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Rush — Subdivisions
Album: Signals
Avg rating:
7.2

Your rating:
Total ratings: 2527









Released: 1982
Length: 5:30
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone

Nowhere is the dreamer
Or the misfit so alone

(Subdivisions)
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions)
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help disprove
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight

Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights

(Subdivisions)
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions)
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out

Any escape might help disprove
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth
Comments (570)add comment
 libertinesupreme wrote:

The rock mix is on FIRE tonight! Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Rush? Am I in heaven?


one year later: same lineup, great evening 
They played at my high school in the fall of 1973, just before Neil joined the band.  They were still a very solid act.  :)
 25demayo wrote:

Why don't you just tell us how you feel without using such vulgar language. Where were you born? In a pigsti
I’m happy to say this is easily the most consequential song in my life.
Canadian.  I HAVE to love Rush ... don't I? 
Always had difficulty with that voice, though the guitar work is amazing. Too bad it gets so on my nerves.
Such an amazing band. Simple, to the point, and talented AF!
The rock mix is on FIRE tonight! Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Rush? Am I in heaven?
Unbelieveably, after 40 years ....

this song is kinda growing on me. 
Just great musicians !

My first concert in Québec city, wow !
 DanielHLloyd wrote:
Where is the TWENTY BUTTON?! RUSH ARE THE GODS OF ROCK FOREVER AND EVER AMEN!!! 



you could create a 2nd account and rate it 10 twice ?
Lyrics alone merit a 7. Subdivision life is mind numbing.
One of the best live groups ever! I saw them over 10 times. Goosebumps!
Double shot of great Canadian bands. Hip Pigeon Camera and this classic. Thanks Bill!
 Stetsonman wrote:

kinda wish the singer would shut the fuck up.
shit song 



Why not just hit the skip button?  no need to tell us how you feel about a song or band...none of us care.
The first song on the first album I ever bought by Rush.  I was in middle school and I finally felt SEEN and HEARD, which is what Rush has always represented for me: being validated as a dreamy misfit. I now teach teenagers music because it was my bridge to a place where I mattered and I hope it will be the same for them. 
 dandueck07 wrote:


kinda wish the singer would shut the fuck up.
shit song


Probably because he doesn't have the intelligence to do so.  As my father  explained to me when I was a child, "People who swear a lot, are just showing the people around them that their vocabularies are far too limited to enable them to express themselves properly."

My question to Stetsonman comes from an old saying:  "Why do you not keep such thoughts to yourself, rather than display them so openly, and reveal to all who read them, the limits of your education?"

My ex-wife's mother, one of the most intelligent and well-read people I've met (three Bachelor degrees and a Master's in Ancient Greek) swore like a trooper; she maintained that a well-chosen swear only added zest and seasoning.  She had a formidable vocabulary.

Good Tune!


Stetsonman wrote:kinda wish the singer would shut the fuck up.
shit song

 25demayo wrote:

Why don't you just tell us how you feel without using such vulgar language. Where were you born? In a pigsty?

Probably because he doesn't have the intelligence to do so.  As my father  explained to me when I was a child, "People who swear a lot, are just showing the people around them that their vocabularies are far too limited to enable them to express themselves properly."

My question to Stetsonman comes from an old saying:  "Why do you not keep such thoughts to yourself, rather than display them so openly, and reveal to all who read them, the limits of your education?"
Sorry Bill, bumped to 9, now I'm gonna head to spotify to listen to the whole album at full volume.
I was cool, so.

Heh, no really, always thought this was vastly overrated within the Rush ouvre. Some great drumming of course, but an overdose of synth cheese.

Alex's solo always sounds like he didn't like the song much either.
Best song on the best album, this is what started my lifelong fandom. I got to see the penultimate concert ever... and if I'd know, I'd have seen the LA show instead of the OC show. 
Appreciate ur POV Actuel. I’ll check myself into hospital Meanwhile, let’s celebrate the Habs this season!!
Where is the TWENTY BUTTON?! RUSH ARE THE GODS OF ROCK FOREVER AND EVER AMEN!!! 
Such a tight outfit Rush was! Appreciation to you Rushers 🦘🧡🦘🧡🎶🙏
 Montreal_Mort wrote:

Zzzzzzz. Man these guys are boring. Can’t stand the voice



You are sick..
Zzzzzzz. Man these guys are boring. Can’t stand the voice
Totally love this song !
 kbs wrote:
I hear shades of early Genesis (Selling England) in this. I like it.
 

Absolutely!! 
How can I make this louder?   
 fatcatjb wrote:
I always thought Rush was Yes with a brilliant drummer. 
 
... Unlike "hacks" like Bill Bruford or Alan White?
 Stetsonman wrote:
kinda wish the singer would shut the fuck up.
shit song 
 
Why don't you just tell us how you feel without using such vulgar language. Where were you born? In a pigsty?
The best song on the best album! I heard a copy of a Subdivision tape and it made me a fan for life. 
I always thought Rush was Yes with a brilliant drummer. Same self-important prog rock on and on....too smart for me
kinda wish the singer would shut the fuck up.
shit song 
Thanks for playing the pride of Canada! One of our best!
I hear shades of early Genesis (Selling England) in this. I like it.
Neal Peart.
A "sticks man" of the highest order. 
He went through so much grief in his life.
Thank you for this.
R.I.P
Rock bands seemed to be required to experiment with the synth back in the 80's
RIP Neal. Still raises goosebumps and the hair on my arms.
Solid 10 plus🍺
Full album side of 2112 would rock !
The 8 Rush songs on RP are , let's say, 2nd rate.
Bill, Please dig deeper and play older and better songs from Canada's Best Band.
They are  abundant and  super easy to find.
Punchy beat, but a bit too much of a safe commercial tone for me. 4/10 for now. Jethero Tull did it all way better, or even Hawkwind. Still 4/10.
 Bakaretsu wrote:


I never realized Neil wrote the lyrics ..so true and poetic
Here is a fantastic interview with Neil by Rick Mercier (Canadian). circa 2010
Fun and informative. Plus The Rick Mercier Report is a wonderful show to watch..as you shall see

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09l35k0rGvY
 

Peart was a big reader and it showed. Watch interviews with him on youtube. One of the most articulate people I've ever seen (we're talking fully blown thoughts off the top of the head)
Too cold. Too "perfect". Not for me. Not enough soul. Sorry
Sound a little like Yes?
 cptbuz wrote:
I've been a rush fan since Caress of Steel and sure did grieve Neil's passing. I know there will never be a new Rush album since Neil wrote most of the lyrics, but I'd love to see them tour again and use a high quality drummer like Gavin Harrison to take Neil's spot. 
I know...it's sacrilege, like replacing Gord in the Hip would be, and yes Geddy's voice isn't what it was when this album came out....but a fan can dream... and Geddy, Alex and Gavin would be a pretty awesome trio.
 

I never realized Neil wrote the lyrics ..so true and poetic
Here is a fantastic interview with Neil by Rick Mercier (Canadian). circa 2010
Fun and informative. Plus The Rick Mercier Report is a wonderful show to watch..as you shall see

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09l35k0rGvY
I've been a rush fan since Caress of Steel and sure did grieve Neil's passing. I know there will never be a new Rush album since Neil wrote most of the lyrics, but I'd love to see them tour again and use a high quality drummer like Gavin Harrison to take Neil's spot. 
I know...it's sacrilege, like replacing Gord in the Hip would be, and yes Geddy's voice isn't what it was when this album came out....but a fan can dream... and Geddy, Alex and Gavin would be a pretty awesome trio.
 Proclivities wrote:
 
 
It's also funny that the same person calling other people "idiots" has proclaimed U2 and Metallica to be "three man bands". The irony is strong with this comment. 
Again, wow. Neil was such a great architect in his songwriting, and this tune is a Master Class. Listen to the way he makes this musically simple (for Rush) tune just rip. He keeps time and messes with it, with both deft nuance and utter chaos, always changing recurring parts for interest (for him and us), while never losing control of propelling it like the master of  serving song and indulgence he was. 

Just wow, Neil. Your lessons from behind the drums and in living life will forever inspire and motivate us.
 scavanah wrote:
I was so sad to hear the news of Neil's passing. This is the most important band in my life. They were the first band I heard that made me want to learn more about music. They made me think about what being a musician meant. Through their music I found life-long friends. Through Neil I found my own passion for riding motorcycles. 

They were simply the greatest. The sorrow I feel right now is crushing. Thank you, Neil. For so much.
 
They were not quite the importance to me, but I do enjoy their work, and especially like the 2213 book of shorts inspired by Rush, I was also glad to hear Neil was a rider and like me, liked long distance/adventure riding.   
i graduated high school the year this came out and i never tire of hearing it. 
 scavanah wrote:
I was so sad to hear the news of Neil's passing. This is the most important band in my life. They were the first band I heard that made me want to learn more about music. They made me think about what being a musician meant. Through their music I found life-long friends. Through Neil I found my own passion for riding motorcycles. 

They were simply the greatest. The sorrow I feel right now is crushing. Thank you, Neil. For so much.
Thanks for your post.  That's just how I feel.  Except for the motorcycle part.

Very Sad. You will be missed, RIP!
Greatest Canadian band of all Time, period ! RIP Neal, we will miss you.
Such a great musician taken too soon. Miss Neil.
Another of music’s finest has left us,RIP,Neil Peart🙏
RIP,best drummer ever !
RIP Neil Peart
I was so sad to hear the news of Neil's passing. This is the most important band in my life. They were the first band I heard that made me want to learn more about music. They made me think about what being a musician meant. Through their music I found life-long friends. Through Neil I found my own passion for riding motorcycles. 

They were simply the greatest. The sorrow I feel right now is crushing. Thank you, Neil. For so much.
 Sam_Hill wrote:
Hated this band in the 80s, but man, gotta admit, despite the 80s-sounding production, they have grown on me. 
 Welcome aboard, hoser!

 MrStatenIsle wrote:
Possibly the most important song in my life, musically brilliant and lyrically poignant. Peart's drum work (as usual), is just superb here.

My first concert at Radio City Music Hall, 1983.

Wow, still a big wow.

 
Maybe the same show that I got hit with a beer bottle at and went to the hospital. 8 stitches on the chin.  Fun times.
I love it when I hear a Rush song on RP! Well played RP, well played! 
 lamdasig wrote:
Funny how even in the presence of excellence, there must always be the underwear armchair critic.  Rush may be past it's prime, but it's an idiot who can't appreciate the utter brilliance of the three man band.  An exclusive group privy to the likes of The Police, Metallica (yes, I said Metallica), and U2.  There are more worthy of mentioning, but in their career, Rush is atop the list.
 

It's funny how some people believe their opinions about music are scientific facts and assert that those whose opinions differ from their own must be "idiots".  
 poetdancer wrote:
So fortunate I got to see this band live on a few occasions. Some of the most amazing live music I've ever witnessed.
 
TOTALLY AGREE!!! Saw the Counterparts tour, Roll the Bones and one other that I can't remember 


So fortunate I got to see this band live on a few occasions. Some of the most amazing live music I've ever witnessed.
Excellent! Nothing beats 80's RUSH! (And 70's RUSH of course) ..hell, it's all good to me!
Fortunate enough to have attended the Permanent Waves Tour, Moving Pictures Tour, and the relatively recent Time Machine Tour. But alas, the touring days are over.
Hated this band in the 80s, but man, gotta admit, despite the 80s-sounding production, they have grown on me. 
Possibly the most important song in my life, musically brilliant and lyrically poignant. Peart's drum work (as usual), is just superb here.

My first concert at Radio City Music Hall, 1983.

Wow, still a big wow.

Not a bad tune but overplayed up here in Canada.
LOL - I was just thinking that I should post something about the awesome drumming.  Then spotted the latest post was from me, one year ago.

As a teenager listening to this (in the UK) I was confused for a while, wondering what the connection was to mathematics.  It was only a year or three later that I found out what the term meant in the US/Canada - doh!
{#Drummer}
Splurged on a front row ticket for the Vancouver leg of their R40 tour. Lucked out because my seat was directly in front of Geddy Lee. He winked at me a few times during the show, sending me over the moon!

This song was one of the highlights of the show for me because I've loved it ever since I was a kid, and its rhythmic complexity makes it interesting to this day. The accompanying videos showed scenes of Canadian suburbs life in the 80s, kids playing at arcades - especially the Tempest video game - the whole experience nearly gave me a nostalgia-gasm!
I've lived most of my life in 2 Subdivisions and this song is 100 % accurate.
However the Suburbs ROCK.
 you are hereby cast out !!  S-curvy wrote:
I don't go here often:  Frickin' vomitrocious '70's tripe.  Please leave it buried in the backyard where it belongs.  Okay, on to something w/ a less grating vocalist.

 


Their best..oh wait there is Vital Signs...or Working Man
 Sbed wrote:
Rush, yes let's rock RP!
 
Obviously, a scratch on the Rush LP.  Shoulda left it in the dustbin where you found it {#Wink}.
Rush, yes let's rock RP!
Rush, yes!
I don't go here often:  Frickin' vomitrocious '70's tripe.  Please leave it buried in the backyard where it belongs.  Okay, on to something w/ a less grating vocalist.
 Cannon wrote:

The last Rush show I attended (2013?) the line for the men's room was a mile long while the women's was wide open!  Usually just the opposite.  Either way, PLAY MORE RUSH!

 
As a woman, and a Rush fan for more than 30 years, I'm always happy to see a short line for the restroom!  And yes, when I saw Rush at Shoreline in Mountain View (California), the line for the women's bathroom was short. In fact, a man came into the women's room (we didn't mind) because the  line was so much shorter, LOL. 
Loved this then,  still fresh,  still topical,  still love it
That's Supertramp isn't it? What's going on? {#Ask}
Rush...   Thank You for sharing your talent.
Bill & Rebecca...  Thank You for programming it at 6:30am.
A fabulous way to begin my Friday morning !!!!!!
 averybadcat wrote:
My junkie exhubby played rush constantly. Too bad it never sounded like this back then.

   

blotto wrote:


Cindy? Is that you?

 

Rush should write a song about you two...
Subdivisions!  Who of us here cannot identify with this song? And followed by "School", nice Bill. Well done. I need go nowhere else. RP is home.
 ShaunJ wrote:

You obviously have never attended a Rush concert. The last three Rush tours I have attended indicate the number of woman is increasing.{#Drummer}

 
The last Rush show I attended (2013?) the line for the men's room was a mile long while the women's was wide open!  Usually just the opposite.  Either way, PLAY MORE RUSH!
Love these guys!
Funny how even in the presence of excellence, there must always be the underwear armchair critic.  Rush may be past it's prime, but it's an idiot who can't appreciate the utter brilliance of the three man band.  An exclusive group privy to the likes of The Police, Metallica (yes, I said Metallica), and U2.  There are more worthy of mentioning, but in their career, Rush is atop the list.
Underated.
Well, that was awful.
Bill your awesome thank you from NY!
Thank you for playing Rush
With the vast catalog of Rush material available you would think RP could avoid the same old classic hit song you hear on the radio any day of the week.
Man, I'm caught in subdivision, vinyl village hell. {#Frown}
 leafmold wrote:
UGH!!!!

 
I can only assume you swallowed a fly as you were writing the comment.
 leafmold wrote:
UGH!!!!

 
{#Yes}
 Hannio wrote:

Must be the complexity.  We're all just a bunch of mouth-breathers here in the US. 



 
Red Sox player with bushybushy beard mouth-breathing intensely during World Series

Well...ok...but we got baseball! 

(what was the question again?) 
 milleronic wrote:

Speak for yourself. We can hear all y'all Texans breathing way up here in Minnesota... {#Mrgreen}

 
Hodor
Very 1st band I ever saw in a bar in Hamilton Ontario so many years ago .
I thought they sucked , but that might have something to do with the copious amounts of tequila shots I downed that night . 
 Hannio wrote:

Must be the complexity.  We're all just a bunch of mouth-breathers here in the US. 



 
Speak for yourself. We can hear all y'all Texans breathing way up here in Minnesota... {#Mrgreen}
UGH!!!!
Cant help thinking of a Spinal Tap number.... {#Bananajam}
 blotto wrote:

Is Nascar popular in the US?

 

Thank you for proving my (larger) point.


 Hannio wrote:

Must be the complexity.  We're all just a bunch of mouth-breathers here in the US. 



 
Is Nascar popular in the US?
 kcar wrote:
 
Rush had some big hits, but I get the feeling that the band didn't didn't have widespread popularity in the US beyond those few songs. Was it Geddy Lee's voice or the complexity of the music?  

 

Must be the complexity.  We're all just a bunch of mouth-breathers here in the US. 


 Krakus wrote:
Saw Rush in concert in Denver, CO last year. These guys are in their 60s and rock their a**es off. Geddy was jumping on the stage and Neil was drumming like a mad man!

 
You asterisk ass?  Do you also say you're "TO'd" instead of ticked off?
 averybadcat wrote:
My junkie exhubby played rush constantly. Too bad it never sounded like this back then.

 

Cindy? Is that you?
Sounds like Rush. 

 

 averybadcat wrote:

My junkie exhubby played rush constantly. Too bad it never sounded like this back then.

 
Probably due to the environment you were subjected to. Glad to hear that you now have a chance to enjoy it .


 laughingdog wrote:
I miss Rush
Been a fan for 35 years but dislike the way they're currently reselling their back catalogue- not good  

 
Well, if you miss Rush they have just announced the R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour in 2015! {#Drummer}


Celebrating their 40th anniversary.


Bill, I thank you, I truly thank you for PSD button!!!


I miss Rush
Been a fan for 35 years but dislike the way they're currently reselling their back catalogue- not good  
amazing drummer!
 NuggetNectar wrote:
you never see a girl wearing a Rush t-shirt
 
You obviously have never attended a Rush concert. The last three Rush tours I have attended indicate the number of woman is increasing.{#Drummer}
{#Bananajam}I just can't get enough, more prog rock
My junkie exhubby played rush constantly. Too bad it never sounded like this back then.
LONG LIVE PROG!