Album: Victory Day (1988)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The lead single from Victory Day, this peaked at #4 on the Canadian singles chart, the first Top 10 hit for Tom Cochrane & Red Rider.
  • The song tells the story of an anguished hockey parent whose son had earned a scholarship to play with a big American team in the titular "Big League." Sadly tragedy strikes shattering their dreams.

    The lyrics are based on a true story. Cochrane told The National Post in 2015 it was inspired by a parent who approached him before a show at a rink. "He came up and he said, 'My boy's a big fan of (1986 single) 'Boy Inside The Man.' And I said, 'Oh, is he coming to the show? We're playing it tonight,'" the singer recalled. "And he said, 'No, he passed away, he was an aspiring hockey player.'"

    "And that just hit me like a ton of bricks."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.