Tom Cochrane

Song Stories - Boy Inside The Man

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This song looks back on the band's career. It expresses how they compromised themselves and started to lose their identity but regained it over the years through different experiences... a type of rebirth.

"There are ideals you leave behind only to return to later". - Tom Cochrane

"This is my own 'My Way', and has become the Tom Cochrane and Red Rider signature song. We've tried this song everywhere else in the live set and we've learned that it just has to end the show. Leaving it out of a live show is like walking on stage without one arm. The song dissects the rites of passage I think most men go through from 17 to our 30s. I was so paranoid at 25 about dying and leaving nothing behind - no kids, no legacy, no real work or music of value. I became almost desperately ambitious. 'Boy' reflects back on all that. Later, with family and kids and a bit of success, my priorities changed. This song was recorded in Wales, and it was the best recording experience of our careers to that point, pure magic! I mean, till then the recording process had been like spending months at a time in the dentist's chair. This was our declaration of independence from a very uncomfortable management deal and even though we were almost broke and destitute after parting company with Bruce Allen, we were happy and creatively alive again. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And no man is an island. Without friends like Deane Cameron, who became President of EMI Music Canada, and Tim Trombley, who headed the A&R department at the time, we couldn't have made it to the next level." - Tom Cochrane