RushSubdivisions (5:33)

On 46 albums see all

Buy at Amazon MP3 ($0.99) | Send Ringtones to Cell
Buy
Save

Shouts: 291 shouts

Share this track:

About This Track

“Subdivisions” is a Rush song that describes peer pressure for teenage life in the suburbs.

“Subdivisions” was released on the 1982 album Signals. Aside from being a perennial fan favourite and a staple of live performances, the song appears on several greatest hits compilations, was released as a single in 1982, and despite doing little serious business in the UK charts, it gained a lot of radio airplay in Britain at the time. In the US, it charted at #8 on the Album/Mainstream rock charts. It was also played live prior to its release. Pre-release live versions exist on the internet. Geddy Lee plays an Oberheim OB-X synthesizer, and the two synthesizer solos were done on a Minimoog.

The promotional video scenes were filmed in the Toronto area. The downtown scenes were filmed in downtown Toronto, while the suburbs scenes were filmed in Scarborough, Ontario, near Warden and Finch Avenues. The high school scenes were filmed at L’Amoreaux Collegiate Institute, in the same area. The video also features scenes of the Don Valley Parkway and a busy TTC subway station. The student that walks downtown in the video is Dave Glover, a student at the L’Amoreaux Collegiate Institute at the time. Near the end of the video, Glover is seen playing the video game Tempest at an arcade, which was reportedly his favourite video game at the time.

The song features heavy use of synth. Geddy Lee takes a similar role to that in Countdown, the final track on Signals by playing a minimal amount of bass. The track begins in 7/8 time, Lee playing an pattern of F# notes on the Oberheim.
Send Ringtones to Cell

Albums featuring this track

  • Signals
    Rush Play
    Buy
  • The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987
    Rush Play
    Buy
  • Chronicles
    Rush Play
    Buy
  • Spirit Of Radio: Greatest Hits (1974-1987)
    Rush Play
    Buy
See all 46 albums

Shouts

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).
  • Phyllobius

    The Minimoog solos are outstanding.

    last month
  • BMWPRETTY

    SPANK! I LOVE THIS TUNE~! ETC~~~~~! ;-)

    last month
  • ms3mx5

    DAT BASS!

    March 2012
  • HO-HUM-Music

    Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth, but the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth.

    March 2012
  • enzo5

    best backing vocal ever

    March 2012
  • BMWPRETTY

    Love this band and talent! Whooooo! ;-)

    February 2012
  • Pedrorockeiro

    Ótima

    February 2012
  • lukasz_pulawski

    one of five Rush songs inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010

    January 2012
  • MIKEH3875

    definitely one of my favorites from signals

    January 2012
  • kemp678

    Simplistic?? With all those polyrhythms, and intricate layers? Huh? No. This is amazing.

    December 2011
  • fordelphus

    be cool or be cast out !!!

    December 2011
  • lzcool

    Neil Peart é fabuloso.

    December 2011
  • Global_Carnage

    Kind of simplistic, but damn effective nonetheless. Great bassline and synths! One of my all time favourite songs.

    November 2011
  • RAGGLEMAN

    Would it be fair to say this is from one of their weaker 80's albums? Sounds a bit too keyboardy to me.

    November 2011
  • FearDeimos

    I really love this song.

    November 2011
  • jillian8

    Love this track-much history attached.

    November 2011
  • xtwntraphq

    Check out the video to this....pretty damn good !

    November 2011
  • veetzman

    love it!!!! my fav band ever!!!!!

    October 2011
  • JWP321

    Ultimate song to nerd-out to.

    October 2011
  • WeirdSteve

    \m/

    October 2011
See all 291 shouts

Track Stats

481,468 Scrobbles 90,858 Listeners

Recent Listening Trend

Listening Now

Top Listeners

See more

Recent Activity

Related Journals

See more