Here’s the pride of Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Tom Cochrane, with the song that was a big hit twice: “Life is a Highway.” 

A household name in his native Canada, where he’s collected a roomful of Juno Awards, Tom Cochrane caught America’s ear with this breakout single from his 1991 album Mad, Mad World on Capitol Records, which sold six million copies.

The son of a for-real bush pilot in remote Manitoba, the performer now lives in Oakville, Ontario and Austin, Texas, and flies his own Cessna 185 floatplane. Beloved in Canada for his blue-collar touring ethic and philanthropic work, Cochrane was elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2003.

“Life is a Highway” had a second big run in 2006 when the country act Rascal Flatts recorded the tune for the Pixar animated film, Cars, and it charted in the top 10 again. The song is a natural for the movies with its impossibly catchy melody and solid gold metaphor: Life is indeed a highway. Of course it is. Here’s the original video, complete with ’65 Impala convertible, that got nine zillion plays in 1991.