And this is why Rush’s fan base is so predominantly made up of us old nerds who were once young nerds just trying to survive the minefields of junior high and high school. The guys in Rush understood what we were going thru.💪🏻🤘🏻
@@bigbrutalbassbeer410 Asteroids, space invaders and defender got more than a couple coins from me also. I probably coulda bought my first car with the money.
The song Freewill helped guide me through all my friends turning into Jesus Freaks...I was like WTF? That song spoke to me and I figured out it was ok to believe what you believe and not follow these people down a road I didnt want to travel. Rush was and still is very important to my way of thinking.
This was their Bat signal for us Dreamers and Misfits. It called to me like a moth to a flame. This song was to let us know we weren't alone, we weren't going to let the "cool kids" keep us down. Love Rush and love the fact you read and try to understand the depth of Neil's masterful lyrics. Well done Jamel!
Wife: "Honey, we're going to be late picking up the kids!" Me: "Hang on, Jamel just discovered Rush, and Neil Peart's lyrics." Wife: "The kids will wait."
This came out when I was in high school in a small, nowhere farm town... struggling to find myself and where to fit in life... So... Yeah... It spoke to me to say the least
'Conform or be Cast Out' truly resonates. I now embrace my uniqueness, complexity, resourcefulness, bravery, creativity and individualism. Was picked on for it but I have persevered.
@@clab5864 Isn't it awesome when you can do that with confidence? Would not go back to school years to save my life. Now, at age 67, I'm close to many former classmates, some of whom I barely knew then. I found who I fit in with and it's amazing when we get together in person.
I couldn't agree more. I was in high school when this album was released and it describes being a teenager and high school kid more than any I know. My second favorite rush song.
Aside from neil being the greatest rock drummer of all time, there is such a genius to 2 small lines in this one rush song, "lose the race to rats, get caught in ticking traps." Something all of us regular people can relate to. Shit goes wrong in our lives sometimes, but for him to find the perfect usage of r's and t's, race to rats, and ticking traps, to make such a powerful statement in such an elegant way, it was soooo neil. Such a way with words and unmatched lyrical craftmanship in rock music.
@@cliffcampbell8827 I would say it's about the people who don't fit into any group "nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone". Or the people that are different than the norm.
@@rickhaddad7261 Yeah, about how society has all these cliques and if you don't belong, you're looked at with suspicion, fear and ignorance, which results in torment and harassment instead of celebrated as an individual and unique. "One of us, one of us, one of us." It's is easy to become "one of them" because it's welcoming and protective and easy (although, some groups do have a physical initiation that some would consider to be abuse or even a felony assult).
As a dreamer and misfit from a suburban high school, I so appreciate this song. This song was so different, with is heavy use of keyboards for the main sound texture of the verses, from earlier Rush albums.
Rush provided me with over 40 years worth of deep lyrics and awesome sound ... thanks Alex, Geddy, and Neil. Jamel, I suggest you install a seat belt on your chair, 'cause there's oh so much more Rush out there. I envy you getting to discover it all for the first time.
If Rush wanted to do a tribute tour/final tour, they’d have no problem finding a drummer who would want to do it. Their unique problem is finding a drummer who COULD do it. RIP Neil, a true legend.
Rush could absolutely not go on without Neil. Other bands have replaced drummers we know. I seen them a few times and I had fun watching them have fun while they are creating that music together and then performing it. It's friendship after more than 30 years at its best.
I still get chills EVERY TIME I hear that opening synth drone... This tune was as true in 1982 as it is now in 2019. The pressures to conform to societal 'norms' and to 'fit in' (be part of, and succeed in the rat race) seems to be a universal truth, and an unfortunate constant! This was and continues to be an 'anthem' for teenagers, especially in high school. Anyone who has had an awkward time during this period can completely feel and understand this song. Rush was always 'nerd' rock - it's intellectual lyrical subject matter, and complex progressive music always spoke to us free-thinkers, the non-conformists, the nerds, the misfits. This is why we love our Holy Trinity from Toronto so much!! Great reaction - thanks for this one!
Roger Waters wrote about the same themes in a dark yet musically brilliant way on Pink Floyd's "Animals" album. It's more a reflection on society and greed in a grander scope than about high school, but if you broke the songs and lyrics on the"Animals" album down into many small parts, the period of life described in Rush"s "Subdivisions" would fit right in. He definitely carries those themes on in "The Wall". The young child having to conform etc. Love how so many bands great music ties in together in a sometimes remote way with some other band and it makes you think of them.Cheers from canada
Yes Darren, the sentiments here are indeed universal and truthful. Many see Rush as a uniquely Canadian band but their art and meaning are for all of us and for all times. Someone once wrote that great artists have no country. As a teenager growing up on the edge of a British town in the late 80s, this was just as powerful for me. You just HAVE to love Rush!
Then you grow up and long for those days of quiet and peace that you wanted nothing to do with in your youth. Everything eventually comes around full circle.
One of my favourite ever songs. The mad time signature, the flow of the verses, and the melody of the chords all click perfectly together, it's such a perfectly written song in every aspect, from the music to the lyrics to the instrumentation, just amazing.
One aspect of their music that constantly gets overlooked is the syncopation. Everything is so precise that it just amazes me every time. Consummate professionals in every aspect.
I agree. I have listened to Rush (favorite band) since 1983. THIS ALBUM started it. It was released at the end of 1982 (high school for me) and the school was flooded with these t-shirts after these sold out shows. In any case, watching THIS reaction to the lyrics of this song in particular was amazing. Brought me to tears. These lyrics for every suburban kid in high school were iconic. To see the same lyrics strike someone new...almost 40 years later... no words.
Saw Rush twice in the 80’s. Watched Geddy fret bass notes with his left hand while playing keyboards with his right all the while playing bass pedals with his feet. Oh yeah forgot to mention he also sings complex vocals.......Amazing! Disregard anyone who criticizes his singing as a looser
This song came out in 1982. Rush was my band in junior high and high school. This song resonated with me so much, since I was one of those dreamers and misfits. If you get a chance to watch the actual music video, it takes you right back...
My favorite Rush song there. It debuted at the perfect time for me. And I heard every word then. Still haven't forgotten it. Those of us who felt like outsiders and weirdos heard with our own ears that someone, Rush, knew what we were feeling, meaning we were not alone.
Geddy's voice is probably the most unique of the rock groups out there period. As a male who sang in concert choir and men's chorus I can't say that Geddy would have ever been in that setting with his voice, but when I was in I school listening to the radio, there was never a doubt in my head that I was listening to a RUSH song when I heard Geddy singing. I always wondered what he looked like. I imagined a short, skinny teenager produced those sounds. Imagine years later when I actually saw one of their videos. A very bizarre reaction I had. He looks like he should have a lower voice. Either way, the three of them are/were an awesome band. RIP Neil.
The anthem of misfits and nerds both old and young( I'm 58, and still relate to it). That synth just adds to the feeling of the lyrics. Rush, intelligent music, as usual
Signals was one of the first albums I ever had. Brings back great memories. "The suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth". Indeed.
Loved watching your reaction to one of my favorite songs from arguably my favorite band. It's a shame Rush isn't more well known than they already are, but in a way that makes it more of a treat watching when someone's mind is blown by their artistic and lyrical mastery.
rush - the thinking man's rock. Saw them live twice , once for the "moving pictures" tour and again for the "signals" tour back in the early 80's. Still have my ticket stubs, concert tee and some fond memories of a certain little blond honey that accompanied me, lol. Do "working man" my fave rush tune. The guitar work is out of this world.
Those were awesome Rush concerts in those days. I've been to 5 Rush concerts with my brother over the years. The first one was The Grace Over Pressure tour on May 24, 1984 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. 2nd one was the Hold Your Fire tour on February 25, 1988 in Los Angeles. 3rd was the Presto tour on March 30, 1990. 4th was Roll The Bones tour on January 20, 1992 in San Diego. We enjoyed that one so much we bought tickets for another Roll The Bones concert in Reno on June 1, 1992.
I remember as a teenager hearing this and though I did not not live in a subdivision, I totally related to these lyrics. They still resonate today in many ways unsettling ways.
Love how one can see, by the end of the second verse, your face changing a little from grooving out to hearing more in the lyrics. Then the stunned realization of how deep the lyrics are at the first time of "In the high school halls, in the shopping malls. Be cool or be cast out." Hits like a ton of bricks. I had the same reaction when I first heard Subdivisions and it instantly became one of my favourites.
All I can say to you buddy, is watch one of their many concert DVD’s to see them perform these great songs and see their amazing musical talents because it honestly does them no justice, these men were and still are ICONS 🤘🏻🤘🏻
"These are some deep lyrics" Why yes, they are. Thanks for checking out the various songs of Rush! It has been entertaining watching you experience their music for the first time. You have good taste in music.
@@godbluffvdgg Well I've been listening to Rush for so long I even laughed out loud when everyone complained that Vapor Trails needed remixing....and a little irked when Rush actually did it, but hey - there's still the original!
It's amazing to watch teenagers and parents afraid to let kids fail through the lens of this song. "He's got to make his own mistakes and learn to mend the mess he makes. He's old enough to know what's right and young enough not to choose it." Brilliant.
...can't name any other song which impressed me more and touched me deeper in the year 1982 (at the age of 21) than THIS SONG...... maybe my all-time favorite of Rush!
A great song about growing up in the suburbs. The official video for this song illustrates that too. The drummer (one of the best in the business) is the one who writes almost all of the lyrics for this band. I really like your reactions!
I've had Rush's music with me for almost 40 years. Thank you for the chance to experience it anew through your eyes. Welcome to Club Rush, my good sir!
Dude I love watching you "discover" Rush... I was too young to really appreciate what I was blessed to be listening to when each new album came out, but I envy you for being able to hear Rush for the first time with each new video you post
I think the lyrics of subdivisions are very complex, yet meaningful and beautiful. Still have a powerful connection to many listeners. Rush rocks period. ☮️
This has always been my favorite by Rush, I know they have so many good tunes but this one speaks to me in ways the others don't. I've never been part of the crowd, never had bunches of friends, and this song makes me feel less alone. I am that misfit, but this made me aware that there are others who feel the same. I honestly get choked up every time I hear it, and yes that means I'm crying as I write this. Good tears tho ✌
I'm very happy you came back to Rush and this song. It's a timeless classic, probably my favorite from them. Couple of others to listen to at some point, Limelight and Working Man.
Those two are so different-the most popular radio friendly song of theirs and a Pre-Peart straight ahead hard rock song. By-Tor would be a mind trip too, or 2112
Essa música é perfeita. Tudo, desde o riff de teclados, a voz, a letra, os harmônicos, solos, progressão, dinâmica. Quem disse que música pop não pode ser obra de arte?
Saw them in 1978 when the Hemispheres album came out. What a trip I got to go on that night!!! Love the deep meanings in the lyrics. The intelligence you hear in the lyrics and the music is like no other
This was the next record after Moving Pictures album. Sometimes with Rush it helps to know what order a record came in to understand how they were changing over time. A lot d great songs on this record. I really like Analog Kid and Digital Man songs. Digital Man has some really cool drum and bass grooves.
Yes, good comment about knowing the order of the songs, it would have been cool if started off with songs from the first LP and worked his way through to see the way they changed over the course of their career. But someone knew to Rush probably wouldn't realize or think of doing it that way. But it is nice to see how much our man here enjoys the band. I figured he would given he enjoys some great lyrics, Rush has plenty of those! I always thought their "stages" are quite well defined in a way if you look at their first 12 studio LPs, broken into quarters with a live LP ending an era. Era 1: Rush, FBN, CoS, 2112 are the formative years. Rock and Roll with the influences of prog rock/sci-fi/fantasy seeping in and being perfected with 2112. Then we get live LP AtWaS. Era 2: AFTK, HEMI, PeW, MP continues with more prog and sci-fi transitioning thru the era from the epic length songs to a more compact and more refined sound. Then we get the live LP, E:SL. Era 3: SIG, GuP, PoW, HYF. More synth similar to a lot of the pop bands of the early 80s (but Rush did it better!) begins this era, then with the next two LPs, they toned back on the synth a bit and really shifted focus that would lead them into the 90s and beyond with the release of the live LP ASoH, ending the 80s for the band.
@@norwegianblue2017 My last Rush show was 2006. Imagine my joy when they opened with "Limelight" and went straight into "Analog Kid." I didn't think I would ever get to hear that one live. And "The Weapon" does not get nearly enough enough love in the Rush canon.
My favorite Rush song! 😎 I can play the jwyboard parts! 🎹 This describes my youth. I was a boy in 1982. Good sequel: Synchronicity 2, released the next year, 1983. Written by Sting, performed by his band The Police. 🎸
I heard of RUSH in Cuba when I was living there in the eighties. I was blown away. Even more excitement when I saw them in concert in West Palm Beach, FL for the first time. Amazing lyrics and masters of instruments.
One of the best drummers ever, jus passed... Man, The Dan, Boston and Rush could have take n over the world back then.... glad I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s
The song isn't just about what it's like to be a nerd in high school. But how the circle of life goes. at the end, that nerdy kid, grew up got tired of life in the big city moved out to The burbs, which resulted in his own kid being a lonely video game nerd.
The Trees is pretty advanced Rush content. Now I gotta see how he got to Subdivisions, if he took the long path he is ready for more sunlight, if not, the oaks will ignore his plea.
This is probably my favorite Rush song. Sure, they have their epics, which are stellar, but this song, with it's lyrics and the keyboards, just seethe into my brain, and I get chills every time I hear it.
traumaturgist SBI yes, it’s a bit irritating. Anyone who goes to the bother of putting out these lyric videos should at least get crucial parts of the lyrics right! Grrr... Still, reactors generally get the gist. There are worse things!
@@kevinmcfarlane2752 Yeah, I watch a lot of reviewers and many lyric videos even have incorrect spelling of words! Like the Animals songs by PF. "It's too late to LOOSE control..." That one always sticks out in my mind. Seriously, if going through the trouble to make a lyric video, at least learn how to spell! Or refer to the actual lyrics as I am sure they are easily found with a simple Google search!
Neil Pert was possibly one of the best rock drummers ever...They all brought their to the table...Geddy Lee ur right...had exactly the voice of Rush...Geddy Lee and Alex lifeson wrote the hooks and melodies while Neal Pert wrote the lyrics...I figured you would like the lyrics...Witch Hunt by Rush is another amazing song...peace
That change at 4:46 gets me for some reason. Makes the whole song. One of those things you can't express in words....anyone else know what I'm trying to put into words that can't be spoken? Edit: It happens throughout the song again at 5:08.
Peart is filling the breaks. He was the master of that. He would add these little fills into the second verse to prevent the song from coming a generic sounding pop tune
When you get around to watching Tom Sawyer you have to see the live version it's actually a live studio version it's fantastic. You need to see these three guys in action it's just amazing.
I was 16 and would listen to Rush and this song with my best friend at his parents house. Except there were no parents as they lived 3000 miles away and left a mansion to my friends 19,18 year old sisters. I basically lived there 6 nights a week. It was fun but we both kinda knew that nobody really cared about us. All of our outsider friends thought we had the world by the tail. We were the cool ones in the basement bars in the backs of cars but it all was a bit hollow. Holed up in a bedroom at parties smoking weed playing God of who or who wasn't allowed. It was our only power over jocks and the Cheerleaders who only wanted to be your friends on the weekends.
A really solid album, and my first Rush album that I owned. I had a cassette copy of the live album Exit... stage left before, but this one was my first which I outright owned. An still own to this day (on vinyl of course) ❤
In 1982, I listened to Subdivisions while sitting in the backseat of a car getting high in a parking lot before we went into a suburban mall. Rush knew what was up then and now.
I started listening to Rush in the 80s. To this day if you ask me what my all time fav band is I will tell you hands down, RUSH!! Their music will never get old for me. it will still give me all the feels I crave from music!! Thank you for doing this vids man!!
that was the song of MY youth...it came out just as i was starting high school...in a catholic suburb where every kid's parent had a "basement bar" and that's where we partied...the peer pressure to "be cool or be cast out" was very real...and the professor, neil peart, captured that maxim perfectly in this song...and his drums were SMOKIN' even more than his lyrics...which is why he will always and forever be my favorite drummer of all-time!
