Rush Catalog Emotion Detector (1985, Power Windows) https:/…

https://t.co/3U3Ol6Lo6u

Lyrics:

When we lift the covers from our feelings
We expose our insecure spots
Trust is just as rare as devotion —
Forgive us our cynical thoughts
If we need too much attention —
Not content with being cool
We must throw ourselves wide open
And start acting like a fool

If we need too much approval
Then the cuts can seem too cruel

Right to the heart of the matter
Right to the beautiful part
Illusions are painfully shattered
Right where discovery starts
In the secret wells of emotion
Buried deep in our hearts

It’s true that love can change us
But never quite enough
Sometimes we are too tender
Sometimes we’re too tough
If we get too much attention
It gets hard to overrule
So often fragile power turns
To scorn and ridicule
Sometimes our big splashes
Are just ripples in the pool

Feelings run high

Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
Lyrics by Neil Peart

My Grade: A+

I really wasn't sure how this song was going to age for me. It was an important song to me in the 1980s as a college student navigating relationships but had yet to deal with the emotional baggage of youth. The result was chaos, lots of emotions, and bad endings.

This song turned out to be one of my anchor points through that period, and truthfully it is one of the songs I have listened to least over the years. So I approached this song with a little anticipatory dread, and was astonished at what I found.

First. I thought I knew this song well, but repeated listenings today revealed new aspects of the song I had not picked up. This was a entirely production piece (too many parts top play live) and the richness of the song take effort to unpack.

This song was brutal for Rush to create... they blew up the guitar part a few weeks after putting it together. So I will start with Alex.... this has to be one of the most unique applications of his talent on any album. The song starts with an Eastern feel, and Alex's...

...notes carry a Xanadu vibe to start the track. Then Alex sets the melody before falling into rhythm mode, with constant interludes of well executed riffs. And his solo on this track is is technically flawless while also being emotionally stirring. It's probably my favorite...

...solo on this album. Another favorite on this album is Geddy's bass riffs, which excel to an extraordinary level during the first half of the guitar solo. Geddy also plays my favorite compositional use of keyboards on this track, which combine to make a highly textured song.

Neil's electronic drum kits gets put to the test, and again it is less about any one thing he does in this song, as opposed to how much he does in this song. The changing patterns and multi-layered elements make this tune a joy to listen.

Listening to it again, now after decades of therapy and medicine (I'm all about better living through chemistry!), the memories are now muted, and all I can hear is the beauty of this wonderful composition. Definitely a Rush fave after all these years.

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A song a day through Rush's catalog, followed by my Top 25. Please comment if you want a daily tag.

Reminder: My grading for each song is as if each song is the only Rush song, compared to the broader music world. All songs that get an A+ from me are nominated to my Top 25 (we are already up to 30 nominees, with a fair amount of catalog remaining).