Every Rush Song Ranked (1 Viewer)

[LafourcheSaint]

https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-rush-songs-ranked

4 out of the top 10 are from Moving Pictures. Personally I enjoy mid 80's Rush the most with Grace Under Pressure being my favorite album followed by Power Windows.

I got a chance to see them in 2010 and they put on a great show.

180. "Virtuality," Test for Echo (1996)
This is completely unfair. On a strictly musical level, "Virtuality" is not Rush's worst song. The thumping bass is good and the dissonant clang of the guitar kinda kicks arse. But these lyrics. THESE LYRICS! Test for Echo is all about communication, and 1996 was the year many of us got our first email addresses. The refrain: "Net boy, net girl/Send your impulse 'round the world/Put your message in a modem/And throw it in the Cyber sea!" Holy sheet, guys, this is humiliating. For years I would sing this song aloud every time I got online and went to a bulletin board. I demand recompense for emotional damages.


179. "Roll the Bones," Roll the Bones (1991)
Shoot me. It's the canned synth-horns straight out of Yes' "Owner of a Lonely Heart" paired with a groove that's maybe a little too self-confident, and lyrics like "Why are we here/Because we're here." And then it's got... rapping. Yes, that's Geddy Lee, his voice modulated down a bit, doing a mid-song rap that rhymes "facts" with "gluteus max." Let's just move on.


178. "Double Agent," Counterparts (1993)
A rare miserable Rush song. Even though there's some cool dissonant guitar fills, the spoken-word element is embarrassing and the call-and-response ("Wound up and tight" "Soooooo tight!") is like something out of a Saturday Night Live parody. Cringe.


177. "Time and Motion," Test for Echo (1996)
A round-peg-in-square hole as '90s sludge rock tries to mix with Dream Theater-esque synths. It doesn't work and it is hella annoying. The "motion" of the title is made by my finger hitting fast-forward.

 

[superchuck500]

I see you left Time Stand Still off of your mid-80s Rush video package. Probably a wise choice . . . decent song (and the Aimee Mann part is nice), but that video . In their defense, the 80s did that to pretty much everyone.

 

[Sun Wukong]

I see you left Time Stand Still off of your mid-80s Rush video package. Probably a wise choice . . . decent song (and the Aimee Mann part is nice), but that video . In their defense, the 80s did that to pretty much everyone.

Time Stands Still came out in 1987. There is no real excuse for the production value here. This looks like it was done in a cable access studio. Good lord.

 

[boutrous]

Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures are my favorite albums. Although I really appreciate the individual efforts of 3 amazing musicians and some of the best at their instruments, their overall sound and song quality to me has always be sort of meh.

 

[DCSaints_Fan]

Definitely agree with #1.

Spirit of Radio should be higher.

Force Ten should be way higher.

2112 is overrated.

 

[Cage1]

I scrolled to the bottom to get to the top 10 and go up from there and came to this without much context thinking it was the top of the order. I was confused as I hadn't heard of a bunch of those. Apparently this was an insert ranking just the best drum solos. I was really thrown of for a few minutes though like how did a 9 minute drum solo beat out Red Barchetta?

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

I love this list. I would drop "By-Tor and the Snow Dog" a few rungs because nobody likes that song unironically.

Glad to see "In the End" get some love. I think they underranked "Fly By Night" and "Closer to the Heart."

13. "In the End," Fly by Night (1975)

The second-best song on the second (but first real) Rush album stretches close to seven minutes and is extremely ambitious. It starts quiet, gets loud, keeps a pocket groove with great flange guitar, and has more "wooooOOOOOhhhh!"s and "ooooOOOOOOohhh"s! per capita than most Rush songs. I have no clue what it's doing lyrically, but I always interpreted it as being about maintaining dignity while getting mocked, something a lot of Rush fans need to do.

 

[Cage1]

For me, Farewell to Kings jumps up a few places and Xanadu jumps up a bunch of spots.

But it's a decent list from someone who clearly appreciates the band.

And while he's probably "correct" on dinging Roll the Bones, I have a very specific affection for that entire album just because of when it came out in my personal musical development. I love that thing top to bottom, but I have to admit it's mostly nostalgia boosting it up there.

 

[DaveXA]

I've never had enough desire to rank any Rush songs, much less all of them.

But, carry on.

 

[sfidc3]

I've never had enough desire to rank any Rush songs, much less all of them.

But, carry on.

Same...but i confess to looking at this list and it is far from what I would consider well done....but i also confess to not being familiar with anything Rush did after like 1985....

As an aside, my favorite Rush songs are Fly By Night, Freewill and Entre Nous.....

 

[superchuck500]

I've never had enough desire to rank any Rush songs, much less all of them.

But, carry on.

I'm in a similar spot. I appreciate Rush, but don't love them. There are about 10 songs that I really enjoy and will listen. Every now and then I put Moving Pictures on and listen to the whole album.

I suppose it would have been cool to see them back in the day, but I almost certainly wouldn't make the effort to go see them now even if they did a reunion tour. But by no means am I knocking Rush. I think they occupy a place in the music landscape that is all their own - and that's quite an accomplishment in its own right.

 

[The Moose]

Great band I just dropped off the train mid 80s all the early stuff is enough for me.

I have to say I listen to the early stuff all the time.

On headphones great music to work by.

Can't complain about the order much cuz I don't know much of the later stuff.

Never thought red barchetta would be ranked one. Great song and I have to say the most complete. You can just imagine the whole thing visually while listening. It brings you on the road with him. It is my one.

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

Trying to rank the songs of a band is like herding cats especially if they are a Great Band. I dare anyone to make a ranked list of AC/DC songs. It can't be done. If it does happen sit back and watch the internet throat punching commence.

 

[Thunderchild]

Trying to rank the songs of a band is like herding cats especially if they are a Great Band. I dare anyone to make a ranked list of AC/DC songs. It can't be done. It if does happen sit back and watch the internet throat punching commence.

I pretty much agree. The only Rush song that I would exempt from that is La Villa Strangiato. That song should have been #1. It is unique and, technically, their best work.

I'll add an interesting comment about Red Barchetta. That song is actually based on a good SF short story called "A Nice Morning Drive," by Richard S. Foster. You can read it here:

The Story Behind Rush's "Red Barchetta"

For those who have heard it, "Red Barchetta", off Rush's 1981 album Moving Pictures, is probably one of the best and most iconic songs about driving and being a motoring enthusiast. The song is about a young man living in a dystopian future where cars have been outlawed. The young protagonist...

oppositelock.kinja.com

I love the song, it may even be my favorite Rush song. But it is not their best by any means.

 

[faceman]

Unless I missed it, Limelight isn't ranked,and it's my favorite Rush tune.