1981 Song is ALWAYS at the Top of BEST 1-Hit Wonder Polls…But It Was NEVER a HIT!--Professor of Rock
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- Опубликовано: 11 окт 2024
- Today’s band Red Rider was a well-kept secret in their time and they had multiple hits in their homeland of Canada. In the early 80s inspired by several transformational moments, they wrote a masterpiece: Lunatic Fringe. It’s been called one of the coolest one-hit wonders ever. The only problem is… It was never a hit. At least not in America where it’s always in the top one-hit wonders of the time. Well, today we give Lunatic Fringe its due and the Cinderella band that created it, Red Rider. They crafted many hits in Canada but always came up short here in the States. But when lead singer Tom Cochrane went solo, he had a top 5 hit his first time out of the gate. The story is next on Professor of Rock The song had to be re-recorded because the master tape fell apart. This was devastating for the band, but they ended up with a better version, complete with the Peter Wolf keyboard intro - he wasn't part of the first recording.
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So, it’s time for another edition of #1 in Our Hearts. This show honors songs that were so unbelievably great, they absolutely should've been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. But for whatever reason, whether it was lack radio play, poor marketing, lousy label support or just sheer stupidity, the song came up short. But on this show, we put it back where it belongs. On previous episodes we have covered More Than a Feeling by Boston, Spirit of Radio by Rush, and Land of Confusion by Genesis.
But today we are giving some love to the Toronto band Red Rider and their haunting rocker Lunatic Fringe that didn’t even chart in america. the band RED RIDER was actually a no hit wonder but the singer and writer would have his redemption.
So like I said, Canada’s Red Rider never really cracked the American market, not in a big way. Which is really a shame, because that means a lot of US listeners have missed out on some incredible music. But with their trademark blend of AOR and New Wave, there’s no doubt Red Rider and bandleader Tom Cochrane were hugely popular north of the border. Cochrane who took up singing and songwriting duties for the band, actually had something of a rock n roll Cinderella story.
Before he joined Red Rider, Tom was already pursuing a career as a folk singer... playing in pubs, roughneck bars, and coffeehouses across the highways of Ontario... And dodging beer bottles in the process. I guess there were some tough crowds up there. In 1974 Cochrane released his first solo album, ‘Hang On to Your Resistance’... although it wasn’t exactly a commercial smash.
In 1975 he composed the music for the soundtrack of ‘My Pleasure is My Business’. After that Tom released two more stand-alone singles... ‘Softly Walk Away’ in 1975 and ‘Sail On’ in 1976. As Cochrane chased his big break, he took on a number of jobs to make ends meet... including working as a dishwasher, a cab driver, and a phone book delivery guy. He also worked on the loading dock at Sears and Canada Packers, and even crewed!
Poll: What is your pick for the GREATEST SONG from a CANADIAN Band or Solo Artist?
2112
The Spirit Of Radio
Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Tie: Tom Sawyer and Limelight - Rush
"The Hockey Song" Stompin' Tom Connors
How was this not a hit in the states? I heard it all of the time and loved it!
No kidding!
In 1981, the song got light airplay in Miami (where I lived), but was probably too hard to categorize for mass popularity - not quite new wave, hard rock or pop enough for such an uncertain time.
I think it got more airplay on AOR and “rock” stations, but not on “pop” stations so may not have been a “hit”
Mtv
I only listened to rock stations, but it was everywhere. My local station played the entire LP one Saturday night. MTV was playing their video - or at least some program was. I remember seeing it. I was obsessed with this song, and I didn't even know what it was about. The guitar was glorious! That solo really got me wondering, as a new guitarist, what makes those notes so perfect for this song? They are perfect. Change one, the solo falls apart. 43 years later and I still don't get it.
Red Rider and Tom Cochrane are literally fixtures of Canadian tapestry of life for those of us lucky enough to be raised in the 80’s. In rural Canada there was never a bush party that didn’t have Lunatic Fringe, Human Race and Boy Inside A Man blaring on a Ghettoblaster or house speakers installed in a farm truck. Great Times.
Thanks for sharing.
Of all the bands / artrists I have seen, Tom Cochrane (as part of Red Rider and solo) is the one I have seen the most. A big part of my 80s musical experience.
@@RonHansen-h1x omg, bush parties! There was one bush party location we called “too f*cking far” in Southern Alberta. Tom and RR were always along for the ride out there! 💕
@@RonHansen-h1x I can't think about summer without Kim Mitchell's Patio Lanterns.
@@rhoho2217 Add Trooper and Loverboy (followed by AC/DC) a few cases of beer (or whatever ‘Adult’ beverages you raided from Mom & Dad’s liquor cabinet) you had the starting of a total AWESOME night
_Vision Quest,_ baby! Time to watch it again; what a soundtrack!
Dig that early Mathew Modine movie, great soundtrack(Journey's "Only the Young" comes to mind. Madonna's tune "Crazy for You" also) ...only other movie I can think of with Jake from Sixteen Candles. 🤔.
I was a wrestler in HS, so I adored that movie. Linda Fiorentino was certainly easy on the eyes, too.
One of two soundtracks I adored, with Saint Elmo’s Fire being the second.
Can't hit the Like button enough on Linda F.@@georgeharris6851
Great soundtrack!!
Lowden Swain, Thompson High...Good movie too. Linda Florentino was stunning in this movie!
Growing up here in western NY we crossed the border to see a lot of Canadian bands and we still listen to a few amazing Canadian radio stations. Tom and Red Rider are very very loved in our area.
Very cool!
How was Niagara Falls back then?
Were you into Aldo Nova at all? Probably my favorite Canadian act of all time
Honey moon suite city!@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980
Loved this song, & some of my favorite Canadian bands are Kim Mitchell & former band Max Webster, April Wine, Rush, of course Gordon Lightfoot's folk music, & even more current CA bands like Bare Naked Ladies, Tragically Hip, & WOTE. From someone who grew up in southern Iowa & now live in central IL, I have always loved a lot of Canadian rock bands!!!
I just loved Lunatic Fringe. One of my all-time songs. Such a haunting song. Thanks Adam.
Saw Tom for the third time this summer, great show and he just got into Canada's songwriter hall of fame!
Sinking like a Sunset is my favorite!
Well deserved!
Lunatic Fringe is one of those "I can name that tune in 2 notes" kind of songs. This is the first time I have ever heard of Red Rider's background as a band, and honestly, I never knew Tom Cochrane also did Life is A Highway. Thanks POR.
That intro is really recognizable.
And I never realized until now that Tom Cochrane was the lead singer of Red Ryder! LOL
I still have my 45 of this song! Loved it. Years later I got the 45 for Life is a Highway - and had no idea it was the same guy. Found out when I read an article in a magazine about it and had to play both 45s back to back to compare the voices.
@dranet47 looking for those. Lol. I'll find em one day. I bet they sound great.
Every year that goes by, I love "Lunatic Fringe" even more.
WOW! Never thought I'd hear The Professor of Rock do a piece on Red Rider! Absolutely a fixture on Canadian radio back in the day. So many great songs that shaped my youth in a brutally cold lonely Canadian prairie town. Thanks Adam for the coverage of this obscure (but not really too obscure) Canuck band! Cheers!
BTW - saw them live back in '86 at the old Winnipeg arena. What a great show - still one of my favorites to this day!
@@miketeeveedub5779 And it still is!
You're Canadian......and call Red Rider "obscure"???????
Are you 12??
Lunatic Fringe was one of my favorites of the MTV era.
I don’t remember the video though.
Yes! Great song!
Canadian and big Red Rider and Tom Cochrane fan. Lots of great songs. White Hot was always my favourite Red Rider song. I have all the Red Rider and Tom Cochrane albums. Saw them in concert. Thanks for the video and history.
One of the best!! Should do a show about April Wine.
I second it!
@@Polyphemus47Tragically Hip?
Everybody knows who April Wine is, he should tell the world about Coney Hatch, Canada's best kept secret.
Monkey Bars is a jam, WDVE Pittsburgh played that alot and promoted them heavily when they opened for Iron Maiden and Fastway at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Aug of 83, I was there for that one and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
@@dukecraig2402 Harem Scarem.
Aldo Nova
Tom Cochrane is truly a Canadian Rock Legend and an amazing person. His songs were the soundtrack of my youth, beautiful and haunting. Thank you for featuring this amazing artist!
Great song and a great artist. Just saw Tom live Wednesday night, and he can still rock at 71.
How was it?
Hard to believe "Lunatic Fringe" wasn't a bonafide hit-It's outstanding!
In a movie analogy, it's more of a sleeper/cult classic than a blockbuster
I am a proud member of the Lunatic Fringe.
One hit wonder sounds so trite. Lunatic Fringe has always been a staple of classic rock stations.
Happy Friday everyone.
Hope the Professor and everybody has a great weekend. ❤️🎉
Wait, you’re an alt right weirdo?
Feel in love with this song in ‘85 when the movie “Vision Quest” came out. Still one of my all time favs. 👍
@@mikebuck1897 ....oh my GOD! ...I FORGOT that tune was on the Soundtrack!! ...."Only The Young" & "Crazy For You" are on the Greatest Hits, so I don't play the Soundtrack anymore.......gotta pull that OUT......
Ha ha! Thanks Roger!
@@RBS_ lol. yeah, some songs pass the test of time. Some don’t. Lunatic Fringe sure does though.
The Intro sets the song off and make you want to hear the rest....outstanding.
It’s so atmospheric.
You gotta cover “Life is a Highway” in the future. It’s still a great driving song to this day.
I agree. I need to get an interview!
the cover they used in 'Cars' just suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks
The original is the best one!
Classic!! One of my top favorites!!❤❤
Greetings music junkies! Also, Happy Birthday to Daryl Hall (78)!
greetings and happy birthday.
Greetings
....WHOA! ...'The Hall''s B-Day is TODAY!?? ....gotta pull out "Big Bam Boom"! ...ha-HAA!
Greeting friend! You can tell him yourself! He's the top comment on my recent interview with him!
@@ProfessorofRockThank you so much!
I really enjoyed Tom Cochranes original version of Life is a Highway
didn't care to much for the remake for the Cars soundtrack by the pop
country group Rascal Flatts. I remember Tom and Red Rider with the
Lunatic Fringe on MTV which I watch the video of on RUclips a lot
with Tom's Life is a Highway as well have a great weekend Professor.
🎶🎶🎤🎸🎸🎹🥁🎶🎶
Thanks Roger!
I like both versions, but as a rock fan, definitely prefer Tom Cochrane’s version
I prefer the version by Chris LeDoux
I actually like Rascal Flatt's version better than the original...and I LOVED the original!
Not many people in the UK have heard of Tom Cochrane let alone Red Rider. I came across Tom through hearing Life Is A Highway whilst in Florida. I then found Red Rider a while later by accident, not realising Tom was the singer until a friend pointed out it out to me
Thanks Stephen!
Interesting.
As a Canadian, I would love to see a Tragically Hip video one day. It will be a huge video for you to attract more Canadian fans!
Cheers, Adam!
@@FrizleFry00 Not enough Primus on this channel.. Assuming that is your name inspiration. 😛
Yes! I came here to say that. The Tragically Hip were an amazing band, a Canadian institution, who just never cracked through in the US. They eventually gave up trying and built an incredibly strong and loyal fan base at home, recording songs of Canadiana that I’m sure they knew would never be appreciated anywhere outside the country.
POR, if you read this you should check out their last concert, which is available on RUclips. The lead singer, Gord Downie, had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and knew he had only a short time to live. The band set out on a final tour across Canada the summer of 2016. The last show was in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario, and was broadcast live across Canada to a huge viewing audience. It was a fantastic show and incredibly emotional, with everyone knowing they were seeing Gord perform for the last time.
Same
@@CasualSpudit is indeed. I agree! Lol
Growing up in South Florida in the 80s we were lucky to have a New Wave station at the time. Every time we would go cruising to Miami & Ft. Lauderdale on Weekend nights he would start his set with " Lunatic Fringe". So many great memories of this Classic song still!
My “New Wave” station was WLIR 92.7 from Long Island NY. I was in NJ & could pick it up. First time I heard Beat It & the DJ told us that was Eddie VH on guitar. 😮
New wave stations are a fundamental right!
? Lunatic Fringe wasn’t a hit??? Always learning something new. . .🤘
I am as stunned as you!🤯
It’s Crazy!
Big League is my favourite TC & Red Rider song. Real musical storytelling. 👍🏼🎸 Thanks for spotlighting this under-appreciated band!
Tom with Red Rider as well as solo is one of my favorite musicians ever. Love and own everything he's done.
In the middle of the 90s, I worked with a guy who went to Canada on a work trip. He was going to a music store up there and I told him to get me everything he could from Tom. Needless to say, I had to pay him a chunk of money for all the discs he brought me back (as well as the Ashes to Diamonds boxed set) but I didn't care. Worth it.
Tom is a musical legend. The self-titled "Tom Cochrane and Red Rider" album from 1986 is perfect beginning to end, and one of my top ten albums of all time.
Prof! Just for reference...
It’s On-tare-io, and El Mo-comm-bo.
Best show ever played the the Mocambo was SRV.
Takes me back to the end of my 4th grade year, beginning of summer 82. Always get nostalgic hearing this.
Lunatic Fringe is one of the best rock songs I've ever heard.
Well being a Canadian myself and a teenager in the 80s who loved music, I knew all of Red Rider's stuff. White Hot and Lunatic Fringe got played to death on my Hitachi stereo....but Neruda brings me back to the 80s instantly. I still play that album front to back. Tom Cochrane and Red Rider rock !!
I remember driving to Medicine Hat with my cousin’s wife and the song, “Life is a Highway” came on an$ we just belted it out. Offkey but having fun. Tom Cochrane has a lot of great songs, alone and with Red Rider. Lunatic Fringe is one of his best. Takes me back to easier times. He is a true Canadian. Even has a hockey song! Big League.
in 1981 i was 16 and totally missed this single. but i appreciate your real affection for it.
I thought it was Lunatic Friends for the first few listens in high school when it came out.
This and Twilight Zone by Golden Earring were in heavy rotation at the same time.
Both enduringly great!
That's exactly how I remember it - two fantastic rockers by foreign bands that really made me say "How are these guys NOT selling out every arena?" It was even more shocking to me when I realized "Twilight Zone" wasn't Golden Earring's first one hit wonder. They went a full decade between big songs in America they get called a one hit wonder for two different songs :P
This was the song we ran out to during high school basketball games!!! Love Tom Cochrane and Red Rider!!
Growing up in northern Minnesota Lunatic Fringe got played non stop when it came out. Interesting that it did not chart. That surprised me. Keep finding these amazing music stories we all need to hear!!
Awesome!
I grew up in Minneapolis, but had stopped listening to radio by that time. I hadn't heard it 'til now, but I love diggin' in to artists that are new to me. This guy is gonna be my next binge-search.
I know!
Your channel is an education. I loved both lunatic fringe and life is a highway and had no idea that it was the same lead singer. So keep up the great work and yes on the episode for life is a highway. Thanks for what you do!!!
One of my favorite songs. It was in one of my favorite movies Vision Quest.
Thanks Wayne!
@@ProfessorofRockvision quest and Dan Henderson used it as his walk out song in some of his UFC fights
The whole album of As Far as Siam is very listenable. It was one as my favorite road trip tapes.
The Only Game In Town.
Yea, As Far As Siam is a great album.
I remember hearing this song played quite a bit on classic rock stations, and that's how I was turned on to Red Rider and Tom Cochrane. Always loved this one. :)
Thanks Bart! Have a great weekend!
@@ProfessorofRock You too!
I need to listen to more songs by them.
Every time I hear Lunatic Fringe I wonder why this isn't a theme song to a detective show.
DUDE!
You always rock some amazing T-shirts, but I think today's may be my absolute favorite of your stash that I've seen so far. Well done, Adam. Well done indeed.
Thanks! Such a classic right?
I was in high school when this song was new. We absolutely loved it. It was a rocking statement.
I had forgotten about that song. It has such a cool rhythm. Perfect for a car playlist
Good call! A great driving song!
@@ProfessorofRock Thanks! Going to add it to mine soon :)
It’s a bop!
My grandson and I just heard Lunatic Fringe on the radio the other night. He loved it.
The things I learn from this channel! If anyone had asked, I'd have guessed Lunatic Fringe had to have hit #1 in the early 80s. Great tune! And I'd absolutely like to see you do Life is a Highway.
Sounds good!
It could have knocked off Physical
Thanks for this video, Professor! Lunatic Fringe is one of my all-time favorite songs.
Very cool!
Hey Professor...didn't know where else to ask this...have you ever done a vid on the band Honeymoon Suite? another great underrated Canadian 80s band.
They were like bon jovi but much better.
My wife says that she loved this song when it came up on MTV. It was played a LOT there!
I don't remember this one well, but I would LOVE to hear more about "Life Is A Highway"! That is one of my absolute favorite songs!
One hit wonder has always meant US charts. Appreciate there's 7+ billion people out there. You'd also like Max Webster (Kim Mitchell), April Wine, Trooper.. and you already know Loverboy... 80's CanCon greats
Prism and goddo come to mind too
Big fan of Honeymoon Suite also. I wore out 2 Racing after Midnight cassettes.
@@danohstoolbox Blue Rodeo, The Hip.. we have lots
You could even include Moxy, Saga or Xon on this list.
@@medaugh My first arena show was Honeymoon Suite and Frozen Ghost.
You've given me a new song to look up and listen to, that is Lunatic Fringe.
Wasn't familiar with this song but it's so powerful and such a great and needed message.
Right? Thank Terrick!
It really is.
I had a lot of friends who were wrestlers (I was a basketball guy) in high school, so I was very familiar with Lunatic Fringe from watching "Vision Quest" with them. What a great movie.
Early 80s cruising downtown in my 70 Plymouth Duster, 340 4speed car, BLASTING Lunatic Fringe on my Sony stereo system. Man, I miss those days.
Thanks for the great video. The Peter Wolf “Lights Out” album you pictured was excellent, but he is a different Peter Wolf than the Austrian producer. This Peter Wolf was one of the guys responsible for possibly the best lyric of 1980: “that bowling ball is my wife!”, from the song “No Anchovies, Please”, on the LP “Love Stinks” by the J Geils Band. That wacky album might be worth checking out, as most people seem to just remember them from the later hit “Centerfold”.
That's what I thought - it was a different Peter Wolf! Thanks for confirming!
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally
Good morning, constipated; what did POR add to this version of this Tom Cochrane video?
@@bobdavis4848 The whole Red Rider thing. Just thought we'd be hearing about Sammy Hagar!
@@constipatedinsincity4424 No Cabo Wabo Probo; just cue up one of POR's earlier Red Rocker shows!
One of the best songs of the early 80s. I was about 15-16 when this came out. Beginning of song still (age 58), gives me chills.❤❤
P O R !!!!!!!××××××!!!!!!!
My most vivid memory of Lunatic Fringe is when it was played at the start of my very first Ironman Triathlon in Arizona…pretty much defined the endeavor that day
You should check out
April Wine. Great Canadian band with top ten hits in US.
You should check out Max Webster. Great Canadian band with no top 10 hits
Love April Wine...any month of the year!
These Eyes by The Guess Who, an evergreen classic if there ever was one. It still gives me goose bumps as soon as I hear Burton Cummings' organ and that incredible voice! A masterpiece!! (Now I have to go play it!)
Lunatic Fringe and Life is a Highway are two songs I still greatly enjoy even to this day. I first heard LF on the Vision Quest soundtrack. A great compilation of music from the era. Thanks for covering this. Looking forward to a life Is a Highway episode.
Thanks!
Grew up in Buffalo and the Toronto stations played loud & proud in my car as a teenager! "Big League" and "Boy Inside the man" are still on my playlists. Thanks Professor!
I'll never forget that night when Tom cleaned up at the 1992 Juno Awards that Professor of Rock mentioned. 'Life is a Highway' won over Bryan Adams 'Number One Song of 1991' (according to Billboard) '(Everything I Do) I Do It For You' (had to remember where the parentheses were placed).
A highway in Northern Manitoba that enters his birthplace of Lynn Lake is called 'Life is a Highway'.
Someone else stated it in another comment where Tom was recently inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame along with Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo (great band) and one of my favourite singer / songwriters over the last 30+ years in Sarah McLachlan.
I remember this song from the movie “ Vision quest” yup I was a wrestler in high school in the 80’s and Vision quest was the movie to watch before we went on meets.
My friends and I didn’t really know Red Rider until we heard this song in the movie “Visionquest” which is one of those movies that Gen X guys resonated with hardcore. When Carla shows up and says, “Hey, Louden. Kick his a$$!” And then Lunatic Fringe kicks in… movie magic - followed by a bunch of us getting the soundtrack and more.
Guess I was lucky to live were at night we could pickup radio stations from Canada to Little Rock Arkansas. I don't remember when I first heard "Lunatic Fringe" but I have enjoyed Tom and the Red Rider's songs for years.
Lunatic Fringe is still one of my all time favorite songs. I must say that in the 100's, maybe thousands of times I've heard this song, I have never once thought about the lyrics. Thanks for the story, POR!
LOVE TOM COCHRANE!!!! HATED the Rascal Flatts cover of "Life is a Highway", but LOVED Marty Ross/New Monkees cover of "Boy Inside the Man"
*HEY PoF!!!* You have to do a deep dive on The New Monkees! Those guys were a super talented bunch that NEVER got a chance!
A college friend and myself attended a music industry conference in the late ‘80’s. There were a bunch of vendors there hawking products for both musicians and fans, half of which were clones of the game Trivial Pursuit (I’m sure you remember that one), most of them specifically music oriented. My friend sat down to have a game with some random dude and got his clock cleaned by him. Afterwards he was expressing his amazement at how knowledgeable that guy was. I told him that random dude was Tom Cochrane…
I like ur unintentional pun of "Maybe we'll cover Life Is A Highway somewhere Down the Road"
I was lucky enough to discover this song when I saw the movie "Vision Quest" with Matthew Modine. Those of you who saw it know what an underrated movie it was, so I guess it kind of fits that Red Rider's Lunatic Fringe would have been on that soundtrack album.
I'm with you though, I find it hard to believe that it never really topped the charts in the U.S. because it's a great song! and it fits so well with the pacing and theme of the movie it was included in. If you've never seen the movie, do yourself a favor and see it immediately.
Life Is A Highway was and still is a big favorite of mine! Listening to it as my family and I rode back and forth down a highway doing work on my aunt's house, sure eased the work lode! Loved hearing his background! Thanks!
Great song!
I missed Red Rider, I guess. Never heard this song. Life is a Highway came out while my mom and I were taking a road trip from California to Nebraska. It was so perfect to hear on the radio against the different scenery on the road. It will always hold a special place in my heart.
Here in the Cincinnati area this was a huge hit. A local radio station adopted it by calling themselves "The Lunatic Fringe of American FM". I saw them in the area opening up for Starship and they were great.
Great history lesson on the song Professor I appreciate the real meaning behind the lyrics. As a high school wrestler in the 80's this was THE goto warm up song. That opening riff got the juices flowing!!
Amen! Such a pump up song!
Lunatic Fringe, it was a warning about conspiracies and ignorance that a lot of people apparently have not heeded.
The reason why the song was so popular with people was in spite of it's lyrics' meaning. It was all about the mood that it created, and of course it's appearance on Miami Vice. Total Miami Vice tune, for sure... it along with Phil Collins' tune In The Air Tonight and Glenn Frey's You Belong to the City. They all have that mystical mood to them.
Man this was a great song, this video slammed me into the way back machine. Grew up listening to WXRT in Chicago and they played the hell outta this one
As a Canuck I’m a proud Red Rider & Tom Cochrane fan!
To our American friends - definitely worth a listen.
Tom is at his very best writing song of loss and love lost… Washed Away, Big League, Dreamer’s Dream, sinking like a sunset, Wildest Dreams, Goodman Feeling Bad. And Avenue A…what a song. The man knows bitter sweet, and his best songwriting just oozes it.
I loved this song. It got quite a bit of airplay in my market. I didn’t know the story behind the song until recently. We probably need this song more than ever, now. The Lunatic Fringe isn’t really in hiding these days.
I grew up in Boston and that song was all over the radio. Never knew it wasn’t a hit. I thought it was. It was on the air constantly
Funny thing is all the songs you've covered for this were ingrained in my brain from the radio before school every day in the 80's
I was about 10 years old the first time I heard "Lunatic Fringe". Not gonna lie... it kinda scared me, so dark sounding with that intro. Very spooky. I immediately loved it. Every time I hear it, it takes me back to that first time... I get chills. Great song. Would hear it at least twice a day (mornings & evenings) on my local classic rock station. Never gets old.
I didn't know Lunatic Fringe until this video. Every artist that values democracy should be covering it right now.
I love this song and I'm so glad that you're giving it it's due. I think living in a border state and especially the northern half of that border state I got a lot of radio out of Canada back in the day. I live in western Washington and we get a lot of radio out of Victoria and out of Vancouver BC and so I heard this song a lot.
I was on the opposite side of Washington, a sophomore at Eastern Washington University. So I was a couple hours or so drive from the border too. Lunatic Fringe got heavy airplay from the radio stations in Spokane in 81. We all cranked this song in our dorm rooms! The classic radio stations where I live now in the LC Valley, still have the song in heavy rotation.
@@Neelloc83 that's awesome. KZOK and KISW played it a lot too.
@@phranerphamily Amazing how a great song can connect people on the opposite sides of a state with such good memories.
@@Neelloc83 🥰🤘
I love the “parentheses” references. I used to refer to those songs as “parentheses songs” as well 🤣🤣🤣.
You should definitely cover "Life Is A Highway." Love both songs, and reading the comments, I see I'm not the only one who didn't realize it was the same singer. Thanks Adam!
Red Rider and Tom Cochrane were huge in Canada back then. They were always on the radio.
Cool!
I loved hearing this song, never knew the words 'till now. Thanks Professor.
I had no idea the lyrics had such a deeper meaning or that Tom fought so hard to get it to be a single, time has proven him 100 percent right. I always assumed that lunatic fringe hit #1 because it was huge, everyone loved it. Fantastic episode professor, yes please do life is a highway, such a feel good jam
Thanks My Name!
The same can be said for “Just Can’t Get Enough” by Depeche Mode which came out the same year. It didn’t hit on any charts here. Surprising.
Saw them as the opening act for both Journey and Foreigner in the early 80’s. Live, you feel Lunatic Fringe in your chest before you hear that opening note. Incredible feeling.
I heard this song many times and had NO IDEA what it was about.
Cool!
Tom Cochrane.... now and previously with Red Rider..... always a favourite ❤
I had no idea lunatic fringe wasn't a big hit, it's always been played on classic rock channels here. And a lot of people attribute "life is a highway" to Rascal Flats and have no idea Tom wrote it...great band ,great singer...it's a shame they didn't get the recognition they deserved. Thanks for sharing professor..
Was gratefully introduced to Red Rider by MTV way back in the early 80's. Bought the LP, from a local Chicago record store, and became a fan of the band for a few years thereafter. (Along with Goanna, which you haven't covered yet, Adam.....) I didn't know that Tom Cochrane was a part of the lineup (Neruda was my last album from the band) but it's great to hear that he continued to have a strong presence in music for years to come.
Red Rider was a band I really liked back in early 1980s. Living in the Chicago area at that time, RR did get a bit of airplay on the AOR stations. Neruda is one of my top 10 albums of all time (and I've been a metal dude for 40 years). And when I finally got in on CD, BONUS!, it also had Lunatic Fringe.
Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome!
As a Canadian this is the first time I’ve heard Red Rider and Tom Cochrane were considered one hit wonders. He and they had many great songs.
When I heat Lunatic Fringe the same thing pops in my head without fail….Miami Vice