| "Mission" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Song by Rush | ||||
| from the album Hold Your Fire | ||||
| Released | 1989 (live version) [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 5:16 | |||
| Label | Anthem, Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart | |||
| Producer(s) | Peter Collins and Rush | |||
| Rush singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mission" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush from the 1987 album Hold Your Fire .
"Mission" was inspired from a conversation Neil Peart and Geddy Lee had about people who were not satisfied with the lives of people in their age group. Peart said that the lyrics are related to a tendency that people have for idealizing the lifestyle of others. People tend to imagine that those who are rich and famous are to be viewed as people who have fewer personal issues than ordinary people. However, he argues that every life has its own level of "toughness." As an example of this idea, he recounts that people used to refer to him as someone who has the best job in the world. He claims that he is very proud of being a musician, which was a job that he dreamed of in his youth. However, he claims people tend not to realize that being away from family for several months while on tour is not as easy as others make it sound. A key verse to express that concept says "We each pay a fabulous price for our visions of paradise," referring to personal sacrifices he had to make to achieve his dream. [2]
A Sputnikmusic review gave a description of "Mission" as a "rocky ballad." [3] It plays in a D major key, though key changes into B major occur in certain parts of the song. Most of the song is played at a moderate tempo in a time signature of common time. However, the musical interlude between the second chorus and final verse is played in 5
4 time. [4] The song features prominent keyboard parts played by Geddy Lee.[ citation needed ] When working on the song in Britain, producer Peter Collins added brass and choir instrumentation. [5] [6] The brass was performed by the William Faery brass band, and was recorded in Oldham, England. [5] Collins also suggested that new verses be added to the song. [7] A marimba solo is played in the song, in unison with the snare drum and bass. [8] The marimba was a KAT mini-marimba sampled in the AKAI S-900 sampler. [9]
Music critics gave "Mission" good reviews. Metal Storm considered the song, along with "Lock and Key", a classic moment from Hold Your Fire . [10] The song was called by Allmusic a "sheer beauty". [11] Odyssey rated the song 8.5/10, and thought it was the 85th (out of 167) best Rush song. [12]
"Mission" was performed live during the Hold Your Fire tour (1988), the Presto tour (1990), and the Snakes & Arrows tour (2007-2008). [13]
The live version from "A Show of Hands" charted on the Mainstream Rock Chart in March 1989.
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks ( Billboard ) [14] | 33 |
Geddy Lee is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968, at the request of his childhood friend Alex Lifeson, replacing original bassist and frontman Jeff Jones. Lee's solo effort, My Favourite Headache, was released in 2000.
Neil Ellwood Peart OC was a Canadian and American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an induction into the Modern Drummer Readers Poll Hall of Fame in 1983 at the age of thirty, making him the youngest person ever so honoured. Known to fans by the nickname 'The Professor', his drumming was renowned for its technical proficiency and his live performances for their exacting nature and stamina.
Rush was a Canadian rock band that primarily comprised Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson (guitar), and Neil Peart. The band formed in Toronto in 1968 with Lifeson, drummer John Rutsey, and bass guitarist/vocalist Jeff Jones, whom Lee immediately replaced. After Lee joined, the band went through several line-ups before arriving at its classic power trio line-up with the addition of Peart in July 1974, who replaced Rutsey four months after the release of their self-titled debut album; this line-up remained intact for the remainder of the band's career.
A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in September 1977 by Anthem Records. After touring their previous album 2112 (1976), which saw the group reach a new critical and commercial peak, they started work on a follow-up. They decided to record at Rockfield Studios in Wales, the first time Rush recorded an album outside of Toronto. The band expanded their sound with each member playing new instruments that they had not previously used, and recorded a mix of concise and long songs.
Fly by Night is the second studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on February 14, 1975, by Mercury Records. It was the first Rush album to showcase elements of progressive rock for which the band has become known. It was also the first to feature lyricist and drummer Neil Peart, who replaced original drummer John Rutsey the previous summer just prior to the band's first North American tour. Peart took over as Rush's primary lyricist, and the abundance of fantastical and philosophical themes in his compositions contrasted greatly with the simpler hard rock of the band's debut album.
Roll the Bones is the fourteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released September 3, 1991, on Anthem Records. The band began working on the album after a brief creative hiatus following the tour promoting their previous release, Presto.
Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on February 12, 1981 by Anthem Records. After touring to support their previous album, Permanent Waves (1980), the band started to write and record new material in August 1980 with longtime co-producer Terry Brown. They continued to write songs with a more radio-friendly sound, featuring tighter and shorter song structures compared with their earlier albums.
Hold Your Fire is the twelfth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 8, 1987. It was recorded at The Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, Air Studios in Montserrat and McClear Place in Toronto. Hold Your Fire was the last Rush studio album released outside Canada by PolyGram/Mercury. 'Til Tuesday bassist and vocalist Aimee Mann contributed vocals to "Time Stand Still" and appeared in the Zbigniew Rybczyński-directed video.
Presto is the thirteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released November 21, 1989 by Anthem Records and was the band's first album released internationally by Atlantic Records following the group's departure from Mercury. After the Hold Your Fire (1987) tour ended in 1988, the group members reconvened in December to decide their next step and agreed to take six months off before starting on a new album. Presto marked another change in Rush's sound, with guitar taking a more dominant role in the writing and a reduction in synthesizers and a return towards more guitar-driven arrangements.
Test for Echo is the sixteenth studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released on 10 September 1996 on Anthem Records. It was the final Rush album to be co-produced by Peter Collins. The band supported the album with a world tour in 1996 and 1997, after which they went on a four-year hiatus following the deaths of drummer Neil Peart's daughter and wife, and would not record again until 2002.
Different Stages is a live album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1998. The bulk of the first and second discs were recorded at the World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, Illinois, during the 1997 Test for Echo tour. Five other songs from various stops along the tour were included and three songs from the 1994 Counterparts tour. The third disc is taken from a performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in London during the A Farewell to Kings tour in 1978.
"The Big Money" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, originally released on their 1985 album Power Windows. It peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and has been included on several compilation albums, such as Retrospective II and The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987.
A Show of Hands is a concert film released on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD by the Canadian rock band Rush. It documents a live concert performance by the band on their 1987-88 Hold Your Fire Tour. In 1989, the band released an audio album of the same name on vinyl LP, audiocassette, and compact disc. The video comprises an entirely different recording, and features a different track list.
Gold is a compilation album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on April 25, 2006.
"A Passage to Bangkok" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, released in April 1976 by Anthem Records. The song appears on the band's fourth studio album 2112 (1976). With the album's title track comprising the first half of the record, "A Passage to Bangkok" opens the second side of the album.
"Time Stand Still" is a song by Canadian progressive rock band Rush, featured on their 1987 album Hold Your Fire. Released as a single in 1987, credited to "Rush ," "Time Stand Still" peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. mainstream rock charts on November 6, 1987. It was also a minor hit single in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 42 on the Singles Chart. A music video for the song was directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński.
Clockwork Angels is the 19th and final studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released June 8, 2012, on Roadrunner Records. During the band's year-and-a-half break following its Snakes & Arrows Tour, the group decided to write a new studio album. The album was recorded in April 2010 at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and from October to December 2011 at Revolution Recording in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
"Lock and Key" is a song written, produced and performed by Canadian rock band Rush. It is a promotional single from their twelfth studio album, Hold Your Fire. The song deals with the theme of every human being’s primal, violent instincts underneath their civil appearance - their “killer instinct”. Critics gave the song liking reviews, with some saying it had quality of a hit single, and would make it on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart; it went on to reach number 16 on the chart. The song's music video was originally released in 1987, and was produced by Bob Jason and directed by T. Vanden Ende.
"Force Ten" is a song written, produced and performed by Canadian rock band Rush, released as a promotional single from their album Hold Your Fire. It was the last song written for the album. The song has been critically positively received, and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
