Cover Song, "Life is a Highway"

Now I bet we can all agree that the song “Life Is A Highway” is sung exceptionally well by both Tom Cochrane and the Rascal Flatts in different ways. Although Tom is the original artist it could be said by some that Rascal Flatts did an awesome job interpreting the song in a different manner. Tom is a Canadian Artist, from Canada. The song first appeared on Tom’s album “Mad Mad World” in 1991 and later hit the stands at #1 in Cochrane’s native Canada and peaked at #6 on the U.S. Billboard charts in 1992. “Life Is A Highway” has been used in many different movies, one being “Cheaper by the Dozen”. It is an upbeat, feel good song, one that is good to listen too if you are in a bad mood or need away to get hyped up. Rascal Flatts also shows this through their own way of singing the song.

Tom Cochrane, a Canadian artist, must have had a lot of fun writing this song. It explains a lot about life and how is has its ups and downs but you really got to have fun living through it. There are many poetic devices that are used through out this song. Starting of with a simile, “I love you know like I loved you then”, this is him comparing the way he used to love to the way that he does now. There is also a good example of imagery, “Road so rough.” Another example of a poetic device would be a good example of a hyperbole, “You’re in my blood I’m not a lonely man”. This is a good example of a hyperbole because he is exaggerating the fact that someone runs through his blood, which it is obviously not possible.

The second version of this song was not changed that much throughout the music but it does sound much different. The only changes that were made were ones that were added to the ending of the song. The music/sound of the song, is much different then the original. Rascal Flatts sings the song in a more pop country sound. It is more up beat throughout the whole song where Tom’s version is really only that way during the chorus. The band was asked to sing this song for one of the Disney/Pixar movies “Cars”. This song is also a sound that has been heard on many different radio stations across the country and is enjoyed by many people that may listen to it.

As we can all agree there are many bands that create songs that can only be sung by them, while others try and take those songs and they don’t do a very good job recording it. As for this song, “Life is a Highway”, I believe Rascal Flatts did a great job “re-creating” it. It really takes a good band to take a cover song and make it into something that will not destroy the original artist’s points for the song. We can all learn through songs that have been re-sung that you really have to have great skill and a passion for music to pull off something as great as this song.