Song Notes
The opening track from Signals is "Subdivisions," which has been a staple of many of the band's tours since its recording.
"The Analog Kid" and "Digital Man" served as the inspiration for writer Troy Hickman to create the comic book heroes of the same names in the 2004 comic Common Grounds.
"Digital Man," a slightly reggae-based song, ultimately led to the end of the band's relationship with long-time producer Terry Brown. Brown was reluctant to leave behind the band's progressive-rock past, while the band members, especially Lee, wanted to explore new musical directions. The midsection of the song has been compared with the song "Walking on the Moon" by The Police. A slightly adapted version of the song was brought back for the 2007 Snakes And Arrows Tour, marking the first time Rush performed it in nearly 23 years.
"The Weapon" (Part II of the 'Fear' series) would be featured in the album's supporting tour and would include a video opening hosted by Count Floyd of SCTV fame.
"New World Man" became a surprise hit single for the band, peaking at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for three weeks in October and November 1982. It remains the band's highest charting single (and the only to reach the top 40) in the US to date. It also reached #1 on the Top Tracks chart for 2 weeks. Written and recorded with the intention of preserving the continuity of the then-popular cassette tape format, this allowed for two roughly 21-minute sides with as little "dead air" between them as possible.
Neil Peart's lyrics for "Losing It" reference, among other things, the latter years of writer Ernest Hemingway: "for you the blind who once could see, the bell tolls for thee...". This song remains the only track from the album never to have been performed in concert.
The lyrics in the final track, "Countdown," describe the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981, which the band witnessed. The song features audio clips of some of the radio talk recorded during the maiden flight. It was a minor UK chart hit in early 1983.
Signals represented the band's last collaboration with producer Terry Brown, who had co-produced every Rush album since 1975's Fly by Night, and had engineered the eponymous first album in 1974.
The Lyrics for "Chemistry" were written by all three band members. It is the last time to date that Lee or Lifeson have contributed lyrics to a Rush song.
Read more about this topic: Signals (Rush album)
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