know you anywhere
Not depending on what others think
Insist the world just isn't round
And I wonder what it's like
To be the first in space
I wonder what it's like
To be inside your head
Behind your face
I wonder what it's like believing
Everything I say is true
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
To have the whole thing figured out
I wonder what it's like
I wonder what it's like
Forces of the main disaster
The phone rings it's the sweet hereafter now
I wonder what the others say
We might find an old discussion
Banished from the room while fools rush in
I wonder what it's like
Believe that it's been all sown up
In waves of greedy inspiration
And I wonder what it's like
To be the first in space
I wonder what it's like
To be inside your head
Behind your face
I wonder what it's like believing
Everything I say is true
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
To have the whole thing figured out
I wonder what it's like
I wonder what it's like
Emotional ketchup burst
Step right up, you can be there first
First in line at those pearly gates
Change your eyes, the world, your hair
Darling I'd know you anywhere
Not depending on what others think
And I wonder what it's like
To be the first in space
I wonder what it's like
To be inside your head
Behind your face
I wonder what it's like believing
Everything I say is true
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
To have the whole thing figured out
I wonder what it's like
I wonder what it's like
And I wonder what it's like, and I wonder
I wonder what it's like, and I wonder
I wonder what it's like, and I wonder
I wonder what it's like
The lyrics to Tom Cochrane's song "I Wonder" seem to suggest a desire to break away from societal norms and expectations, to be free to express oneself authentically without caring what others think. Cochrane urges the listener to change their physical appearance, plans, and style, insisting that they can make the world any shape they want it to be, and not be hindered by what others say or think. The lyrics pose questions about what it would be like to be the first person in space or to be inside someone's head, suggesting a curiosity about the unknown and the desire to explore and understand it.
The line "Believe that it's been all sown up/In waves of greedy inspiration" seems to hint at a criticism of society's obsession with wealth and success, but also suggests that there are those who refuse to conform to these pressures. The repetition of the phrase "I wonder what it's like" emphasizes the longing to experience something beyond the confines of ordinary life. The final lines introduce the idea of a spiritual escape, with a reference to "those pearly gates," suggesting that the desire for freedom and authenticity can extend to the afterlife as well.
Line by Line Meaning
Change your eyes, your shoes, your hair
Change your outward appearance.
Be an island, I don't care
Be independent, don't depend on others.
Not depending on what others think
Don't let the opinions of others control you.
Change your plans, your style, your flair
Mix things up, try new things.
I'd know you anywhere
I'd recognize you no matter what changes you make.
Insist the world just isn't round
Question conventional wisdom and explore new perspectives.
It's any shape you want to make it
You have the power to shape your reality.
And I wonder what it's like to be the first in space
I'm curious about the experience of pushing boundaries and exploring the unknown.
To be inside your head behind your face
I'm curious about individual perspectives and experiences, and what makes people unique.
I wonder what it's like believing everything I say is true
I'm curious about the experience of absolute certainty and conviction in one's beliefs.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt
Entirely certain.
To have the whole thing figured out
To have a complete understanding of a situation or problem.
Forces of the main disaster
The effects of a major event.
The phone rings it's the sweet hereafter now
A call from the afterlife or from someone who has passed away.
We might find an old discussion banished from the room while fools rush in
We might rediscover something previously dismissed as unimportant or irrelevant while others focus on the wrong things.
Believe that it's been all sown up in waves of greedy inspiration
Believe that everything has already been figured out and that innovation is driven solely by greed.
Emotional ketchup burst
Intense emotional release.
Step right up, you can be there first
Take the initiative, be the first to try something new or take a risk.
First in line at those pearly gates
First in line to enter heaven.
And I wonder what it's like, and I wonder
Expressing continued curiosity.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Thomas William Cochrane
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carlos Perez
First!!!!