Rush - "Subdivisions" (forgotten song)

Neil Peart, legendary drummer of Rush, died last week.  I can't begin to convey the status that he enjoyed with other musicians, but a quick scan of the condolences from his peers will make it clear how how highly esteemed he was.  Rolling Stone listed him as #4 in the best drummer of all time.

I was a pretty big Rush fan growing up, eventually collecting a sizable portion of their discography.  As established in the book "Ready Player One", when I was in college most of the computer science students I knew were Rush fans, their precision and virtuosity  being a natural metaphor for programming.

I wasn't sure which song to pick to mark his passing.  With few exceptions, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson wrote the music and Neil wrote the lyrics, and thus all my favorite Rush songs reflect Neil, making a choice difficult.  My favorite Rush song is probably "Limelight", but a close second is "Subdivisions" from their 1982 LP "Signals".  Whereas "Limelight" reflects Neil's estrangement to the life of an adult rock star ("One must put up barriers / To keep oneself intact), "Subdivisions" is that same alienated introvert in middle and high school ("Nowhere is the dreamer / Or the misfit so alone").

The deciding factor in choosing this song is it's the only one that features a background vocal for Neil.  His is the voice saying "subdivisions" in the chorus, even though it's Alex lip synching it in the video.

We've known for a while that Rush was semi-retiring, but knowing that they've officially come to an end is disappointing.  Rush, especially "Permanent Waves" / "Moving Pictures" / "Signals" era-Rush, was the soundtrack for the suburban Gen Xers and it's sad to see that come to a close.

Rush - "Subdivisions"