Rush is a Canadian rock band made up of Geddy Lee (bass guitar, keyboards, vocals), Alex Lifeson (guitar), and Neil Peart (drums, lyricist). Their works' theme is science fiction with a philosophical perspective. The band's style evolved over time, from blues-based hard rock to progressive rock, before transitioning to a more commercial electronic sound in the 1980s. Clockwork Angels was released in 2012, followed by a mutually agreed-upon break, and the death of drummer Neil Peart in 2020 confirmed that it would be the band's final album.
Many rock bands were inspired by Rush. Metallica, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, The Smashing Pumpkins, Dream Theatre, Symphony X... the list goes on and on.
Rush's music has various inspirations, including the Beatles, Black Sabbath, The Who, Cream, and Led Zeppelin, but it is mainly influenced by British progressive rock from the 1970s, particularly Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, and Jethro Tull. Rush followed the progressive rock tradition by writing many songs with free and shifting structures, diverse moods, and philosophical, allegorical or phantasmagoric lyrics.
The author of the songs was primarily the band's drummer, Neil Peart, who enjoyed reading books since childhood, which has had a significant impact on both him and the band's works. A striking example is the song "Tom Sawyer," which is based on Mark Twain's classic adventure tale. In this song, Rush referred to the free-spirited man of his time.
No, his mind is not for rent
To any god or government.
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren’t permanent –
But change is․․․
However, the writings of Ayn Rand, an American philosopher and writer, had the largest influence on the band. She was born in Petersburg in 1905 to a chemist’s family and was given the name Alisa Rosenbaum. Following the Bolshevik revolution, she was able to travel to the United States and increase her activities. Rand is regarded as the founder of objectivism (individualism), the concept of which is "man as a heroic being with his own happiness as the moral purpose of life, with productive achievements as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute". Individualism was highlighted throughout the band's activities, including its songs. The chorus of the song "Freewill" from the album Permanent Waves discusses the value of being an individual:
You can choose from phantom fears
And kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that’s clear
I will choose free will.
The song "Vital Signs" from the album Moving Pictures also reflects the same theme:
Everybody got mixed feelings
About the function and the form
Everybody got to elevate
From the norm…
Not only Ayn Rand's philosophy inspired the band but also her individual works. The first track on the album Fly by Night was "Anthem", based on Ayn Rand's novella of the same title. It also discusses individualism:
Live for yourself, there’s no one else
More worth living for
Begging hands and bleeding hearts
Will only cry for more.
On the next album, Ayn Rand's fantasy novel Anthem became the basis for a larger work, the 20-minute programme suite "2112". Before we go into it, let’s briefly introduce Anthem, the novella.
Anthem depicts a future civilisation in which individuality and uniqueness are abandoned in favour of communism and harsh government control.
The story takes place in a world in which the concept of "individuality" has completely vanished. When discussing themselves, people use the collective pronoun "we" rather than "I" because "I" is outlawed. A government known as the World Council governs all aspects of life, prohibiting any sort of independent expression or creativity. Each position is assigned to its own facility, such as the House of Scholars, House of Cleaners, House of Leaders, and so on. People live with coworkers rather than families, and all children live together. The government decides the fate of 15-year-old youngsters without considering their opinions.
The novel's main character is Equality 7-2521, who stands out for his intelligence and curiosity. However, he is hampered by societal rules, which limit the development and accomplishments of an independent mind. He secretly wishes for knowledge and freedom. Since he was a child, he has asked himself questions and attempted to comprehend and reveal the mysteries concealed in many occurrences. However, as per the World Council's ruling, he becomes a cleaner.
One day, while working, Equality 7-2521 discovers a hidden tunnel. When he gets there, he notices many remnants of the past and realises that no one has been there since time immemorial. The hero is becoming increasingly interested in the world that existed before the repressive tyranny of his time. Following that, he made it his life ambition to explore the world.
Equality 7-2521 falls in love with Liberty 5-3000, a female he happens to see doing business in the park next door. One day, he manages to converse with her, which is considered a sin in that "city".
Equality 7-2521, who studies natural materials, is able to produce electricity. The last invention before that was the creation of a candle, decades ago. Equality 7-2521 resolves to propose his idea to the government; however, the members of the World Council reject it. They have grown to be so uneducated that they fear even a smallest light. To avoid being persecuted for his thoughts and creations, Equality 7-2521 flees the city. And as it turns out, his lover flees the city as well, following in the hero's footsteps, eventually finding him.
In the forest, Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 start to embrace freedom, love, and explore the world together. They decide to reside in an abandoned yet technologically advanced glass house after discovering it one day. There were numerous books in the house, and after reading them, they realised that they are "I" rather than "we,", and they decided on new names for themselves. Equality 7-2521 renamed himself Prometheus, while Liberty 5-3000 renamed herself Gaea. And thus, they began a fresh existence free of the limitations of collectivist society.
The story concludes with the hero taking on the responsibility of rescuing his friends, whom he abandoned in the doomed city.
Anthem is about individualism, personal identity, and the power of the human spirit in the face of oppressive cultural conventions. The novel clearly reflects the author's point of view, which is in line with the "objectivism" philosophical perspective he founded. Some argue that Ayn Rand's story had a substantial influence on George Orwell's novel 1984.
2112 is one of the most well-known and important albums by Rush. It consists of six songs, the main one being the first song, which gave the album its name. The story is set in a hypothetical future (2112) in a temple where the priests decide what the members of society can read or sing. Everything is predetermined; everything is identical. Individuality and creativity are lost. Priests do this to ensure that everyone is happy, safe, and not different from one another. The hero of this story discovers a guitar and realises he can play it. He takes the guitar to the priests and says that it can change people's lives. However, the priests smash the guitar in response. As a result of pressure, the hero eventually commits suicide.
The song "2112" is divided into seven non-interrupting movements that last a total of 20 minutes.
OVERTURE. The overture, as expected, contains no words. There is only one line from the Bible: "And the meek shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).
TEMPLES OF SYRINX. In this section, the priests who rule the city are presented, whose thoughts are reminiscent, as in Ayn Rand's novella, of the communist ideology of widespread equality, which is the very target of the song's criticism:
We’ve taken care of everything
The words you read
The songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure
To your eye
One for all and all for one
Work together
Common sons.
In another part of the song, it can be seen that the priests hide all the discoveries from the people and do not allow individuals to think:
Never need to wonder
How or why.
DISCOVERY. In this section, the hero of the song discovers a guitar in a lost cave:
What can this strange device be?
When I touch it, it gives forth a sound.
It’s got wires that vibrate, and give music
What can this thing be that I found?
This corresponds to the section of Rand's work in which Equality discovers the cave and begins to spend time there studying natural phenomena.
PRESENTATION. After playing the guitar for a long time, the hero of the song goes to the priests to show them what he has discovered:
I know it’s most unusual
To come before you so
But I’ve found an ancient miracle
I thought that you should know
Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There’s something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you.
To this the priests answer:
Yes, we know
It’s nothing new
It’s just a waste of time
We have no need for ancient ways
Our world is doing fine
Another toy
That helped destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn’t fit the plan․․․
These words reveal that the priests keep secrets from the people. They forbid the hero from playing. This is equivalent to the scene in Anthem where Equality goes to show the scientists the electricity he discovered.
ORACLE, THE DREAM. In this passage, the hero sees a dream that appears to have been given by the prophets. That dream comes from people who left this world years ago to build a beautiful alternative:
I see the works of gifted hands
Grace this strange and wondrous land
I see the hand of man arise
With hungry mind and open eyes.
This corresponds to the part of "Anthem" where Equality finds a house made of glass and realises that there are other societies where innovation and individuality are valued.
SOLILOQUY. In this section, the hero realises he can no longer live after discovering the entire truth. He attempts to commit suicide.
I don’t think I can carry on
This cold and empty life
My spirits are low, in the depths of despair
My lifeblood
Spills over….
The hero in "Anthem" realises he cannot live like this as well, but instead of committing suicide, he flees the city.
THE GRAND FINALE. In the last part, planes emerge in the skies and bomb the Temple and the priests, bringing an end to that government.
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
Most likely, the passengers of the plane are the same people who helped the hero to see the dream.
Author: Mher Yengibaryan
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