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Why Tom Sawyer?


Justus_2112
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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...
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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...

 

I've always thought of TS as their Cherokee track, personally.

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I think for those of us who "got on the bus" with MP in 1981, there was (and still is) a freshness about Tom Sawyer. Honestly, I'd never heard anything like it......from the synth to the way the song builds, to that guy's crazy voice. It really made a generation of middle-schoolers sit up and take notice.

 

I've got plenty of Rush songs I like better, but it's hard to argue that TS is the quintessential Rush song.

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In many ways it's the quintessential Rush song, and highlights all the things that make Rush unique.

 

It also seems to be their most popular song with women, which, as far as Rush tunes go, is quite an accomplishment.

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I think Tom Sawyer is a great song, but I've never thought of it as their best.

 

One of the reasons why I might not have loved it quite as much as so many others is that I had heard ABOUT Tom Sawyer many many times before I actually HEARD Tom Sawyer.

 

I was just becoming aware of Rush at the time it came out. As I've written here several times before, I had first heard Rush in 1980 (TSOR) and loved that song immediately, but had no idea who the band was.

 

I was familiar with Rush from concert T-shirts kids wore, but didn't realize that THAT was the band that did TSOR. It was in the period after MP was released and gaining popularity that I eventually realized this was the band that did TSOR.

 

I kept hearing people talk about Tom Sawyer; how awesome it was. Even my older brother, who hated Rush, was saying how awesome it was.

 

People would even lamely attempt to emulate the signature 'riff' (i.e. "wee-yoo wee-yoo wee-yoo, wee-yoo wee-yoo-yoo... wee-yoo wee-yoo wee-yoo, wee-yoo wee-yoo-yoo... da da da DAH!... da da da DAH!" etc).

 

When I eventually heard the song I was like "Ah! That's what those sounds they were making we're supposed to be".

 

At that time in Staten Island (a suburban borough of NYC) the youth culture was sharply divided between so-called "critters" and "guidos"; the former loved hard and classic rock and the latter were into dance music/disco (think Saturday Night Fever era John Travolta).

 

Even many of the guidos, who hated rock music, loved Tom Sawyer.

 

It seemed like EVERYONE loved Tom Sawyer.

 

I thought it was a great song when I eventually heard it, but it couldn't ever possibly live up to the hype.

 

That is the only Rush song which I had that experience with.

 

I really wish I could have had the chance to hear Tom Sawyer without having heard so much hype about it first; I'm sure I would have had a different impression of it.

Edited by rftag
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As with just about any "hit" song, the timing of it's release is as important if not more so than anything else. It struck a "chord" with the youth of 1981, so to speak.

 

True but there must be more to it; my step daughters latched onto it 8 years ago when they were 10 and 5 respectively. I think those mentioning the groove and that gnarly growling bass pedal thing that defines the song are part of it's appeal. Timing could be part of it but there is something else going on that still works in the 21st century.

Edited by Wil1972
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I would like to say right off the bat that there is nothing wrong with "Tom Sawyer." It's a great song that can definitely be counted as one of Rush's best.

 

That being said, I wouldn't say it's their ABSOLUTE best. I don't understand why, of all Rush songs, Tom Sawyer became their big hit.

 

I can remember when it came out and people who had previously written off Rush as "too weird" were suddenly going on about how "badass" TS was. For whatever reason, the song broke right at a time when people were hungry for what it delivered.

 

That's interesting. I was 13 years old when the record came out. it was "Tom Sawyer" that got me into the band.

The great thing for me about falling in love with Rush when Moving Pictures came out is that I had the luxury to go back and explore every record prior to "Moving Pictures."

 

I sill remember when I was a kid picking up all the Mercury Rush used cassettes at my local record shop.

 

Pure Bliss.

 

My parents thought I was crazy blasting "Hemispheres" in my room circa 1981.

 

Then my poor parents had to listen to my wailing on the drums for 7 more years learning every Rush song.

 

My parents ROCK!

 

I can relate. AFTK was the latest release when I got into Rush.

 

Lucky!

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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...

 

I've always thought of TS as their Cherokee track, personally.

That took me a while. :LOL:
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As with just about any "hit" song, the timing of it's release is as important if not more so than anything else. It struck a "chord" with the youth of 1981, so to speak.

 

True but there must be more to it; my step daughters latched onto it 8 years ago when they were 10 and 5 respectively. I think those mentioning the groove and that gnarly growling bass pedal thing that defines the song are part of it's appeal. Timing could be part of it but there is something else going on that still works in the 21st century.

The head-bobbing Presto bunnies explain it all. It's the groove, baby!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlW2pQIxK_g

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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...

 

I've always thought of TS as their Cherokee track, personally.

That took me a while. :LOL:

 

Man, if SOCN has taught me anything, it's that my humor is very often not successfully communicated.

Edited by JARG
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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...

 

I've always thought of TS as their Cherokee track, personally.

That took me a while. :LOL:

 

Man, if SOCN has taught me anything, it's that my humor is very often not successfully communicated.

The communication was successfully received but it you didn't know the correct spelling of that particular word, it might not ever be. Just words, blowing in the seminal wind. (if you don't get that mixed up reference, I'll clear it up later).
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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...

 

I've always thought of TS as their Cherokee track, personally.

That took me a while. :LOL:

 

Man, if SOCN has taught me anything, it's that my humor is very often not successfully communicated.

The communication was successfully received but it you didn't know the correct spelling of that particular word, it might not ever be. Just words, blowing in the seminal wind. (if you don't get that mixed up reference, I'll clear it up later).

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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...

 

I've always thought of TS as their Cherokee track, personally.

That took me a while. :LOL:

 

Man, if SOCN has taught me anything, it's that my humor is very often not successfully communicated.

 

I got it instantly. Probably because I live in Seminal county. ;)

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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...

 

I've always thought of TS as their Cherokee track, personally.

That took me a while. :LOL:

 

Man, if SOCN has taught me anything, it's that my humor is very often not successfully communicated.

 

Don't worry, I appreciated it! I was just too inebriated at the time to comment on it!

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As with just about any "hit" song, the timing of it's release is as important if not more so than anything else. It struck a "chord" with the youth of 1981, so to speak.

 

True but there must be more to it; my step daughters latched onto it 8 years ago when they were 10 and 5 respectively. I think those mentioning the groove and that gnarly growling bass pedal thing that defines the song are part of it's appeal. Timing could be part of it but there is something else going on that still works in the 21st century.

 

You're probably right...there is definitely something else going on there. I think the track has aged tremendously (just about everything they did from 1976 through 1981 has aged well). My kids enjoy it, but were still looking forward the most to hearing "Roll the Bones" on the R40 tour which made me realize that they just don't really get it.

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At the time that Tom Sawyer was released, Rock music and young fans of Rock music were in a very rebellious stage. Tom Sawyer was a cool sounding song that just sounded rebellious with lines like "A modern day warrior Mean, mean stride Today's Tom Sawyer Mean, mean pride". and "No, his mind is not for rent to any god or government". I believe that people liked it because those lines embodied coolness at the time and people felt cool listening to and singing along with those lines Edited by snowdogged
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I've always found the opening lines to the song totally cringeworthy....Kim Mitchell should have been kept well away from it.

 

Why Kim? It was Pye Dubois who contributed the lyrical ideas.

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I've never understood why Tom Sawyer is their seminole track either. It's easily my least favorite of their 'radio hits' (except maybe Fly By Night); and there are much better tracks (Circumstances, A Farewell to Kings, The Analog Kid, even Kid Gloves) that I would think are Radio friendly, yet receive almost no play...

 

I've always thought of TS as their Cherokee track, personally.

 

Sigh...

 

Nobody wants to admit they used the wrong word, but I did and I'm ashamed of myself.

 

And FFS, it led to a John Anderson gag!

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I've always found the opening lines to the song totally cringeworthy....Kim Mitchell should have been kept well away from it.

 

Why Kim? It was Pye Dubois who contributed the lyrical ideas.

I'd say Tom Sawyer's lyrics are way down on the cringe-worthy list when it comes to RUSH.

 

EDIT: And it's a loooong list.

Edited by goose
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I've always found the opening lines to the song totally cringeworthy....Kim Mitchell should have been kept well away from it.

 

Why Kim? It was Pye Dubois who contributed the lyrical ideas.

I'd say Tom Sawyer's lyrics are way down on the cringe-worthy list when it comes to RUSH.

 

EDIT: And it's a loooong list.

 

[see also: (1) net boy, (2) Hindu Muslim Catholic]

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I've always found the opening lines to the song totally cringeworthy....Kim Mitchell should have been kept well away from it.

 

Why Kim? It was Pye Dubois who contributed the lyrical ideas.

 

Doh......brain fart

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