Vital Signs (Rush song)

1981 single by Rush

"Vital Signs"

Single by Rush
from the album Moving Pictures
B-side	"A Passage to Bangkok" "In the Mood"
Released	March 1981 (1981-03) (UK)^[1]
Recorded	October–November 1980
Studio	Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec
Genre	Reggae rock progressive rock new wave ^[2]
Length	4:43
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Neil Peart Geddy Lee Alex Lifeson
Producer(s)	Rush Terry Brown
Rush singles chronology
"Limelight" (1981) "Vital Signs" (1981) "Tom Sawyer (live)" (1981)

Music video
"Vital Signs" on YouTube

"Vital Signs" is a song by progressive rock band Rush. It is the closing track from their eighth studio album Moving Pictures . The lyrics of the song are about individuality and the pressures of conforming.^[3]

The song is heavily influenced by reggae (in the guitar riff) as well as progressive electronica (in its use of sequencers) and the music of the Police.^[4] These influences continued in subsequent albums: Signals , Grace Under Pressure , and Power Windows .

The song was released as a single in the U.K. peaking at No 41. Also, a live version of "Vital Signs" appeared as the B-side to Rush's "New World Man" single in 1982 (Mercury #76179, US edition).^[4]

Reception

[edit ]

Classic Rock readers voted "Vital Signs" the 37th best Rush song.^[5]

References

[edit ]

^ "Rush Discography".
^ "Moving Pictures (1981) Stereogum". www.stereogum.com. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
^ Hansen, Eric. ""'Hold Your Fire' by Neil Peart" - Backstage Club Newsletter, January 1988". www.2112.net. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b Popoff, Martin (2013). Rush: The Illustrated History. Voyageur Press. ISBN 9780760343647.
^ Rock, Classic Rock2015-06-11T09:36:00 161Z Classic. "The 50 Greatest Rush Songs Ever". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 1 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

[edit ]

Rush – Vital Signs at Discogs (list of releases)

v t e Rush
Alex Lifeson Geddy Lee Neil Peart Jeff Jones John Rutsey
Studio albums	Rush (1974) Fly by Night (1975) Caress of Steel (1975) 2112 (1976) A Farewell to Kings (1977) Hemispheres (1978) Permanent Waves (1980) Moving Pictures (1981) Signals (1982) Grace Under Pressure (1984) Power Windows (1985) Hold Your Fire (1987) Presto (1989) Roll the Bones (1991) Counterparts (1993) Test for Echo (1996) Vapor Trails (2002) Snakes & Arrows (2007) Clockwork Angels (2012)
Live albums	All the World's a Stage (1976) Exit... Stage Left (1981) A Show of Hands (1989) Different Stages (1998) Rush in Rio (2003) R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Snakes & Arrows Live (2008) Grace Under Pressure Tour (2009) Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013) R40 Live (2015)
Live videos	Exit... Stage Left (1982) Grace Under Pressure Tour (1986) A Show of Hands (1989) Rush in Rio (2003) R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Rush Replay X 3 (2006) Snakes & Arrows Live (2008) Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013) R40 Live (2015)
Compilations	Rush Through Time (1979) Chronicles (1990) Retrospective I (1997) Retrospective II (1997) The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974–1987 (2003) Gold (2006) Retrospective III: 1989–2008 (2009) Working Men (2009)
Video compilations	Through the Camera Eye (1985) Chronicles (1990)
Box sets	The Studio Albums 1989–2007 (2013)
Extended plays	Feedback (2004) Cygnus X-1 (2017)
Singles	"In the Mood" "Fly by Night" "Lakeside Park" "The Twilight Zone" "Making Memories" "Closer to the Heart" "Circumstances" "The Trees" "The Spirit of Radio" "Entre Nous" "Limelight" "Tom Sawyer" "Vital Signs" "New World Man" "Subdivisions" "Countdown" "Red Sector A" "Afterimage" "The Big Money" "Mystic Rhythms" "Time Stand Still" "Show Don't Tell" "The Pass" "Dreamline" "Roll the Bones" "Ghost of a Chance" "Stick It Out" "Nobody's Hero" "Test for Echo" "Half the World" "Driven" "One Little Victory" "Secret Touch" "Summertime Blues" "Far Cry" "Spindrift" "Caravan" "Headlong Flight"
Other songs	"Working Man" "Before" and "After" "Didacts and Narpets" "2112" "A Passage to Bangkok" "Tears" "Xanadu" "Armageddon The Battle of Heart and Mind" "Freewill" "Red Barchetta" "YYZ" "Witch Hunt" "The Analog Kid" "Between the Wheels" "Red Lenses" "Marathon" "Manhattan Project" "Force Ten" "Mission" "Lock and Key" "Second Nature" "Heresy" "Animate" "Cold Fire" "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)"
Tours	Hemispheres Tour (1978–1979) Moving Pictures Tour (1980–1981) Exit... Stage Left Tour (1981) Power Windows Tour (1985–1986) Hold Your Fire Tour (1987–1988) Presto Tour (1990) Roll the Bones Tour (1991–1992) Counterparts Tour (1994) Test for Echo Tour (1996–1997) Snakes & Arrows Tour (2007–2008) Time Machine Tour (2010–2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2012–2013) R40 Live Tour (2015)
Related articles	Discography Songs Awards Instrumentals Victor My Favourite Headache A Work in Progress Anatomy of a Drum Solo Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road Hugh Syme Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Working Man – A Tribute to Rush
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Reception

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References

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