Ultimately, the goal of every safety professional is to ensure that workers get home safely to their families. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. In that vein, the Song of the Week is a 1997 gem from U.K. indie rock act Cornershop, “Good to Be on the Road Back Home.”
Cornershop was formed in 1991 in Leicester, England by singer-guitarist Tjinder Singh. The group played a combination of indie rock, Indian music, and electronic music. After releasing two well-received albums in the early ’90s, Cornershop broke through with When I Was Born for the 7th Time in 1997. The song “Brimful of Asha” became an indie rock hit in the U.S. and the U.K., with a remixed version by Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) going to #1 on the U.K. Singles Chart.
Also on the album was “Good to Be on the Road Back Home,” a relaxed country-rock song about going on the road and returning home. The song features vocals from Paula Frazer of Tarnation and effortlessly captures the vibe of someone who travels a lot and the people he leaves behind.
“And by the time that she gets home/She’ll realize I am gone/I’ll be sitting in a back bar drinking/Drinking to my friends/And drinking to my foes/For both keep a young heart moving/It’s good to be on the trail/From where my heart set sail/Puttin’ anchor down/For friends and good beer/So I’ll have another one/Then I’ll be moving on/It’s good to be on the road back home again.”
The album didn’t chart in the U.S., but it hit #17 in the U.K. Cornershop has made six albums since 1997, with the last one coming out in 2020.