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Tom Sawyer (4:33)

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“Tom Sawyer” is a 1981 song by Canadian band Rush named for Mark Twain’s literary character. The song relies heavily on Geddy Lee’s synthesizer playing and the techniques of drummer Neil Peart. Geddy Lee has referred to the track as the “quintessential Rush song”; It is one of Rush’s best-known songs and is a staple of classic rock radio. Notably, it reached Number 24 in the UK singles chart in May 1981 as a follow-up to their breakthrough hit “PlayThe Spirit Of Radio”.

Origin

The song was written by Lee, Peart, and guitarist Alex Lifeson in collaboration with Canadian lyricist Pye Dubois (the lyricist of Max Webster), who also co-wrote other Rush songs such as “PlayForce Ten,” “Between Sun and Moon,” and “Test for Echo.” According to the US radio show In the Studio with Redbeard (which devoted an entire episode to the making of Moving Pictures), “Tom Sawyer” came about during a summer rehearsal holiday that Rush spent at Ronnie Hawkins’ farm outside Toronto. Peart was presented with a poem by Dubois named “Louis the Warrior” that he modified and expanded. Lee and Lifeson then helped set the poem to music. The unique growling sound heard in the song came from Lee’s fiddling with his Oberheim synthesizer.

Structure and fan reaction

Fans of Rush cite “Tom Sawyer (help·info)” as an example of Rush’s distinctive songwriting, blending intelligent lyrics with an intricate pattern of multiple time signatures.
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Added by dlifesjrny

A new version I filmed, closer to the original. Also with much better audio.
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