First of all, I am a music lover. More specifically, the music I love listening to the most is progressive rock. Progressive rock combines rock elements and instrumentation (guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals, etc.) with classical music structure (listen to Yes's Close to the Edge as a starter). In this genre, one of my favorite bands of all-time is the Canadian group Rush. The musicianship and songwriting of bassist and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart, has attracted a mass gathering for over forty years. What really stands out, however, are the lyrics of Peart. His lyrics have been regarded as some of the most insightful words ever written in rock music and certainly give unique perspectives on a wide range of topics. The following is ten Rush tunes bearing strong messages that everyone should hear (in this case, read):
1. Time Stand Still
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Album: Hold Your Fire(1987)
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"Summers going fast, nights growing colder. Children growing up, old friends growing older. Freeze this moment a little bit longer."
On the second track on Hold Your Fire, "Time Stand Still" reminds us all to appreciate each and every moment of our lives because we do not know how long we much longer we will be here. The song also serves as a retrospect of our past accomplishments and even failures. Most of us, including me, would appreciate it if time moved slower and, at certain points, freeze in order to run away from responsibilities and life for a limited time and just be in the moment. The instrumentation is fantastic and the lyrics are spot-on about our wishes regarding time. If you do not want to take the song too seriously, just watch the song's music video.
2. Witch Hunt (Part III of "Fear")
Album: Moving Pictures (1981)
"Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand. Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand."
As one of the four songs in the "Fear" series, "Witch Hunt" perfectly summarizes how our emotions, more specifically fear, can lead to anger and unfair prejudice to others we believe to be "dangerous" in our lives and the lives of others. If you listen closely to the lyrics in the song, it reflects very much the platform Donald Trump is using in his presidential campaign: fear of foreigners and what needs to be done in order to eliminate the "threat." The vigilante mob mentioned at the beginning of the song can be somewhat compared to Trump's supporters. All politics aside, Peart's lyrics provides the basic reason why prejudice, racism, and evil exists in people: fear.
3. The Weapon (Part II of "Fear")
Album: Signals (1982)
"And the things that we fear are a weapon to be held against us."
In another song of the "Fear" series, "The Weapon" provides another perspective on how fear can affect our lives negatively. Many of us have dreams and aspirations in life, yet fear of failure, fear of outside opinion, fear of anything can cause us to stop dead in our tracks as if a loaded weapon was held in front of us. Eventually, we have to the dodge the bullets and overpower the weapon in order to achieve our goals. The song also comments on how one person can use fear within other people in order to satisfy his or her needs (Donald Trump again?). Seriously, love one another and never use fear as way to advance one's position.
4. Subdivisions
Album: Signals (1982)
"Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth. But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth."
"Subdivisions" leads off the Signals album and is one of the most beloved Rush tunes. Peart's lyrics were partly inspired by his own upbringing and the song comments on the pressures of being "cool" and conforming to society. I tend to associate this song more with those in high school and college. It seems as though these individuals face tremendous expectations dictated by what is considered the "norm" and anyone who is short of being a part of the "norm" is considered an outcast. The overall message is do not feel as through you must" conform or be cast out," but rather move towards what you know will bring you lasting happiness, even if it disappoints society.
5. Limelight
Album: Moving Pictures (1981)
"Living in the limelight, the universal dream for those who wish to seem. Those who wish to be must put aside the alienation, get on with the fascination, the real relation, the underlying theme."
From Moving Pictures, "Limelight" is among Rush's most popular songs. Neil Peart wrote the lyrics based on his feelings towards newfound fame and his difficulty adjusting to a life with a sudden lack of privacy. Most people believe fame to be one of the most sought after social positions, but fame comes at an often overlooked cost. All eyes are on a person with fame and other people will feel some sort of connection with that person, whether it be authentic or not. This vulnerability has not set well with Peart, which is why he does not take part in the daily grind of meet and greets with fans during tours, especially when he lost both his daughter to a car accident and his first wife to cancer during 1997 and 1998, respectively.
6. Territories
Album: Power Windows (1985)
"The whole wide world, an endless universe. Yet we keep looking through the eyeglass in reverse. Don't feed the people, but we feed the machines. Can't really feel what international means. In different circles we keep holding our ground. Indifferent circles, we keep spinning round and round."
"Territories" provides social commentary about emerging world powers and their influence on the modern world. The song possesses ethnic influence in the actual music and Peart's lyrics demonstrate the unfair advantage larger and more developed countries have over other countries when push comes to shove. Nationalism, especially in its extreme form, is one of the most prevalent issues that is creating division and borders with other nations. Patriotism is a value every person should hold dear to their hearts, but not to the point of isolating others. This song provides perspective on nationalism's consequences.
7. Mission
Album: Hold Your Fire (1987)
"We each pay a fabulous price for our visions of paradise."
Too often we can not help but wonder what a more ideal life would be like. "Mission" shows us that the lives of the rich and famous is not all that glamourous. As a drummer in a rock band, Peart has often struggled with the realities of fame and personal tragedies his life and he wrote these lyrics in order to tell people that, ultimately, famous or not, we all go through similar struggles and trials in life. Hold your fire and keep it burning bright!
8. Nobody's Hero
Album: Counterparts (1993)
"Hero- saves a drowning child, cures a wasting disease. Hero- lands the crippled airplane, solves great mysteries. Hero- not the handsome actor who plays a hero's role. Hero- not the glamor girl who'd love to sell her soul."
"Nobody's Hero" tells us about the actual heroes we should look up to as inspiration. The first verse was about a man who later died from AIDS named Ellis who Peart knew at a young age in London and the second verse about a young woman who was murdered in Peart's hometown of Port Dalhousie. Both of these individuals were unheard heroes according to Peart. It is easy to be caught up in the idea that superheroes, action stars, and even superstar athletes can be idolized and regarded as our "heroes." Listen to the song and Peart singles out the real heroes and the supposed heroes in our lives throughout the lyrics.
9. Roll the Bones
Album: Roll the Bones (1991)
"Why are we here? Because we're here. Roll the bones, roll the bones. Why does it happen? Because it happens. Roll the bones, roll the bones."
The meaning and purpose of life is perhaps the most often asked question. Peart's lyrics in this early 1990s gem ultimately says that despite all of the injustice the world possesses, we are still here and must make a difference in our own small, insignificant ways. There is even a rap towards the middle of the song further expanding this message, and is the only Rush song to contain a rap. Personally, because we are here and because it happens are overly simplistic answers for such a profound question, but Peart still accomplishes what we should take away from this awesome song.
10. Lock and Key
Album: Hold Your Fire (1987)
"Don't want to silence a desperate voice for the sake of security. No one wants to make a terrible choice on the price of being free. I don't want to face the killer instinct, face it in you or me. So we keep it under lock and key."
In this hauntingly beautiful, keyboard-laced song, Rush explores how a person's "killer instinct" and decisions can affect others in an harmful way, even to the point of murder. According to Peart, his lyrics to the song commented on how sometimes "we suppress and repress the living, vibrant, animal courage, and substitute the tepid, torpid, vapid, but secure robotic, mechanistic, automatic-pilot self. Risk is the price of being free, and we’d rather not pay it." Taking the life of another person is the most extreme form of violence and the most extreme measure for personal comfort when threatened. Keeping our emotions in check is what prevents us from complete insanity. Therefore, we must keep them under lock and key.
Honorable Mentions
"Emotion Detector" from Power Windows (1985) (Do not suppress love, share it and be open to love from others) "Right to the heart of the matter, right to the beautiful part. Illusions are painfully shattered, right where discovery starts. In the secret wells of emotion, buried deep in our hearts."
"Prime Mover" from Hold Your Fire (1987)(The end is not the defining goal, the journey is more important) "From the point of conception to the moment of truth. From the point of surrender to the burden of proof. From the point of ignition to the final drive. The point of a journey is not to arrive, anything can happen."
"Middletown Dreams" from Power Windows (1985) (Even though a monotonous, conformist life seems an everyday occurrence, do not let it stop you from being different) "Dreams flow across the heartland, feeding on the fires. Dreams transport desires, drive you when you're down. Dreams transport the ones who need to get out of town."
