Rush Top Twenty Songs (15-11)

In this post we look at my favorite Rush songs, numbers 15-11.

(15) Distant Early Warning (Grace Under Pressure) - This song has grown on me over the years. It still has a little too much reliance on the synthesizers for my taste, but the melody line is haunting. Released in 1984, the lyrics reflect the cold war politics of the time.

An ill wind comes arising
Across the cities of the plain
There's no swimming in the heavy water --
No singing in the acid rain
Red alert
Red alert

It's so hard to stay together
Passing through revolving doors
We need someone to talk to
And someone to sweep the floors --
Incomplete
Incomplete

The world weighs on my shoulders
But what am I to do?
You sometimes drive me crazy --
But I worry
about you

I know it makes no difference
To what you're going through
But I see the tip of the iceberg --
And I worry about you...

Cruising under your radar
Watching from satellites
Take a page from the red book --
Keep them in your sights
Red alert
Red alert

Left and rights of passage
Black and whites of youth
Who can face the knowledge
That the truth is not the truth?
Obsolete
Absolute

(14) Limelight (Moving Pictures) - Rush is said to be one of those bands that avoids the limelight as much as possible. This song is Rush's reflection on playing before live audiences and dealing with fame.

Living on the lighted stage

Approaches the unreal
For those who think and feel
In touch with some reality
Beyond the gilded cage.

Cast in this unlikely role,
Ill-equipped to act,
With insufficient tact,
One must put up barriers
To keep oneself intact.

Living in the Limelight,
The universal dream
For those who wish to seem.
Those who wish to be
Must put aside the alienation,
Get on with the fascination,
The real relation,
The underlying theme.

Living in a fisheye lens,
Caught in the camera eye.
I have no heart to lie,
I can't pretend a stranger
Is a long-awaited friend.

All the world's indeed a stage,
And we are merely players,
Performers and portrayers,
Each another's audience
Outside the gilded cage.

(13) Tom Sawyer (Moving Pictures) - Tom Sawyer may be Rush's most popular song. The song has a great bass line and terrific guitar riff.

(12) Freewill (Permanent Waves) - The Rush song only an Arminian could love! Sadly, Neil Peart as an apparent unbeliever has a distorted view of God's sovereignty.

There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance,

A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance.

A planet of playthings, We dance on the strings Of powers we cannot perceive "The stars aren't aligned - Or the gods are malign"

Blame is better to give than receive. You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice. If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill; I will choose a path that's clear- I will choose Free Will.

There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand, The cards were stacked against them- they weren't born in Lotus-Land.

All preordained- A prisoner in chains- A victim of venomous fate. Kicked in the face, You can't pray for a place In heaven's unearthly estate.

Each of us- A cell of awareness- Imperfect and incomplete. Genetic blends With uncertain ends On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet.

(11) Fly By Night (Fly By Night) - This is a song that no doubt hooked many fans and it is still a fan favorite today. I love the time changes in the song.

Have You No Shame?

This is the kind of thing that goes on in California all the time. Why do you think the Dems fight showing some kind of proof of legal registration at the polls? It is an outrage, and any American who cherishes their right to vote should make their voice heard.

Rush Top Twenty Songs (20-16)

I am starting a new post on a top-twenty of my favorite Rush songs. Today, I will give you numbers 20-16. I will list the song and the album it is from in parenthesis and then make comments as I see fit.

#20 - In the Mood (Rush) - This is the first Rush song that I heard so it has a special place in my heart.

#19 - Anthem (Fly by Night) - This song is recognizable even without the lyrics however, Neil has written a great rock "anthem."

Know your place in life is where you want to be Don't let them tell you that you owe it all to me Keep on looking forward; no use in looking 'round Hold your head above the ground and they won't bring you down

Anthem of the heart and anthem of the mind A funeral dirge for eyes gone blind We marvel after those who sought New wonders in the world, wonders in the world, Wonders in the world they
wrought.

Live for yourself -- there's no one else More worth living for Begging hands and bleeding hearts will Only cry out for more

Well, I know they've always told you Selfishness was wrong Yet it was for me, not you, I Came to write this song

Do I agree with the message of the Lyrics? No, but it certainly expresses the philosophy of Rock and Roll!

#18 - Bastille Day (Caress of Steel) - There are not very many rock songs written about aspects of the French Revolution.

Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. It is called Fête Nationale (National Holiday) in France. It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the Fête de la Fédération was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern French "nation", and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. (From wikipedia)

There's no bread, let them eat cake
There's no end to what they'll take
Flaunt the fruits of noble birth
Wash the salt into the earth

But they're marching to Bastille Day
La guillotine will claim her bloody prize
Free the dungeons of the innocent
The king will kneel, and let his kingdom rise

Bloodstained velvet, dirty lace
Naked fear on every face
See them bow their heads to die
As we would bow as they rode by

And we're marching to Bastille Day
La guillotine will claim her bloody prize
Sing, o choirs of cacophony
The king has kneeled, to let his kingdom rise.

Lessons taught but never learned
All around us anger burns
Guide the future by the past
Long ago the mould was cast

For they marched up to Bastille Day
La guillotine -- claimed her bloody prize
Hear the echoes of the centuries
Power isn't all that money buys

Neil Peart reveals just how well read he really is.

#17 - Alien Shore (Counterparts) - This is one of Geddy's best vocal performances. In Neil's lyrics he explores those things that make men and women alien to one another and the differences in our cultures.

You and I, we are strangers by one chromosome
Slave to the hormone, body and soul
In a struggle to be happy and free
Swimming in a primitive sea

You and I, we must dive below the surface
A world of red neon, and ultramarine
Shining bridges on the ocean floor
Reaching to the alien shore

For you and me -- Sex is not a competition
For you and me -- Sex is not a job description
For you and me -- We agree

You and I, we are pressed into these solitudes
Color and culture, language and race
Just variations on a theme
Islands in a much larger stream

For you and me -- Race is not a competition
For you and me -- Race is not a definition
For you and me -- We agree

Reaching for the alien shore
You and I, we reject these narrow attitudes
We add to each other, like a coral reef
Building bridges on the ocean floor
Reaching for the alien shore

For you and me -- We hold these truths to be self-evident
For you and me -- We'd elect each other president
For you and me -- We might agree
But that's just us Reaching for the alien shore

#16 - The Speed of Love (Counterparts) - A love song of sorts, which is a rarity for Rush.

Love is born with lightning bolts
Electro-magnetic force
Burning skin and fireworks
A storm on a raging course

Like a force of nature,
Love can fade with the stars at dawn
Sometimes it takes all your strength
Just to keep holding on
At the speed of love
A radiance that travels
At the speed of love
My heart goes out to you.

For an instrumental medley of songs from the first six albums listen to this from R30.

History is His Story

I began noticing the use of B.C.E. (before the common era) and C.E. (common era) in place of B.C. and A.D. a few years ago when I was reading archeological and academic journals. Now its usage has become more common place. Al Mohler addresses a case in Kentucky where the Department of Education is trying to push their use in the Social Studies Curriculum. As usual he doesn't miss the irony of this attempt. He writes,

The nonsensical nature of this proposal comes down to this -- there is no way to get around the fact that the hinge year is assumed by tradition to be the year of Christ's birth. one can try to avoid any reference to Christ by using B.C.E. and C.E., but the numbers of the years still tell the story. If advocates of this change are really serious about avoiding all references to Christ, they will have to come up with a whole new numbering system for the years.

The head of the Kentucky Council if Churches says it is absurd to think that this is an attack on Christianity. Mohler responds,

Let's get this straight. The only motivation for replacing B.C. and A.D. with B.C.E. and C.E. is to avoid any reference to Jesus Christ. This system of dating has been in place for more than a millennium and a half, and its meaning has been almost universally understood. But, the head of the Kentucky Council of
Churches thinks it is "absurd" to suggest that this is an assault on Christianity.

The word "assault" may not be the right word to use here, but "insult" is just about right. Changing the references without changing the dating is nonsense. Denying the obvious is just not a winning intellectual strategy.

More Rush Videos

An acoustic version of "Resist," Rush unplugged?

"Driven" from Rush in Rio. This is one of my top five favorite Rush songs. I love the Bass line and Geddy has a little fun.

YYZ is one of Rush's better known instrumentals. There is a drum solo at the end that shows-off some of Neil Peart's talent. This video reveals how accomplished musicians these guys are.

HT Prosthesis

Abortion Clinic Shut Down

This is the dark side of the abortion industry that the MSM will never let you see.

A woman, Patient A, on 20Feb06, went to Summit Medical Center in Birmingham. While the staff took Patient A’s blood pressure reading of 182/129 (“a critically and dangerously high blood pressure that indicated a need for immediate medical treatment”), and while no physician was on the premises
(although records show there was a physician), an ultrasound was performed by a non-physician staff member; Patient A was told she was 6 weeks pregnant...

Patient A was given a dosage of Mifeprex and “Summit staff
dispensed four tablets of Misoprostol to Patient A and gave her instructions to insert the four tablets” on 22Feb06).

On the evening of 26Feb06, “Patient A presented to the emergency room of a Birmingham hospital with the head of a baby protruding". The baby was a "stillborn, macerated, six pound, four ounce baby".

HT Southern Appeal

Encore: 50 More Conservative Songs

John J. Miller has put together a list of 50 more conservative songs. Four more Rush songs are on the list.

Common Sense from Mr. Newt

This is an excerpt from Newt Gingrich's book To Renew America. Although it was written eleven years ago, I can say without a doubt that it expresses the common sense thoughts of most people I know.

There is no magic to solving the problem of illegal immigrants. It is not intellectually challenging. Throughout history, countries that have survived have learned to maintain their borders. There are plenty of practical examples of how to get the job done. If we work at it we can dry up 95 percent of illegal immigration within two or three years. Our challenge is getting to a clear decision, developing a workable plan, and implementing it relentlessly.

Read the whole thing.

When is a Protest, not a Protest?

Ann Coulter isn't always my cup of tea, but she sure knows how to put a liberal in their place. This article just drips with sarcasm, I hope you can appreciate it. HT my liberal mom

Andrew's Graduation Photos

Enjoying the "Pomp and Circumstances."

With the "folks."

With the proud family.

Andrew and Shannon - they are officially engaged!

Andrew made some great friends while at APU.

Andrew and Lindsey - They have been friends since Kindergarten

With the gang from Wasco.

Aaron's Graduation Photos

Aaron, giving the invocation. I will remember to focus next time.

With the proud parents! It is a good thing he gets his looks from his mother!

Excited that his High School career is over with!

With the entire Wheeler clan. We are all proud of you Aaron!!

Memorial Day

Let me say THANK YOU to all who have served in defense of our country, and let me give my sincerest condolences to those who have lost loved ones serving our country and preserving our freedoms.

There is a lot out there today in the blogosphere about Memorial Day. Here are some of the posts that spoke to me.

La Shawn Barber reminds us that Freedom is Not Free

Michelle Malkin has a video tribute at Hot Air

Betsy Newmark has cites a quote from a Marine explaining why he is fighting

Blackfive one of the great milbloggers has several moving posts on Memorial Day

The Federal Marriage amendment

Pepperdine Law Professor Douglas W. Kmiec makes very good argument (registration required) for the necessity of a Federal Marriage amendment. I have seen Kmiec on Fox News and don't believe he is one of those "right-wing" pundit types. If he is concerned about a back-door judicial coup on the issue of gay marriage then maybe we should be as well. This paragraph really stood out to me,

With the states being so vigilant in defense of traditional marriage, is there really a need for the people to act? Yes. Activists are deployed across the country challenging traditional marriage, and it is more than likely that some additional judges will compound the Massachusetts mistake. This increased
judicial approval of same-sex marriage will metastasize into the larger culture. Indeed, an insidious, but less recognized, consequence will be a push to demonize--and then punish--faith communities that refuse to bless homosexual unions.

Using the experience of the Boys Scouts as an example Kmiec writes,

While it may be inconceivable for many to imagine America treating churches that oppose gay marriage the same as racists who opposed interracial marriage in the 1960s, just consider the fate of the Boy Scouts. The Scouts have paid dearly for asserting their 1st Amendment right not to be forced to accept gay
scoutmasters. In retaliation, the Scouts have been denied access to public parks and boat slips, charitable donation campaigns and other government benefits. The endgame of gay activists is to strip the Boy Scouts (and by extension, any other organization that morally opposes gay marriage) of its tax-exempt status under both federal and state law.

For technical legal reasons, it is difficult to challenge a religious
group's non-profit status in federal court, but state court is more open. There, judicial decisions approving same-sex marriage or
even state laws barring discrimination can be used to pronounce any opposing moral or religious doctrine to be "contrary to public policy." So declared, it would be short work for a state attorney general's opinion to deny the tax-exempt status of charities and most orthodox Jewish, Christian and Islamic
religious bodies. If enough state lawyers do this, expect the IRS to chime in.

Read the rest of the article and be very concerned! For more read this Stanley Kurtz essay and this Weekly Standard article by Maggie Gallagher. HT Ed Whelan - Bench Memos

King James Onlyism

I grew up in a King James only church, that is a church were we were taught that the only true, accurate and inspired translation of the Word of God was the 1611 King James Version. Everything else was trash! Literally, we were taught that the newer versions were based on a manuscript found in a trash can in Alexandria, Egypt.

I can remember when I went off to Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College how rocked I was when I learned that only the original autographs were inspired, and while our translations today are authoritative and reliable, they are not themselves inspired. I had a real crisis of faith when I learned that simple truth.

Later, as I developed a proper bibliology my faith in God's word was restored. However, it was a long process for me to go from the KJV to the NKJV to what I use today, the NASB.

I can still remember visiting my home church (Yakima Bible Baptist Church) with my wife who happened to bring her NASB with her (discreetly) but somehow the Pastor found out about it and after the service, with several people around, held it up and called it trash! How sad that made us.

Any way, that church today has left the Baptist Bible Fellowship because it wasn't "conservative" enough and not "KJVO" enough, if you can believe that. They helped start a new "fellowship" called the "Global Independent Baptist Fellowship" which could just as well be called the "King James Only Baptist Bible Fellowship."

I still love that church and have many friends there. It is hard to see that they are still being taught this heresy. The sad part, and ironic as well, is that they claim to be big on the Word of God yet, topical sermons were / are the norm. I pray that they will see the light.

Fred Butler is doing a great job dealing with this issue at Hip and Thigh. Through one of his links I came across this article that really puts things in perspective about the whole movement.

Thanks, But No Thanks!

Ever get tired of that special friend sending you mass e-mails or e-mail chain letters? Here is your answer. HT The Christian Mind

The Christian Music Industry

I think this kid says what needs to be said. Let secular music be whatever it is, but let Christian music be Christian. HT Scot Aniol

An Immigration Top Ten List

Senator Jim DeMint's top ten reasons to oppose the Senate's "Amnesty Bill." I still say the Senate's approach to this issue lacks basic common sense. HT paleoevangelical

Fly By Night

I was visiting Fred Butler's blog, Hip and Thigh and I discovered that like me, he is a big fan of Rush (not the radio host but the band). I have all their albums in my CD collection and listen to them all the time. My sons don't get my fascination with the group although I think I am wearing them down.

I do prefer Rush pre-synthesizer, but nevertheless, there really isn't a "bad" Rush album. If I had to rate my favorite albums it would have to go something like this.

(1) A Farewell to Kings - the best Rush album by far

(2) Rush - I still listen to this self-titled album all the time

(3) 2112 - Rush at their epic story song, sci-fi best

(4) Hemispheres - this album ostensibly picks up where A Farewell to Kings left off, but it has two great stand alone songs, The Trees and La Villa Strangiato (my favorite Rush instrumental) along with a great side one. Cygnus X-1, Book Two is 18 minutes of amazing musicianship.

(5) Test for Echo - This is the best of Rush's most recent work. It is Rush going back to its roots (and no synthesizers!).

If you are not a Rush fan, watch this to see what you have been missing.

Born on 2437584.5.......

......according to the Julian Calendar that is. Curious about this and other interesting (and some not) things about your birthdate? Click here. HT Evangelical Outpost

Aaron's Graduation

Last night my second child, Aaron graduated from High School. The ceremony was very nice. Since he is Senior Class President, Aaron led the invocation and read one of his poems. Aaron, we love you and we are very proud of you.

After a summer of building up his bank account (lifeguarding and giving swim lessons), he will be heading off to Vanguard University to major in theatre and minor in music.

If you have small children or are just starting a family, enjoy every minute you can with them because before you know it, you'll be waving goodbye as they drive off to college.