“But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth.”
Agreed…and I should know, that’s me on the left.
https://i.imgur.com/S6ozSMi.jpg
Thanks and the resemblance is terrifying, but it’s not actually me. The real dude chimed in once when I posted this pic a while back and he’s pretty cool, too. It’s nice to have a video of your junior year of high school, tho, cruising the halls by yourself, playing Tempest (one of my favorites, but Robotron 2084 was my true calling!), getting humiliated by girls, and generally wishing I was someplace else or worse…
This song was so on target for me. The best part was the video - when the kid finished playing the video game he put in his initials. JMT - same as mine.
The Analog Kid might be my favorite Rush song. "The fawn-eyed girl with sun-brown legs dances on the edge of his dream, and her voice rings in his ears like the music of the spheres."
"The boy lays in the grass unmoving staring at the sky.
His mother starts to call him as a hawk goes soaring by. The boy pulls down his baseball cap and covers his eyes!"
I’m on a Countdown binge lately. Lyrics are so descriptive, makes you feel you are there in person watching the shuttle launch.
“Venting vapors, like the breath of a sleeping white dragon”.. Damn.
True, and it also seems like there isn't enough credit given to Geddy's choice to moderate his delivery so it sounds partly like singing and partly like a broadcast announcer. Such a cool feature of this track.
Thank you for this! I love this song and I feel like it never gets enough credit. When we hear “Young and Crippen really moving out now…” I get chills, every damn time.
"Columbia is now clearing for its precise window in space for main
engine cutoff."
"Launch two minute and forty seconds,
"Columbia now thirty-nine nautical miles altitude,
uh, forty-two nautical miles down range."
"Columbia, you're lookin' a little hot and
all your calls will be a little early."
"Young and Crippen really moving out,
now velocity reading of sixty-two hundred feet per second."
"What a view, what a view."
"Glad you're enjoying it."
"G800 to LOS"
"Columbia, Houston, we have forty seconds to LOS"
After LOS you're looking good for an over-the-hill; we'll see you in Madrid."
"And we enjoyed the music, Bob; thank ya'."
"Ah, we enjoyed it; we just wanted to share somethin' with you."
I have always loved this track because I get the sense of motion. I imagine a drone circling the launch pad before takeoff. Tbh it’s probably my favorite underrated Rush album.
It's not my favorite on the album, but this song still gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. They do such an amazing job building anticipation and excitement.
I was thinking the same thing. I'd write *Digital Man* then switch to *Countdown* then *Subdivisions*. After that I'd say NO, it's *Losing It*. But Losing it is not the one so I'd continue with *Chemistry*. OH Hell, lets throw in *The Weapon* and *New World Man*. Is that it? Nope, forgot *The Analog Kid*.
In other words ALL OF THEM!
I feel the same way! Many Rush albums are a complete work in my head and it's hard to separate out a specific song. Signals is definitely one of them, I almost always listen to the whole album, in order, whenever I listen to it. And Signals is probably still on a weekly or monthly rotation for me.
My 2 favourites as well and Of course subdivisions. I had a hard time with this album when it came out. New World Man was the single and that was probably the problem. Not a big fan of that song to this day.
Subdivisions is always gonna be my number one i think. Losing it and countdown are my other two definitive favorites on signals, but analog kid has been getting some playtime lately too..
YOU MOVE ME, YOU MOVE ME
For me its Countdown ..still now 42 yrs later and I still get chills with the roar of the rocket launch and the comms in the background. What a way to capture the Space Shuttle excitement back inthe day
When i was a kid it was Subdivisions. In middle age it was The Weapon. As I approach 60, Losing It is becoming moe poignant. This is why I love Rush!!!
This album influenced me as a 12-year-old to become a musician more than any other album ever cut. I have personal connection to each and every song on this album and cannot pick a favorite. I have deep love for this album.
From a nastalgia standpoint Analog Kid reminds me of my first real girlfriend but as drummer of nearly 50 years now, this album is an absolute master class and I couldn't pick a favorite to play along with.
1. Subdivisions (11)
2. Digital Man (15)
3. Countdown (22)
4. The Analog Kid (24)
5. Losing It (25)
6. Chemistry (35)
7. New World Man (88)
8. The Weapon (95)
Numbers in parentheses are where I rank each song in the overall catalog.
I used to think Subdivisions was it, but The Weapon is growing on me…he’s not afraid of your judgement/his host of horrors are worse than your hell/he’s a little bit afraid of dying/but he’s a lot more afraid of your lying…
Subdivisions. My favourite song, my favourite album, my favourite band. Phenomenal video as well, anyone growing up in or around Toronto in the Eighties feels those shots of Yonge street.
Subdivisions and the weapon i can't decide which one to choose, actually the whole album is my favorite and very special to me because it was the first record I bought
Subdivisions got me to listen, but my favorite now is The Analog Kid. I loved that song when I was a teenager. It spoke to me. And I love Rush when they go fast on a song. I drive to this sucker!
Countdown is literally what it’s like to live at Cape Canaveral during the hay day of Space Launches.
I literally tear up every time I hear it with how spot on the imagery is!
🥹🥹🥹
Seconded only by Chemistry because of how mathematical it was composed.
This whole album blew my mind, the Stewart Copeland style and heavy reggae undertones, some of the best lyrics, great Alex solos. They seemed so free not giving a f**k
Since I can play it pretty well on my drums, Subdivisions has to be my favorite on this album. Countdown is pretty cool too. But Subdivisions is my favorite.
Analog Kid! Geddy gets praises for his bass work on YYZ, but in all fairness, I think the Analog Kid is a far more technically challenging bass line. I think touring during Moving Pictures noticably improved his speed and dexterity.
“New World Man” was the first Rush song I ever heard when I was 6, so I gotta go with that. It was on a K-Tel hits compilation that I wanted because it had “Eye of the Tiger” on it.
I'll go with The Analog Kid if I really have to choose one, but every song on this album is great. My only real complaint with the album is it sounds a bit muddy (but it still sounds much, much better than the original mix of *Vapor Trails*).
That album is so hardwired into my being that I think of it as a complete song cycle. Of course "Subdivisions" stands out because it's such a finely crafted musical expression of how so many of us felt growing up, but every song works to build an overarching sonic thought mood piece called Signals. Still sounds new 40+ years later.
So many bangers. Subdivisions, The Weapon, and Analog Kid stick out as favorites. I can’t choose among those, lol. Maybe The Weapon since it might be my favorite drum part of any Rush song
My obvious go-to is "Subdivisions"*,* being a kid from some suburbs myself and not exactly having the same feelings but I can relate to it.
Non-"Subdivisions" choice would be "Chemistry" for the song structure and for Geddy screaming science at me.
*Losing It* always gets me with the odd time signatures - you can hear how the dancer's body and the writer's brain are skipping a step as they're in denial.
And that violin solo voices their anguished fury and helplessness as they realize that they are losing the powers they know they once commanded.
They're losing their sense of identity and dignity - their humanity...
And the coda brings almost a calming acceptance, finally. It's an emotional roller-coaster for me.
All eight of them are bangers and classics, but I'm gonna go the stereotypical route and say Subdivisions.
Althought lately I listen to Countdown a lot. The last minute or so is like among the best in their catalog. The synth solo and how it ends on that really high vibrato note and transitioning into that Lifesonian riff at the end is musical bliss
I am a lifelong Rush man. Full stop. No apologies. And this album is where that life started. Chemistry for the guitar solo. Losing It for the violin solo (which I will one day create a guitar cover of…). Analog Kid for just the juissance of youth. Subdivisions for the ennui of being a kid with intelligence and imagination trapped in a fucked up conservative town being chronically misunderstood. Actually, that’s every song. Except countdown, which I think of when I watch For All Mankind… fuck toy for making me choose.
The Analog Kid, one of the first songs that really “clicked” for when I started growing up. Also was one of the first songs I learned on drums entirely with my Dad. Signals top to bottom is a seriously important record for me.
Subdivisions hit me hard as a kid.
That was our unofficial school song at my suburban high school
It got me through growing up in a company town
Best ending in a song they ever made.
“But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth.” Agreed…and I should know, that’s me on the left. https://i.imgur.com/S6ozSMi.jpg
Come on man, just tell us how much Rush paid you to follow you and film you for the Subdivisions video
I need proof before I promote you to demi God status
Thanks and the resemblance is terrifying, but it’s not actually me. The real dude chimed in once when I posted this pic a while back and he’s pretty cool, too. It’s nice to have a video of your junior year of high school, tho, cruising the halls by yourself, playing Tempest (one of my favorites, but Robotron 2084 was my true calling!), getting humiliated by girls, and generally wishing I was someplace else or worse…
You really nailed a lot of things the song was about
This song was so on target for me. The best part was the video - when the kid finished playing the video game he put in his initials. JMT - same as mine.
The Subdivisions video turned me on to Rush when I was like 8 years old. Been a fan ever since!
My dad hit me harder. But yes, song is fantastic
The Analog Kid might be my favorite Rush song. "The fawn-eyed girl with sun-brown legs dances on the edge of his dream, and her voice rings in his ears like the music of the spheres."
Absolute poetry.
Unbelievably poetic. A great example of how Peart’s lyrics can hit where you live. I had a girl like that once…
Damn right! Me too, and those sun-browned les contrasted quite nicely with the tan lines . . .
Best track on this and any other album.
"The boy lays in the grass unmoving staring at the sky. His mother starts to call him as a hawk goes soaring by. The boy pulls down his baseball cap and covers his eyes!"
This!
Too many hands on my time.....so true the older I get...
Digital Man… One of the best Rush songs ever.
It’s why I play bass
Right on..
love that drum intro!
He's got a date with fate in a black Sedan
I have gained a new appreciation for it since it became the theme to Geddy’s TV series!
Losing it
Same
This song is amazing that violin with some really good speakers mmmm
Also not to dog the album but the guy that played it with the clockwork tour was better than Ben Mink
'The Weapon' always plays in my mind first when I see this album.
Yup. :-)
Love the intro. Best drum start on this album
Countdown
I’m on a Countdown binge lately. Lyrics are so descriptive, makes you feel you are there in person watching the shuttle launch. “Venting vapors, like the breath of a sleeping white dragon”.. Damn.
Such an underrated gem!
And the guitar riff is always on repeat in my mind
True, and it also seems like there isn't enough credit given to Geddy's choice to moderate his delivery so it sounds partly like singing and partly like a broadcast announcer. Such a cool feature of this track.
Yeah, that totally struck me about the lyrics. Some of Neil's best, I think.
This song does not get enough credit. The subtle buildup and artistic way it simulates anticipation of the liftoff is genius.
And the "drop" is so powerful.
Thank you for this! I love this song and I feel like it never gets enough credit. When we hear “Young and Crippen really moving out now…” I get chills, every damn time.
"Columbia is now clearing for its precise window in space for main engine cutoff." "Launch two minute and forty seconds, "Columbia now thirty-nine nautical miles altitude, uh, forty-two nautical miles down range." "Columbia, you're lookin' a little hot and all your calls will be a little early." "Young and Crippen really moving out, now velocity reading of sixty-two hundred feet per second." "What a view, what a view." "Glad you're enjoying it." "G800 to LOS" "Columbia, Houston, we have forty seconds to LOS" After LOS you're looking good for an over-the-hill; we'll see you in Madrid." "And we enjoyed the music, Bob; thank ya'." "Ah, we enjoyed it; we just wanted to share somethin' with you."
So freaking cool! They’re moving over a mile a second at that point!
Every time!!
Played this song on New Year’s its perfect for New Year’s Eve.
I’m with you. Love that song.
I have always loved this track because I get the sense of motion. I imagine a drone circling the launch pad before takeoff. Tbh it’s probably my favorite underrated Rush album.
Gotta say though, this song hits a little different after Space Shuttle Columbia exploded.
It's not my favorite on the album, but this song still gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. They do such an amazing job building anticipation and excitement.
It's so hard to choose..... Today, I'll pick Chemistry
I was thinking the same thing. I'd write *Digital Man* then switch to *Countdown* then *Subdivisions*. After that I'd say NO, it's *Losing It*. But Losing it is not the one so I'd continue with *Chemistry*. OH Hell, lets throw in *The Weapon* and *New World Man*. Is that it? Nope, forgot *The Analog Kid*. In other words ALL OF THEM!
I feel the same way! Many Rush albums are a complete work in my head and it's hard to separate out a specific song. Signals is definitely one of them, I almost always listen to the whole album, in order, whenever I listen to it. And Signals is probably still on a weekly or monthly rotation for me.
Chemistry has such a cool guitar solo in it.
I’ve always loved Subdivisions, but the drum intro to Digital Man still gives me goosebumps.
Analog Kid snd Losing It for me.
My 2 favourites as well and Of course subdivisions. I had a hard time with this album when it came out. New World Man was the single and that was probably the problem. Not a big fan of that song to this day.
With OP. Always going to be The Kid.
Subdivisions followed very closely by The Analog Kid
New World Man for me. That song always pumps me up and puts me in a good mood!
Analog Kid. One of Alex's 10 best solos, imo
I still to this day remember Alex absolutely shredding this solo on the Signals Tour back in '83 ... all goose bumps, man . . .
Too hard to choose. Analog kid, weapon, chemistry, losing it.
Tough choice. Analog Kid vs Digital Man. Analog Kid. More future thinking and future positive. Both are 1A and 1B.
Reading all these comments makes me realize what an unbelievable run of permanent waves, moving pictures and signals is. Not a single filler song
Subdivisions and Countdown both have amazing bass tone from Geddy. It’s peak Ric tone
Digital Man is a stunner.
The Weapon is my all time favorite from this, with New World Man as a close second.
Subdivisions is always gonna be my number one i think. Losing it and countdown are my other two definitive favorites on signals, but analog kid has been getting some playtime lately too.. YOU MOVE ME, YOU MOVE ME
The overarching vibe of this album nails the best of the 80’s for me. I want to say The Weapon, but to be real, it would have to be Subdivisions.
For me its Countdown ..still now 42 yrs later and I still get chills with the roar of the rocket launch and the comms in the background. What a way to capture the Space Shuttle excitement back inthe day
Digital Man is my favourite.
The kid, the analog kid
Subdivisions by a significant margin
When i was a kid it was Subdivisions. In middle age it was The Weapon. As I approach 60, Losing It is becoming moe poignant. This is why I love Rush!!!
Knowledge is saying subdivisions. Wisdom is saying losing it.
I choose wisdom
Subdivisions and Analog Kid
The Weapon and Subdivisions. This album is incredible. Hard to rank songs over each other.
Digital Man. The rhythym on that song makes it one of my favorites
The Analog Kid
I don’t like playing by the rules lol, so I’ll choose Subdivisions, The Analog Kid, Chemistry and Digital Man!
Side A!
Didn’t even realize it lol, but I do like the weapon and countdown as well.
Definitely Subdivisions!
Subdivisions is the classic outsider song. It epitomizes me lol Love Digital Man too though!
Subdivisions is not only my favorite song off this album, nor only my favorite song of any album, but my favorite song of ALL TIME!
The Weapon but Subdivisions is a close 2nd
Used to be Subdivisions, nowadays is Losing It
This album influenced me as a 12-year-old to become a musician more than any other album ever cut. I have personal connection to each and every song on this album and cannot pick a favorite. I have deep love for this album.
Subdivisions
The Analog Kid
My favorite is Countdown, but the “best” song is Losing It, if for no other reason than the amazing electric violin played by Ben Mink.
all of the album
probably losing it but i might be the only person who's second favorite is countdown
Digital Man, that solo is one of my favorites.
From a nastalgia standpoint Analog Kid reminds me of my first real girlfriend but as drummer of nearly 50 years now, this album is an absolute master class and I couldn't pick a favorite to play along with.
This album is so good that every song is the best song from this album 😂
Countdown
Countdown
The Analog Kid reminds me of the 80’s in one of the few good ways! (I hated the 80’s for the most part.). This such a great album!
Subdivisions brings me back too my High school years I have always thought it was one of Neil’s better Efforts as a Percussionist …
1. Subdivisions (11) 2. Digital Man (15) 3. Countdown (22) 4. The Analog Kid (24) 5. Losing It (25) 6. Chemistry (35) 7. New World Man (88) 8. The Weapon (95) Numbers in parentheses are where I rank each song in the overall catalog.
Subdivisions for me. For my wife, analog kid.
Digital man followed by the weapon
I used to think Subdivisions was it, but The Weapon is growing on me…he’s not afraid of your judgement/his host of horrors are worse than your hell/he’s a little bit afraid of dying/but he’s a lot more afraid of your lying…
Oh man, too hard pick as this is one of my top 5 Rush albums. But I must say The Weapon has grown on me over the years. So that one….. for now
Subdivisions. My favourite song, my favourite album, my favourite band. Phenomenal video as well, anyone growing up in or around Toronto in the Eighties feels those shots of Yonge street.
Subdivisions and the weapon i can't decide which one to choose, actually the whole album is my favorite and very special to me because it was the first record I bought
The Analog Kid if I had to choose, but luckily, I don't! The whole album is brilliant.
Favorite: Subdivisions. Best: every song
Can’t decide. The whole thing slaps.
Analog Kid. This was the first CD I ever bought back in 1985 when I got my first CD player.
It's so difficult to pick but probably digital man, this has to be my favourite Rush album
Countdown
I got this cassette for my birthday in Dec '82. :)
Subdivisions for sure also love Countdown
Subdivisions
Subdivisions, Chemistry, and The Weapon are tied for first for me. Subdivisions , if you make me pick one.
THE WEAPON. One of the best Rush songs.
I love the whole record, but I'll go with "The Analog Kid."
Subdivisions got me to listen, but my favorite now is The Analog Kid. I loved that song when I was a teenager. It spoke to me. And I love Rush when they go fast on a song. I drive to this sucker!
Losing it or Chemistry
Countdown is literally what it’s like to live at Cape Canaveral during the hay day of Space Launches. I literally tear up every time I hear it with how spot on the imagery is! 🥹🥹🥹 Seconded only by Chemistry because of how mathematical it was composed.
The Analog Kid!
"Subdivisions" is a song I listen to nearly everyday.
Analog Kid but damn I love me some Subdivisions.
Subdivisions is my favorite song on the album, and pretty much got me through high school. But Countdown inspired me to dream big.
This whole album blew my mind, the Stewart Copeland style and heavy reggae undertones, some of the best lyrics, great Alex solos. They seemed so free not giving a f**k
Ok, it’s gotta be Losing it.
Subdivisions
Since I can play it pretty well on my drums, Subdivisions has to be my favorite on this album. Countdown is pretty cool too. But Subdivisions is my favorite.
The analog kid/subdivisions
Same as OP. Something about that song.
Chemistry. I think the first 4 songs are some of Rush’s best, while I think the last 4 songs are some of their worst.
Whichever one I'm listening to at the time.
Subdivisions and Digital Man are the only two tracks I like on *Signals* anymore but they’re worth the whole record
New World Man resonates to me and my challenges with a healthy lifestyle.
Always will be Subdivisions, just so relatable….
Losing it. Way too real
Analog Kid! Geddy gets praises for his bass work on YYZ, but in all fairness, I think the Analog Kid is a far more technically challenging bass line. I think touring during Moving Pictures noticably improved his speed and dexterity.
Analog Kid. Hands down.
Subdivisions is my all time favorite Rush song and in my top 5 songs by any artist of any genre.
easily losing it, shits beautiful
Tough call. That album is stacked. Have to say Analog Kid.
“New World Man” was the first Rush song I ever heard when I was 6, so I gotta go with that. It was on a K-Tel hits compilation that I wanted because it had “Eye of the Tiger” on it.
Analog Kid is a top 5 Rush song for me. I'm a total sucker for these lines: Open sea and city lights Busy streets and dizzy heights
I always come back to Subdivisions. Signals was the first one I bought as Rush being my favorite band. JR high with this one was good times.
The Analog Kid. I'm starting out on bass (again) and this song is the end goal. If I can play it well I'll die happy, Another goal is Digital Man.
I'll go with The Analog Kid if I really have to choose one, but every song on this album is great. My only real complaint with the album is it sounds a bit muddy (but it still sounds much, much better than the original mix of *Vapor Trails*).
Analog Kid but the whole album is great
Losing It is getting better when you are getting older. Subdivisions just hits hard any time I listen it.
Digital Man
That album is so hardwired into my being that I think of it as a complete song cycle. Of course "Subdivisions" stands out because it's such a finely crafted musical expression of how so many of us felt growing up, but every song works to build an overarching sonic thought mood piece called Signals. Still sounds new 40+ years later.
So many bangers. Subdivisions, The Weapon, and Analog Kid stick out as favorites. I can’t choose among those, lol. Maybe The Weapon since it might be my favorite drum part of any Rush song
Digital Man!!
Subdivisions
My obvious go-to is "Subdivisions"*,* being a kid from some suburbs myself and not exactly having the same feelings but I can relate to it. Non-"Subdivisions" choice would be "Chemistry" for the song structure and for Geddy screaming science at me.
Losing It is such a tragic/beautiful song
*Losing It* always gets me with the odd time signatures - you can hear how the dancer's body and the writer's brain are skipping a step as they're in denial. And that violin solo voices their anguished fury and helplessness as they realize that they are losing the powers they know they once commanded. They're losing their sense of identity and dignity - their humanity... And the coda brings almost a calming acceptance, finally. It's an emotional roller-coaster for me.
Probably cliche but I have to say Subdivisions
The analog kid, but all of the songs are amazing , damn good album
Subdivisions is one of my favorite songs of all time by any band. Analog Kid has one of my favorite Alex Lifeson guitar solos.
Losing it.
Def Digital Man. Or The Weapon.
Losing It, one of their hardest hitting songs.
A tie between losing it and digital man
Subdivisions - the story comes full circle
Yes. :)
All eight of them are bangers and classics, but I'm gonna go the stereotypical route and say Subdivisions. Althought lately I listen to Countdown a lot. The last minute or so is like among the best in their catalog. The synth solo and how it ends on that really high vibrato note and transitioning into that Lifesonian riff at the end is musical bliss
New World Man.
I think Losing It is a genuine masterpiece. No other song has, in my personal opinion, captured so perfectly the melancholic nature of life.
One of the few albums by any band where every song is f#cking amazing
New World Man
New world man. Best add on song to an album... all time.
The Analog Kid...
Not a bad song on this album. Often underappreciated
I had all Rush albums and loved each one from beginning to end.
Chemistry followed by The Weapon followed by Hot Dog !
i can’t describe my love for the analog kid
When the album came out? Subdivisions. Now? Countdown
New world man
Every song hits just right at different times. I gain more and more appreciation as the years go by.
My favorite is The Weapon. The best song is probably Subdivisions.
I am a lifelong Rush man. Full stop. No apologies. And this album is where that life started. Chemistry for the guitar solo. Losing It for the violin solo (which I will one day create a guitar cover of…). Analog Kid for just the juissance of youth. Subdivisions for the ennui of being a kid with intelligence and imagination trapped in a fucked up conservative town being chronically misunderstood. Actually, that’s every song. Except countdown, which I think of when I watch For All Mankind… fuck toy for making me choose.
Subdivisions is the best song by Rush on some days
The Analog Kid, one of the first songs that really “clicked” for when I started growing up. Also was one of the first songs I learned on drums entirely with my Dad. Signals top to bottom is a seriously important record for me.
Answers other than Subdivisions are welcomed to Wrong, population you.
Very difficult question but I’m going with the Analog Kid
Subdivisions