Nowadays, when someone brings up the subject of Rush, we think of a hot-headed republican blow-hard. But, I am thinking of the Canadian band formed in the late 1960s (although, in my opinion, it didn’t really gel until Neil Peart took over for John Rutsey in the 1970s.
Many of my contemporaries do not know their work and that is a shame, for they are a phenomenal band. In fact, for an anniversary present I got my husband (and myself of course) tickets to see Rush in concert. And, although Geddy Lee can’t quite hit some of those notes he hit in his prime, he was still an incredible entertainer.
Here is my list of the top ten Rush Songs, with a little information as to what I liked most about them.
10. Limelight (From the Moving Pictures Album) – This is a song about being famous and being noticed and recognized while on the street. A good, fun song, I enjoy singing it in the car. Plus, you can’t beat the guitar solo.
9. Hemispheres (From Hemispheres) – Okay, this is a VERY long piece, edging over 18 minutes. But, it draws you in. The theme is Apollo and Dionysius trying to bring together a divided and broken world.
Geddy is brilliant in Hemispheres, his vocal ability really shining. Of course, his bass playing was amazing as well. It just all fit together in a perfect mood setting piece, with the end of the song quieting down, as if the world was indeed uniting.
8. Spirit of Radio (From the Permanent Waves Album) – One of the most popular of Rush’s songs, it deals with, (hard to believe) the radio, and its effect on its listeners.
7. Natural Science (From the Permanent Waves Album) – This is a three part suite from the Permanent Waves album. Clocking in at around nine minutes the lyrics mostly deal with nature and the environment.
6. Roll the Bones (From Roll the Bones) – The album Roll the Bones takes the theme of taking chances. And boy, do they adding rap to their progressive image. Although it does show their versatility, it turned a lot of people off. The guitar solo is quite beautiful though. The lyrics are also very good:
“We go out in the world and take our chances
Fate is just the weight of circumstances
That’s the way that lady luck dances
Roll the bones”
5. 2112 (From 2112) – The longest track on my list, this piece clocks at about 20 minutes. First we have the overture, which sets the tone and mood of the piece pretty well. It’s followed by The Temple of Syrinx, which tells us that it’s set in the future where the priests of the Temple of Syrinx rule the world. It continues with Discovery where a human discovers a guitar and, in Presentation, shows it to the priests, only to have it destroyed. The last parts are Oracle: The Dream where he dreams about the music the guitar could play, Soliloquy where he ends up killing himself, and the Grand Finale, with a strong guitar riff as he dies.
The Temple of Syrinx is a standout section because of its intricacy, great guitar playing, phenomenal drumming, and Geddy Lee reaches heights most people can only dream of. One of the best Rush songs out there.
4. Red Barchetta (From the Moving Pictures Album) – This is the type of song that you want to crank all the way up as you ride down the highway singing it out. The exhilaration of racing down the road in the red sports car as the authorities chase you is prevalent throughout this song. It is definitely one of my favorites.
3. YYZ (From the Moving Pictures Album) – I bet you would be surprised to see an instrumental be so low on the list. Well, this song is positively inspiring. It starts out with an incredible guitar riff with some synthesizer in the background. After that, it’s a frenzy of instruments. And, each one stands out, although none shine as well as Geddy’s baseline. It’s absolutely one of the best of Rush’s songs.
2. Tom Sawyer (From the moving Pictures album) – This is perhaps Rush’s best known song. The lyrics speak to all people, “He knows that changes aren’t permanent, but changeis.” Today’s modern warrior needs to find his strength within himself. The driving energy of the guitar and percussion sections only add to it’s appeal. Of course, for those who admire drumming, you CAN NOT beat Neil Peart. Truly, this is a classic.
1. Free Will (From the Permanent Waves album) – This is my favorite Rush song. Who doesn’t aspire toward free will? The song emphasizes the point that free will is about the choices you make:
“You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that’s clear
I will choose freewill.”
Also noteworthy is Geddy Lee’s performance at the end of this song. Not many people have the range to hit those particular notes.
As I said at the beginning of this article, we had recently seen Rush in concert. When they started this song it was as if an electric current ran through the crowd. Fans, young and old, emotionally sang out the chorus with the band. It was an experience I will not soon forget. Incredible.
So, this was my top ten. And, as a HUGE fan of Rush I wasn’t sure I could limit it to 10. There are so many others that could have been named.
What are some of your favorites? I would love to hear them.
