Additional Coverage:
- Country music fans call out ‘Jeopardy’ over a controversial question: ‘I was outraged…’ (marketrealist.com)
“Life Is a Highway” or Highway Robbery? Jeopardy! Sparks Debate Over Song’s Origin
The popular game show *Jeopardy! * recently found itself in hot water with country music fans after a clue seemingly misattributed the song “Life Is a Highway” to Rascal Flatts.
The clue, featured in the “Songs in the Key of Life” category, prompted contestant Adriana Harmeyer to correctly identify the song title. However, many viewers felt the show had snubbed the original artist, Tom Cochrane.
The debate quickly spread across social media, with fans vehemently defending Cochrane as the song’s original writer and performer. Some expressed outrage, accusing *Jeopardy!
- of disrespecting Cochrane and erasing his contribution to music history. “RASCAL FLATTS DID NOT WRITE LIFE IS A HIGHWAY @Jeopardy YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS DISRESPECT,” one fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Others questioned why the show would credit a “cover” version over the original.
While it’s true that Rascal Flatts covered “Life Is a Highway” for the 2006 Disney Pixar film Cars, Cochrane originally wrote and recorded the song in 1991, achieving a notable solo hit. Some fans even pointed out that Cochrane’s version charted higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than the Rascal Flatts rendition.
The controversy extended beyond social media, spilling onto *Jeopardy! *’s unofficial Reddit forum, where fans expressed similar sentiments.
One user commented, “I was unreasonably outraged by this!” Another added that Rascal Flatts “didn’t write ‘Life Is a Highway’…Just saying.”
Although both versions of the song exist, many fans believe the original artist deserves primary recognition, especially in a knowledge-based context like Jeopardy!. The incident highlights the importance of acknowledging original creators and the passion music fans have for their favorite artists.