Music of the Day, 21 August 2024
an ounce of perception, a pound of obscure
I’m not sure why, but today’s MotD started playing on the radio station in my mind yesterday afternoon. On waking this morning, it resumed looping, so I took that as my cue for the day.
If this song hadn’t been on the album it was, it might have become better known … maybe more widely known outside the Rush fandom too. There’s no way of knowing. I remember the first time I heard Moving Pictures in all its glory: grooving to the hits I already knew and adored, and noticing more details in the music that radio airplay obscures; and discovering the deep cuts. Each seemed great too, and all of a piece with the album … until I got to the last song.
What the hell was this?! An interesting amalgam of electrical/music-related terms used in the context of human relationships? Lifeson’s syncopated guitar riff in the intro pulsing left and right like an electric current? Lee’s frenetic bass line under the verses driving the energy, and Peart’s spare but effective drumming? And while the synths are there, they’re mostly in the background, unlike in all the other songs on the album.
How could a song be so lean yet also complex? Yet that’s what “Vital Signs” is. From a band whose discography is suffused with singular sounds, “Vital Signs” is arguably the most distinct. And for this individualist, the idea of deviating/elevating from the norm resonated deeply too. I’m sure I listened to it more than once back then. I adored it immediately, and my appreciation has only deepened over the years. It’s one of my favorite Rush songs.
It’s a very satisfying close to a powerhouse album.1 For me, “Vital Signs” feels very relevant to our current milieu as well. I’m certainly ready and working to drag my dream into existence.
Is it just me, or did Rush always do a great job of ordering the songs on their albums?
Great subtitle for your post and cool song. It reminds me of substacker Michael Estrin calling Rush a philosophy movement posing as a rock band (or something like that). Think he might be right.
I felt much the same way about "Vital Signs" -- if it had been on any other album, it would have been remembered for the genius track that it was. Yet on MOVING PICTURES, it was completely overshadowed! Great post, and not just because I agree with it wholeheartedly LOL