Counterparts

Counterparts is the fifteenth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1993

Lyrically, Counterparts continues the trend of dark and emotional themes; it takes on difficult subjects such as homosexuality and crime, yet it keeps a general concept of ambition, sadness, and love on songs like “Nobody’s Hero”, “Speed of Love”, and even “Cold Fire”. “Leave That Thing Alone” earned a Grammy nomination for “Best Instrumental”. The song “Stick It Out” is one of the band’s “heaviest” works in quite some time. The song also topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the U.S., only the second Rush single to do so. Although debatable, many Rush fans agree that Counterparts features some alternative rock elements. The song “Nobody’s Hero” (about a gay friend of drummer Neil Peart, named Ellis from his London days, and a girl who was murdered in his hometown of St. Catharines, Ontario)

Counterparts became Rush’s highest charting album in the US peaking at #2 on The Billboard 200 (only for Pearl Jam’s Vs. to prevent it from hitting #1 in the US). The album went Platinum according to Atlantic Records although the RIAA has it listed at Gold.



Track listing
All songs written by Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart except where noted.

“Animate” – 6:05
“Stick It Out” – 4:30
“Cut to the Chase” – 4:49
“Nobody’s Hero” – 4:54
“Between Sun and Moon” (Lifeson, Lee, Peart, Pye Dubois) – 4:37