As the prospect of going to a Rush concert looms on the horizon, I'm listening to more Rush, and I'm amazed how songs that seemes like happy shiny songs in highschool now seem very dark, insightful, and profound.
I found this to be particularly interesting, at the end of Middletown Dreams, a song about people dreaming about a better life that they will assuredly never achieve:
It's understood
By every single person
Who'd be elsewhere if they could
So far so good
And life's not unpleasant
In their little neighbourhood
And, indeed, life is not unpleasant, just because we dream of something better. But if this realization means that we abandon our dreams, then it's not worth it.
No, life is not unpleasant, but I do dream of better things, and there are indeed times that I am far away.
Posted by rbowen at May 25, 2004 03:10 PM | TrackBackI've always liked Rush -- they're one of the most musically talented and lyrically inventive groups in rock. Somehow or another, my interest has never quite gotten beyond being able to recognized "Working Man," "Tom Sawyer," "Limelight," and "Red Barchetta," among a handful of other tunes. Oh, and "Dreamline," which never became as popular as I thought it should have. Probably because no one can ever remember the name. At least, I can't.
Fate (or God, depending on whether you think the Lord is a Rush fan) has dumped me with a roommate who is a Rush fan. He's a drummer and he nearly worships Neil. (This makes a lot of sense, of course, since Neil is quite possibly the very best rock drummer ever.)
So, needless to say, I am deeply jealous of you. Please don't blog about how great the concert was after you've seen it, since I will have to see the medic for a sudden outbreak of green skin discoloration.
Come to think of it, God probably is a Rush fan.
Posted by: basil on May 29, 2004 07:37 PM