25. Red Sector A — A dark song but I’ve always loved the keyboard energy in this one .
24. Passage To Banghok — Great opening riff, one of Rush’s best.
23. One Little Victory — “A certain measure of tolerance, a willingness to rise above…”
22. Limelight — “Living on a lighted stage approaches the unreal for those who think and feel…” Lotta truth in those lyrics.
21. YYZ — Just watch live version of this from Rio and thank me later.
20. Subdivisions — “Be cool or be cast out!”
19. Force Ten — “Tough times demand tough hearts…
18. Dreamline — “Wondering what our dreams might be worth. Learning that we’re only immortal for a limited time…”
17. Natural Science — They busted this out a tour a few years and I rediscovered what I loved about it on the first cassette tape I ever bought — Permanent Waves
16. The Trees — An ode to being Canadian, as in maple trees in the shade of the oak…
15. Time Stand Still — In general, I’m an Aimee Mann fan. And the words to this one stands the test of time. “The innocence slips away…”
14. Resist – “I can learn to resist anything but temptation…”
13. Xanadu – Not much for the lyrics but Neil Peart’s use of percussion in this was groundbreaking.
12. Ton Sawyer – “He gets high on you…”
11. Show Don’t Tell – Results, the world wants evidence. “You can twist perceptions, reality won’t budge…”
10. The Camera Eye – A song about New York and the sense of possibilities.
9. Closer To The Heart – “The men who hold high places must be the ones who start…” Try telling our politicians that!
8. Distant Early Warning – “The world weighs on my shoulders but what am I to do? I’ve seen the tip of the iceberg and I worry about you…” Great video with bi-level haircuts.
7. Spirit Of Radio – “All this machinery making modern music can still be openhearted…One likes to believe in the freedom of music. But glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity…” Trust me, this is all true!
6. Vital Signs – “Unstable condition, a symptom of life…”
5. New World Man – The band’s biggest “hit” record, this is an underappreciated and almost forgotten peon to technology and the evolution of man. “He’s got a problem with his poisons but you know he’ll find a cure…”
4. Freewill – If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice. This classic rocker from Permanent Waves featured Geddy’s shrill falsetto at its finest.
3. Cold Fire – Relationships. Everybody’s got them, now what do we do with them?
2. Marathon – “Got to pick up the pace, if you want to stay in the race.”
1. Red Barchetta – The story about a car, a boy and a vision of a summer drive in the country on the lam. The kinetic rhythm and play between Geddy and Alex make this Rush’s best song. I never get tired of listening to it. Even 32 years later…
