Return Of The Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs Ever

Previously on my Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs Ever article, I was trying to see if I could choose ten of my all time favorite Rush songs. With the sheer amount of albums that Rush has, I quickly found that choosing just ten songs out of all those albums would be impossible.

On Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs Ever, I started from the first of many Rush albums and simply chose one song from each album, beginning with their first album titled simply Rush and winding up on or with their Signals album. Basically, I went in chronological order as I chose a song from each album. On that article I stated that I would be doing another top favorite Rush songs article so that I could cover more albums and more songs. You just can't define Rush in ten songs.

In this article I will be doing it a little differently than what I did on Top 10 Favorite Rush Songs Ever and my other articles or reviews on Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and AC/DC. On this article or review, I will be starting from their latest albums and work my way backward in time.

In this list of my favorite Rush songs, I try to choose as many different songs as I can from as many different albums as I can. My method, will be to choose songs that I personally enjoy, but also choose songs that will show the amazing range and diversity of Rush, the band.

By the way, Clockwork Angels is due to be released in the spring of 2012 and is their next highly anticipated album, but I will start with their album called Snakes & Arrows.

1. Rush - Hope
The song Hope is from their album called Snakes & Arrows which was released in the year 2007. Hope is an instrumental piece performed by Alex Lifeson on a twelve string acoustic guitar. It is one of the shortest songs on the album Snakes & Arrows, but I think it's of the best. I am a die hard Lifeson fan and it's a wonderful instrumental.

I chose to skip their cover songs album called Feedback from 2004 and Vapor Trails from 2002 and go on to the album called Test For Echo. I hope that the Rush fans out there can understand why I had to do that to cover other albums and songs.

2. Rush - Virtuality
The song Virtuality is from their album named Test for Echo which was released in the year 1996. I really like several of the songs on the Test for Echo album like Dog Years, Resist and Totem, but I chose Virtuality because I liked the sort of heavy metal feel to it. I also liked it because of the guitar techniques Lifeson is doing where you can hear some plucked octaves in the chorus.

3. Rush - Stick It Out
For kind of the same reasons I chose Virtuality from their Test for Echo album, I chose Stick It Out from their Counterparts album. To me, these songs are a little different than the Rush in the old days. They are harder and heavier. They almost have a darker, Alice In Chains grunge feel to them. All I know is that I like them. The song Stick It Out is from their album called Counterparts which was released in the year 1993.

I skipped their album called Roll The Bones ( I can hear the loyal Rush fans groaning hard and cursing my name right about now) and begin again on their Presto album.

4. Rush - The Pass
The song: The Pass, is from their album named Presto which was released in the year 1989. I love how Geddy Lee's bass part starts out this song! I think this song is a natural progression from their Hold Your Fire and Power Windows albums. I like how Geddy Lee comes to the forefront in this song and plays well and sings well with some great accompanying guitar by Lifeson. Mostly I just love the bass part.

5. Rush - Mission
The reason I chose Mission from their Hold Your Fire album is mostly cause of the lyrics and melody.

Here are some excerpts, from what are some of my all time favorite Rush lyrics-

a chorus:

spirits fly on dangerous missions
imaginations on fire
focused high on soaring ambitions...
consumed in a single desire

and then I love this particular part:

It's cold comfort
to the ones without it
to know how they struggled
how they suffered about it...

if their lives were exotic and strange
they would likely have gladly exchanged them
for something a little more plain
maybe something a little more sane...


The song Mission is from their album called Hold Your Fire which was released in the year 1987.


6.Rush - Marathon
The song Marathon is from their album called Power Windows which was released in the year 1985. Marathon is a catchy tune and if you have been listening to any of the songs above, it should be obvious that Rush has an amazing range or repertoire of songs. There is definitely some style or some taste, that just about anyone can enjoy. These types of Rush songs, such as Marathon and Mission, sound superb on top of line home stereos or expensive headphones, so that you can get the most out of the songs.

7. Rush - Kid Gloves
I like Kid Gloves because I love the way Alex Lifeson starts it out on guitar. It's a simple but catchy tune, that becomes more complex with Geddy Lee's vocals and Lifesons sharp, clear changes and chords. Later, Lifeson starts ripping some leads that are out of this world. The song Kid Gloves is from their album called Grace Under Pressure which was released in the year 1984.


8. Rush - Analog Kid
In my first article on Rush I wanted to include Analog Kid but chose Digital Man from the same album instead. I like Analog Kid because it is upbeat and fast. It reminds me of their songs from Moving Pictures, such as Tom Sawyer and Limelight. The song Analog Kid is from their album called Signals which was released in the year 1982.


9. Rush - Closer To The Heart
I wanted to include the song Closer To The Heart on my original article too, but just ran out of room or choices. Most people who don't even like Rush usually love Closer To The Heart. Although I have tried to avoid the most popular of Rush songs so that I could showcase many of the others, I just had to put Closer To The Heart in there. I am still looking for a version of this song that I once had, that was exceptionally good. It was a live version, where Lifeson starts improvising toward the end, more than usual. If I find it, I will put it up. The song Closer To The Heart is from their album called A Farewell to Kings which was released in 1977.


10. Rush - By-Tor & the Snow Dog
The song By-Tor & the Snow Dog is from their double live album called All the World's a Stage which was released in 1976. By-Tor & the Snow Dog is epic and classic Rush. If you are a Rush fan, nothing more can be said. If you have never heard it, then it can only speak for itself.

I added Tears, Something For Nothing and A Passage To Bangkok as bonus tracks because it seemed like the thing to do at the time.


I hope to see everyone at the next Rush concert!