What's the most emotional passage in a Rush song for you?

[goose]

1 hour ago, HemiBeers said:

Lyrically, The Pass always hits me pretty hard.

 

"Christ what have you done?!?"

 

 

[laughedatbytime]

52 minutes ago, invisible airwave said:

The  solo in Marathon has made me misty eyed at times for it's emotional impact.

That sounds similar to my reaction when Geddy starts the piano interlude to Rush's cover of the Spinal Tap classic "Lick My Love Pump"... I just weep instantly.  What's  that key again?

[JARG]

23 minutes ago, laughedatbytime said:

That sounds similar to my reaction when Geddy starts the piano interlude to Rush's cover of the Spinal Tap classic "Lick My Love Pump"... I just weep instantly.  What's  that key again?

D-minor, the saddest of all keys.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

There are just too many. I’m lying here thinking and all that I’m concluding is that Rush are among the most emotional bands I’ve ever heard. That probably sounds silly to non fans given their reputation as nerds, but the whole reason the band is great is because all that intricate complicated heady music has actual tangible human meaning. Heck, even The Necromancer has high emotional value for me. Al’s guitar solo at the end just feels so euphoric and triumphant and victorious, I can imagine him beaming in the studio. Even Fountain Of Lammeth for crying at loud! No One At The Bridge just kills me every time, the way Geddy shrieks in disbelief that he’s been abandoned. Ugh. That’s how incredibly emotional Rush’s music is, that even at their nerdiest and most complicated, it’s the heart that shines through.

[tangy]

10 hours ago, Entre_Perpetuo said:

There are just too many. I’m lying here thinking and all that I’m concluding is that Rush are among the most emotional bands I’ve ever heard. That probably sounds silly to non fans given their reputation as nerds, but the whole reason the band is great is because all that intricate complicated heady music has actual tangible human meaning. Heck, even The Necromancer has high emotional value for me. Al’s guitar solo at the end just feels so euphoric and triumphant and victorious, I can imagine him beaming in the studio. Even Fountain Of Lammeth for crying at loud! No One At The Bridge just kills me every time, the way Geddy shrieks in disbelief that he’s been abandoned. Ugh. That’s how incredibly emotional Rush’s music is, that even at their nerdiest and most complicated, it’s the heart that shines through.

You are an Emotion Detector!

 

I agree. Great thing about rush is that the music can be emotional or the lyrics can be emotional.  I guess the best songs have both?

[tangy]

Not sure which emotion is being elicited by 2112 on ATWAS perhaps ferocity as Alex rips.

 

What about Tears? I guess it's kinda emotional 

[Entre_Perpetuo]

53 minutes ago, tangy said:

You are an Emotion Detector!

 

I agree. Great thing about rush is that the music can be emotional or the lyrics can be emotional.  I guess the best songs have both?

Thank you :) 

 

Yes!! 100% It’s why Limelight works so well on so many levels, because it’s not a ham fisted rocker about fame not being all it’s chalked up to be, but a layered and measured confession about the feeling of isolation and almost like imposter syndrome that comes with the territory. It’s honest, and the music reflects both the grandeur and the loneliness of the spotlight.

[Timbale]

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately, specifically connected to the anniversary of Grace Under Pressure this year.

 

Grace Under Pressure was the first Rush album that I awaited the release of.  I do not remember Signals coming into the world — I was 10 years old when it was released and just becoming a fan, so it and all the albums prior were just “there”.  By the time there was talk of a new album, I was a die hard fan.

 

Somehow, I had never thought about the timing of any of this until seeing something about the 40th anniversary.  My 12th birthday was at the end of February…and my parents got divorced a couple weeks after that.  P/G was released in early April.  It was THE piece of music I was obsessed by, right as my family was dissolving.  

 

I think of that now and it kinda blows my mind.  It was speaking, on an emotional level, to exactly the place I was at.  A place of fear, uncertainty, hurt and darkness.

 

From the first grim image of the ill wind arising — and the warning that there’s no swimming in the heavy water and no singing in the acid rain — it was speaking to where I felt like I was at.  The chorus felt like something I longed for someone to say to me right then “I see the tip of the iceberg, and I worry about you.”  I was by no means like the homeless guy who was living in John Lennon’s garden, telling him that he thought “boy, you’re gonna carry that weight” was written directly TO him — I wasn’t delusional or anything — but that lyric felt very personal.

 

And of course the second song was all about loss.  Again, until very recently I had never made this connection…but “Suddenly, you were gone, from all the lives you left your mark upon” feels incredibly descriptive of my mom moving out, and in general that feeling of loss that can occur to a kid when their family unit ceases to exist as it had before.

 

And the rest of the record just continues with that dark feeling of paranoia, loss, and fear.  It’s sort of amazing to me that that stuff was my main intake in that time.  I have a very strong memory of seeing the video for Distant Early Warning for the first time on the little black and white TV my mom had in her crappy little basement apartment that she had moved out to.  That record is just completely married to that life experience for me.  

 

I actually feel lucky about it.  I could have been one of those kids who loved, I don’t know…Kiss or something, who was getting nothing of lyrical substance from the music they loved.  Or I could have been a kid who loved some metal band that was super nihilistic and talking about ending it all.  Instead, I was deeply into a smart, literate and conceptual band that was grappling with the uncertainty all around them.  Of hard times.  

 

It is a cold album, but that coldness is an emotion I felt so strongly then, and so P/G is a very emotional record for me.  And about 6 months later, I saw my first ever rock concert, and there they were, playing those dark songs (among others) as the cameras swirled around them at Maple Leaf Gardens.  It felt like an emotional catharsis.  

[tangy]

10 minutes ago, Timbale said:

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately, specifically connected to the anniversary of Grace Under Pressure this year.

 

Grace Under Pressure was the first Rush album that I awaited the release of.  I do not remember Signals coming into the world — I was 10 years old when it was released and just becoming a fan, so it and all the albums prior were just “there”.  By the time there was talk of a new album, I was a die hard fan.

 

Somehow, I had never thought about the timing of any of this until seeing something about the 40th anniversary.  My 12th birthday was at the end of February…and my parents got divorced a couple weeks after that.  P/G was released in early April.  It was THE piece of music I was obsessed by, right as my family was dissolving.  

 

I think of that now and it kinda blows my mind.  It was speaking, on an emotional level, to exactly the place I was at.  A place of fear, uncertainty, hurt and darkness.

 

From the first grim image of the ill wind arising — and the warning that there’s no swimming in the heavy water and no singing in the acid rain — it was speaking to where I felt like I was at.  The chorus felt like something I longed for someone to say to me right then “I see the tip of the iceberg, and I worry about you.”  I was by no means like the homeless guy who was living in John Lennon’s garden, telling him that he thought “boy, you’re gonna carry that weight” was written directly TO him — I wasn’t delusional or anything — but that lyric felt very personal.

 

And of course the second song was all about loss.  Again, until very recently I had never made this connection…but “Suddenly, you were gone, from all the lives you left your mark upon” feels incredibly descriptive of my mom moving out, and in general that feeling of loss that can occur to a kid when their family unit ceases to exist as it had before.

 

And the rest of the record just continues with that dark feeling of paranoia, loss, and fear.  It’s sort of amazing to me that that stuff was my main intake in that time.  I have a very strong memory of seeing the video for Distant Early Warning for the first time on the little black and white TV my mom had in her crappy little basement apartment that she had moved out to.  That record is just completely married to that life experience for me.  

 

I actually feel lucky about it.  I could have been one of those kids who loved, I don’t know…Kiss or something, who was getting nothing of lyrical substance from the music they loved.  Or I could have been a kid who loved some metal band that was super nihilistic and talking about ending it all.  Instead, I was deeply into a smart, literate and conceptual band that was grappling with the uncertainty all around them.  Of hard times.  

 

It is a cold album, but that coldness is an emotion I felt so strongly then, and so P/G is a very emotional record for me.  And about 6 months later, I saw my first ever rock concert, and there they were, playing those dark songs (among others) as the cameras swirled around them at Maple Leaf Gardens.  It felt like an emotional catharsis.  

Fantastic post.

 

I was thinking about Afterimage earlier today. I was around 17 or 18 when I saw the GUP tour in buffalo.

[Rush Didact]

Indeed, very well said. Thanks for sharing that, @Timbale.

[Timbale]

21 minutes ago, Rush Didact said:

Indeed, very well said. Thanks for sharing that, @Timbale.

Thanks, friend. 

[condemned2bfree]

On 6/13/2024 at 8:49 PM, Weatherman said:

"everybody needs reverse polarity" gets me in the feels every time

Yes this line hits hard. Listening to this song lots, got a lot of feels.

 

also 

''Leave out the fiction
The fact is
This friction
Will only be worn by persistence''

 

VS is a weird emotional song, for it's sonic style.

 

[condemned2bfree]

On 6/13/2024 at 5:51 PM, Maverick said:

For me it is in Freewill.  Right when the guitar solo ends, the band goes back into the pre-chorus/secondary verse section, but without any vocals.  Alex plays the opening descending riff starting on F and then goes right into the Bm11 arpeggio.  But when he shifts to the F chord, instead of playing it in the 1st position like the other times, he goes up to the 8th position and plays it there, and then stays there for the C arpeggio.  Both times he hits the high C on the E string.  Then he does to the D chord and goes between D and Dsus4 in what, to me, anyway, one of the the most powerful moments in rock history.

Rush had this knack for dropping things down or opening up, musically, that gives the chills. The solo break in Emotions Detector, is one for me. Where they all break off

 

On 6/14/2024 at 2:54 AM, Nova Carmina said:

The outro jam in "Big Money" makes me happy every single time I hear it.

 

 

.Ha me too. Where Alex does the picking riff, Neil doing the rolls. Joyous feels. 

[tangy]

The keys on Middletown dreams after the middle age Madonna section was always a mood lifter for me. I really struggled with power windows when it first came out. I remember first listen on day of release  and saying yikes. That section was one of not many highlights for me on that record.

[Tinwoodsman]

Madrigal 

 

... the whole song

[Bahamas]

On 6/14/2024 at 3:25 PM, Timbale said:

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately, specifically connected to the anniversary of Grace Under Pressure this year.

 

Grace Under Pressure was the first Rush album that I awaited the release of.  I do not remember Signals coming into the world — I was 10 years old when it was released and just becoming a fan, so it and all the albums prior were just “there”.  By the time there was talk of a new album, I was a die hard fan.

 

Somehow, I had never thought about the timing of any of this until seeing something about the 40th anniversary.  My 12th birthday was at the end of February…and my parents got divorced a couple weeks after that.  P/G was released in early April.  It was THE piece of music I was obsessed by, right as my family was dissolving.  

 

I think of that now and it kinda blows my mind.  It was speaking, on an emotional level, to exactly the place I was at.  A place of fear, uncertainty, hurt and darkness.

 

From the first grim image of the ill wind arising — and the warning that there’s no swimming in the heavy water and no singing in the acid rain — it was speaking to where I felt like I was at.  The chorus felt like something I longed for someone to say to me right then “I see the tip of the iceberg, and I worry about you.”  I was by no means like the homeless guy who was living in John Lennon’s garden, telling him that he thought “boy, you’re gonna carry that weight” was written directly TO him — I wasn’t delusional or anything — but that lyric felt very personal.

 

And of course the second song was all about loss.  Again, until very recently I had never made this connection…but “Suddenly, you were gone, from all the lives you left your mark upon” feels incredibly descriptive of my mom moving out, and in general that feeling of loss that can occur to a kid when their family unit ceases to exist as it had before.

 

And the rest of the record just continues with that dark feeling of paranoia, loss, and fear.  It’s sort of amazing to me that that stuff was my main intake in that time.  I have a very strong memory of seeing the video for Distant Early Warning for the first time on the little black and white TV my mom had in her crappy little basement apartment that she had moved out to.  That record is just completely married to that life experience for me.  

 

I actually feel lucky about it.  I could have been one of those kids who loved, I don’t know…Kiss or something, who was getting nothing of lyrical substance from the music they loved.  Or I could have been a kid who loved some metal band that was super nihilistic and talking about ending it all.  Instead, I was deeply into a smart, literate and conceptual band that was grappling with the uncertainty all around them.  Of hard times.  

 

It is a cold album, but that coldness is an emotion I felt so strongly then, and so P/G is a very emotional record for me.  And about 6 months later, I saw my first ever rock concert, and there they were, playing those dark songs (among others) as the cameras swirled around them at Maple Leaf Gardens.  It felt like an emotional catharsis.  

Wow, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I keep reading about the impact that the lyrics have/had on fans. I can't say anything strikes me as specific, a time or place when Rush particularly struck me. My older brothers got me into the band and I kept listening. And kept listening almost all my life. And very, very glad I kept at it. I love the way Neil had some ideas for lyrics and Alex and Geddy had ideas for the music. What a great team as they always re-worked everything into another album, never afraid of trying new things. If I had to list or admit something in short notice, perhaps "working them angels, over time". It's an interesting take on how we live with one foot in and one foot out while carrying about our days. Its implication speaks from both sides of the mouth?

 

 

 

 

[Timbale]

10 hours ago, tangy said:

The keys on Middletown dreams after the middle age Madonna section was always a mood lifter for me. I really struggled with power windows when it first came out. I remember first listen on day of release  and saying yikes. That section was one of not many highlights for me on that record.

I think there are times when Geddy as a vocalist really connected with the emotion of what Neil was saying... and I think Middletown Dreams is definitely one of those times. 

[Weatherman]

22 hours ago, tangy said:

The keys on Middletown dreams after the middle age Madonna section was always a mood lifter for me. I really struggled with power windows when it first came out. I remember first listen on day of release  and saying yikes. That section was one of not many highlights for me on that record.

Yeah, for me it's bottom third of their catalog for sure. Which is weird, because I love the 3 albums before and 3 albums after. Mystic Rhythms is the only bright spot, for me.

[Rush Didact]

12 minutes ago, Weatherman said:

Yeah, for me it's bottom third of their catalog for sure. Which is weird, because I love the 3 albums before and 3 albums after. Mystic Rhythms is the only bright spot, for me.

 

That's very weird indeed, because I think it's the best thing they ever did.

[chemistry1973]

“All of us spent time in the gutter - dreamers turn to look at the cars.”

[condemned2bfree]

The ''solo'' in Earthshine. It's very limited, but very emotional somehow  - The chord changes, drops down with that space. Chills.

Edited June 18 by condemned2bfree

[flightops]

"When I heard that he was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart
But he’s nobody’s —

Hero"

 

"She limps across the floor
And closes her bedroom door..."

 

"And he stares out the kitchen door

Where the sun will rise no more"

 

"Some are born to move the world

To live their fantasies
But most of us just dream about
The things we'd like to be

Sadder still to watch it die
Than never to have known it
For you, the blind who once could see
The bell tolls for thee"

[condemned2bfree]

On 8/22/2024 at 3:47 PM, flightops said:

"When I heard that he was gone
I felt a shadow cross my heart
But he’s nobody’s —

Hero"

 

"She limps across the floor
And closes her bedroom door..."

 

"And he stares out the kitchen door

Where the sun will rise no more"

 

"Some are born to move the world

To live their fantasies
But most of us just dream about
The things we'd like to be

Sadder still to watch it die
Than never to have known it
For you, the blind who once could see
The bell tolls for thee"

That's how it goes for me. There are lines from songs that make such an impression, I remember, and recite. The musical parts that make impact, I have to listen to once in a while.

[Alex’s Amazing Arpeggios]

On 6/17/2024 at 5:11 PM, Rush Didact said:

 

That's very weird indeed, because I think it's the best thing they ever did.

& Geddy Lee agrees 👍😎…

when I saw him on his book tour here in the UK last December, he said his favourite/most significant/era defining albums were/are …

2112

⭐️Power Windows⭐️

Clockwork Angels

[grep]

Christ what have you done?