Latest news with #LifeIsaHighway
National Geographic
a day ago
- National Geographic
Canadian Badlands
Canadian Badlands In the Tom Cochrane video for "Life Is a Highway," the backdrop is a mix of towering, misshapen, ochre-colored rock (hoodoos) and endless grassy fields. The setting is the 35,000-square-mile region often referred to as the Canadian Badlands. The discovery of both coal and dinosaur bones in the late 1800s proved transformational. Nowhere on Earth is as rich in quantity and quality of the prehistoric creatures' remains as the Badlands' arid Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site where digs are still under way. Visitors come for the dino attractions anchored by the town of Drumheller in Alberta, but locals hope travelers look up as well. "People should come for the skies," says Linda Miller, whose family has been in the area since 1909. "The sunsets are just gorgeous. The stars and the sky at night are so full and vast." When to Go: In early June there's a high risk of rain but it's a must for those interested in the annual Dinofest celebration in Drumheller. Late June to early September promise sunny days and good access to all area attractions but reservations for children's programming and Dinosaur Provincial Park tours should be made much earlier. Professional bullfighting and homemade corn dogs reign at the Oyen Bull-a-Rama on the third Wednesday of every July. Where to Stay: Families who want to maximize their prehistoric exposure should consider camping out in Dinosaur Provincial Park, where paleontological digs continue. If you're after more of a Wild West vacation, you can find ranch vacation options from deluxe to rustic and from city slicker to hard core across the region. Elkwater Lake Lodge has pet-friendly suites. How to Get Around: Plan to drive but fill up your tank every chance you get since gas stations are few and far between. Popular routes include one that will take you on the trail of dinosaurs, including the must-see Royal Tyrrell Museum. Where to Eat or Drink: Patricia Water Hole's cook-your-own-steak tradition is popular. Beer is sold in quart sealers (think of a large mason jar) and the walls still have bullet holes at Rosedeer Hotel's Last Chance Saloon. When you're ready to come back to the present, consider upscale Sublime Food & Wine, which serves up old favorites like baked brie and prime rib with tasty sides like cheddar mashed potatoes, plus seasonal desserts that change so frequently they're not listed on the menu. What to Buy: Contemporary ceramic pieces from Medalta Potteries in Medicine Hat's Historic Clay District or artwork that pays tribute to the area's rich Blackfoot First Nations culture are worth the care needed to transport them home. What to Read Before You Go: Dinosaur Provincial Park: A Spectacular Ancient Ecosystem Revealed by Phillip J. Currie and Eva B. Kopelhus (Indiana University Press, 2005). This scientific overview of the park's major fossil excavations, flora and fauna, and history includes illustrations of the park's animals by some of the world's finest paleoartists. Helpful Links: Canadian Badlands, Travel Drumheller Fun Fact: The world's largest dinosaur stands 86 feet tall and "lives" in the middle of Drumheller. Take the stairs up its middle and peer out at the city from between dino teeth. Heather Greenwood Davis is an award-winning travel writer for the Toronto Star, Canadian Family, Parents Canada , and O, The Oprah Magazine. Toronto Star, Canadian Family, Parents CanadaO, The Oprah Magazine.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Liam Payne Previewed New Music for AJ McLean Before His Death: ‘It Was a Great Body of Work'
AJ McLean is one of the few people who heard some of the music Liam Payne was working on prior to his death in October 2024. The Backstreet Boys member developed a close rapport with the One Direction singer while working on the Netflix series Building the Band. In a recent interview with Today, McLean detailed the songs Payne previewed for him that remain unreleased. 'He was just an absolute sweetheart, witty, funny. He sent me an unreleased body of work to get my opinion on it — and I never put that out there,' McLean said. 'I thought that was really sweet that he would entrust someone that he's still learning about to give their opinion.' He added, 'I thought it was a great body of work. And I hope that the world and that the fans get to hear it somewhere down the road. It's beautiful, beautiful music.' More from Rolling Stone Liam Payne's Sister Praises His Performance in 'Building the Band': 'You're a Star' 'Building the Band' to Premiere This Summer After Liam Payne Family Approves Footage 'Larger Than Life' Meets 'Life Is a Highway': Backstreet Boys, Rascal Flatts Unite at ACMs Payne released the single 'Teardrops' in March 2024, which was meant to appear on his second studio album. Another boyband member, 'NSYNC's JC Chasez, served as a collaborator on the song. 'This album literally is that whole last year for me. How I was feeling on those days is each record. It was a snapshot of that day,' Payne said prior to the single release. 'So you can even help someone through a tough time, help somebody celebrate something. That's really what I want to get across in this record and that's the best part I guess about my job.' 'Teardrops' ultimately became Payne's final music release. The musician died on Oct. 16 at the age of 31 from injuries sustained after falling from the balcony of his hotel room. Less than two weeks after his death, the musician Sam Pounds announced and later postponed plans to release their collaboration 'Do No Wrong,' saying, 'It's not the time yet.' Next week's premiere of Making the Band will mark Payne's first posthumous appearance. Netflix previously paused production on the series given his involvement as a judge. The show will be released in three parts this month. The first four episodes will be available on July 9, with three more dropping on July 16, and the final set on July 23. 'I had known him prior to the show, but not as close as we got,' McLean, who hosts the show, said. 'Obviously, we're with each other 12 to 14 hour days for about five weeks, you do learn a lot about someone.' Earlier this year, McLean told Rolling Stone he 'immediately connected' with Payne 'on not only a music level but a human level,' adding, 'We both were living a parallel life. There was a lot of funny boy-band jabs that we would take at each other. He really had a quick wit to him — that nice, dry, British humor.' McLean described Payne as 'well spoken, very supportive, rigorously honest, in a compassionate way,' adding that he 'always spoke from the heart.' Last week, Payne's sister Ruth Gibbins celebrated his performance in Building the Band after the series trailer was released. 'I didn't know whether to share this but it felt weird when I've raved about Liam's work and achievements for the last 15 years,' she wrote on Instagram. 'Im heartbroken he never got to see how great he is in this show. He knew he had done a good job, we all told him this when we were at filming, but watching it back, wow.' She added: 'You're a star Liam, you always were and always will be. There are a range of emotions I felt watching this, but one of the main ones is immeasurable pride, always. Miss you more every day.' Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
CBC
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Ranking the 20 best singles of the year in Junos history
In honour of the 2025 Juno Awards in Vancouver, the CBC Music Top 20 has taken on the task of ranking the best songs to have ever won single of the year, from the category's inception in 1974 to the most recent winner, 50 years later. Usually, songs that move up and down the weekly Top 20 chart are decided by listener votes, radio play and streaming numbers, but for this special countdown — which airs on Thursday, March 20, on CBC Music and Monday, March 24, on CBC Radio 1 and SiriusXM — we turned to our music-loving CBC staff from coast to coast to coast for an internal vote to decide the best of the best. Over the years, single-of-the-year winners have included everyone from Bachman–Turner Overdrive to Barenaked Ladies, Nelly Furtado to Nickelback, Terry Jacks to Tate McRae, as well as the all-time leader in overall Juno wins, Anne Murray. But to see who made our all-time list, and which song ranks No. 1, take a look below. Let us know what you think via top20@ This new-wave nugget was an international hit for Toronto band Martha and the Muffins when it burst out of Canada in 1980, going Top 10 in Australia, the U.K., and here at home. 19. Building a Mystery, Sarah McLachlan (winner: 1998) This one was an immediate hit — and was the most-played song on Canadian radio in 1997. It won not only the 1998 Juno for single of the year, but also the Grammy for best female pop vocal performance. 18. Dangerous, Kardinal Offishall feat. Akon (winner: 2009) One of only a handful of hip-hop tracks to win for single of the year, from Canada's hip-hop ambassador and the man who popularized the term T-Dot. 17. Wavin' Flag, Young Artists for Haiti (winners: 2011) Dozens of Canadian pop singers came together in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics to record this all-star charity single of the K'naan hit Wavin' Flag, which raised over $1 million for earthquake relief in Haiti. 16. How You Remind Me, Nickelback (winner: 2002) Long considered Nickelback's signature rocker, this song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the most-played song on U.S. radio in the 2000s by Nielsen Soundscan. 15. Ironic, Alanis Morissette (winner: 1997) Morissette made Juno history when she became the first woman to win single of the year in back-to-back years — for songs on the same album, 1995's Jagged Little Pill. 14. Promiscuous, Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland (winners: 2007) This was Furtado's first No. 1 hit on Billboard, and the first song by a Canadian woman to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Céline Dion did it seven years earlier. 13. One Week, Barenaked Ladies (winners: 1999) This one is BNL's biggest hit south of the border, and, coincidentally, One Week went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for: one week. 12. Life Is a Highway, Tom Cochrane (winner: 1992) One of the most recognizable choruses in Canadian music, Life Is a Highway was a major breakthrough and global smash for the former Red Rider singer. 11. Closer, Tegan and Sara (winners: 2014) The Calgarian twins took a major career risk when they shifted their sound from their trusted indie rock to a more mainstream pop approach, but the gamble paid off big time: Closer is one of the biggest hits of their career. 10. Can't Feel My Face, the Weeknd (winner: 2016) This song was everywhere in 2015: a global No. 1, and one of the biggest commercial hits to ever win single of the year. 9. Try, Blue Rodeo (winner: 1989) This was the second single from Blue Rodeo's debut album, Outskirts, and to this day is considered one of the band's most beloved songs. 8. Complicated, Avril Lavigne (winner: 2003) The debut single from the pop-punk singer, the instantly recognizable Complicated peaked in the top five in more than 20 different countries, making it a global hit. 7. Blinding Lights, the Weeknd (winner: 2021) It's hard to paraphrase how big this song still is, but we'll try: Blinding Lights was the highest-selling global single of 2020, and hit No. 1 in more than 40 countries. To date, it is Spotify's most-played song of all time, and the first song to surpass four billion streams. 6. Bobcaygeon, the Tragically Hip (winner: 2000) Possibly the most Canadian song of all time? It is certainly one of the Hip's most beloved and cherished songs, and has been covered by everyone from Blue Rodeo to Dallas Green to Pearl Jam. 5. I'm Like a Bird, Nelly Furtado (winner: 2001) This song was a life-changer for Furtado. Before its release in 2000, very few people had ever heard of the B.C. singer. Then she released I'm Like a Bird and it took off, becoming a global hit — and the rest is history. 4. Crabbuckit, k-os (winner: 2005) The first hip-hop track to ever win single of the year, ironically about the desperation of the music business, Crabbuckit saw k-os singing over a Ray Charles-inspired bassline that some people are willing to pull others down to try and reach the top — like "crabs in a bucket." 3. You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette (winner: 1996) Few songs ever released have created such a lasting conversation and mystery about its intended subject as You Oughta Know. The song marked Morissette's successful move from teen pop to alt-rock, and broke a bunch of records in the process — including, at the time, the longest run by a woman at the top of the Billboard Alternative chart. 2. Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepsen (winner: 2013) Originally written as a folk song, Call Me Maybe was reworked as a pop single and caught the ear of fellow Canadian Justin Bieber, who helped send it to No. 1 around the world with one simple tweet: that Call Me Maybe was "possibly the catchiest song" he had ever heard. The planet agreed. 1. 1234, Feist (winner: 2008) Smart, quirky, unique and deceptively simple, this feel-good classic single-handedly turned Feist into a household name — and solidified Canadian indie rock as a red-hot, tariff-free export. 1234, co-written by Australian singer Sally Seltmann, hit the Top 10 in Canada, the U.K. and the States. And who can forget the choreographed iPod Nano commercial that played a mega role in launching this song into the stratosphere? Or the star-studded indie performance on Letterman, above? The CBC Music Top 20 with Grant Lawrence counts down the 20 hottest adult-alternative tracks heard on Mornings, Drive and Afterdark on CBC Music. Tune in weekly to hear the latest Canadian and international songs making waves right now and enjoy the show anytime on your CBC Listen app.
