''Mad Mad World'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Canadian

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

singer

Tom Cochrane Thomas William Cochrane ( ; born May 14, 1953) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician best known as the frontman for the rock band Red Rider and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight Juno Awards. He is a member ...

, originally released in 1991 in Canada and in the United States on February 17, 1992. The first single from the album, "

Life Is a Highway "Life Is a Highway" is a song by Canadian musician Tom Cochrane from his second studio album, '' Mad Mad World'' (1991). The song became a number-one hit in Canada in late 1991. "Life Is a Highway" also peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard' ...

", became a hit in late 1991, reaching number one in Canada and number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States. The album earned Cochrane four

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

including Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year. In addition, Cochrane won two SOCAN Awards and an

ASCAP Award The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

. ''Mad Mad World'' achieved a Diamond sales award in Canada for selling more than 1 million copies in Cochrane's native Canada. The album was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for album sales of more than 500,000 copies in the United States. The album also included the hits "No Regrets" (No. 3 ''RPM'' Charts), "Sinking Like a Sunset" (No. 2 ''RPM'' Charts), "Washed Away" (No. 7 ''RPM'' Charts), "Bigger Man" and the title track "Mad Mad World". The album was produced by Joe Hardy and was recorded in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

and at three different

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

studios:

Metalworks Studios Metalworks Studios is a music recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 by Gil Moore of the Canadian rock group, Triumph (band), Triumph. Since 1978, Metalworks Studios has expanded into a six studio facility ...

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

, Hungry Hollow Studio in Georgetown and at Cochrane's cabin in Oakville. Upon the album's initial releases in the US and Canada, the album featured two different album covers. The original album cover (designed by Ralph Alfonso) was on the initial Canadian release in 1991, while the alternate album cover was on the US release for the album in 1992. The alternate cover is now the main album cover for the album. On October 28, 2016, Cochrane released an expanded 25th-anniversary edition of the album. Included on the expanded album is "Love Is a Highway", the original demo version of the album's first single, and a second disc featuring a concert recorded on May 14, 1992, on the Mad Mad World Tour in Chicago, Illinois.

Track listing

Personnel

* Tom Cochrane – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, piano, harmonica, percussion, bass, keyboards, slide guitar *

John Webster John Webster (c. 1578 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and ''The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and car ...

– percussion, piano, organ * Spider Sinnaeve – bass *

Mickey Curry Michael Timothy Curry (born June 10, 1956) is an American drummer. He has collaborated with singer-songwriter Bryan Adams since the early 1980s, but has also worked with Hall & Oates, Cher, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, ...

– drums *

Kim Mitchell Joseph Kim Mitchell (born July 10, 1952) is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to a solo career. His 1984 single, " Go for Soda", was his only charted song on the US ''Billbo ...

– lead guitar on "Brave and Crazy" * Mladen – guitar * Keith Scott – guitar on "Sinking Like a Sunset" *

David Gogo David Gogo (born March 18, 1969), is a Canadian blues guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader who is currently signed to the independent Cordova Bay Records label. He was formerly signed to EMI Records. Between 1994 and 2024, he released 16 s ...

– guitar * Joe Hardy – percussion * Dave Harding –

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

Molly Johnson Margaret Leslie "Molly" Johnson, Order of Canada, OC is a Canadian singer of pop and jazz. Biography Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the National Ballet School and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Johnson's b ...

– backing vocals * John Cody – backing vocals * Annette Ducharme – backing vocals * Kathy Cochrane – backing vocals * Joe Hardy – producer (except "All the King's Men") * Noel Golden – engineer * Joe Hardy – production, engineering, mixing, percussion * Bob Shindle – engineer * John Bailey – engineer * Bob Ludwig – mastering * Great Southern Memphis Section – horns, horn arrangements * Peter Schenkman – cello

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1991 albums Tom Cochrane albums Capitol Records albums Juno Award for Album of the Year albums Albums recorded at Metalworks Studios