In “The Spirit of Radio,” the late Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart has a lot to say about the state of commercial radio. Some of it is unflattering. With references to “salesmen,” “glittering prizes,” and “endless compromises,” Peart sounds disheartened with the state of radio in 1979, when the song was written.
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On balance, though, “The Spirit of Radio” is a positive and appreciative ode to what’s great about radio. It was inspired by CFNY-FM in Toronto—a station Peart admired for its eclectic mix of music. Rush even borrowed its slogan—The Spirit of Radio—for the song’s title.
Being a music fan means getting the bad along with the good that comes with the business. On “The Spirit of Radio,” Peart and his Rush bandmates, vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, remind us that they are music fans as much as they are musicians. The song provided them with an opportunity to share their love of radio while voicing their concerns for its future.
A Friendly Voice
Before we even hear a word from Lee, Rush gets us in a radio-listening frame of mind. Lifeson’s opening riff, which gets repeated in the chorus, is meant to evoke an image of radio waves and the sound of static that one would hear along the dial between stations.
Peart makes his attitude about radio abundantly clear in the very first line of “The Spirit of Radio”: Begin the day with a friendly voice. He also quickly establishes that radio isn’t just a companion (or as he puts it, “a companion unobtrusive.” It’s a form of magic that can make your whole day better.
Plays that song that’s so elusive
And the magic music makes your morning mood
Side note: In the era of streaming, there aren’t many songs that are elusive anymore. Part of radio’s magic was waiting to hear that hard-to-find song and then finally getting to listen to it when it came on.
In the second verse, Peart writes about the one thing that can make radio even better—the car.
Off on your way, hit the open road
There is magic at your fingers
For the spirit ever lingers
Undemanding contact in your happy solitude
This is something we can still relate to in the 21st century. Cars have always been a symbol of freedom, and when we bring the “companion unobtrusive” into our cars with us, we’re in great company. Better yet, from Peart’s perspective, that company makes no demands on us. Peart extends his sense of gratitude into the chorus, where he refers to radio as “bearing a gift beyond price, almost free.”
A Question of Honesty
It’s not until the third verse that Peart raises the more unseemly side of radio. Even here, he asserts that the mechanistic nature of commercial radio isn’t the problem. In the right hands, the trappings of the radio industry can still create a connection with listeners.
All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open-hearted
Not so coldly charted
It’s really just a question of your honesty
Yeah, your honesty
By “honesty,” Peart meant prioritizing the quality of the musical experience over money. In a 1980 interview with Innerview magazine, Peart explained that Rush had to grapple with making honest and integral decisions to the best of their abilities. For him, that meant “the bottom line is that we’re musicians, and everything else does have to stem from that” as opposed to making business-based decisions. In applying that principle to radio, Peart respected those in the industry who put their love of music first.
He points out the pitfalls of not putting music first in the latter part of the verse.
One likes to believe in the freedom of music
But glittering prizes
And endless compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity, yeah
It’s also worth noting that Peart raised the topic of integrity elsewhere on Rush’s 1980 Permanent Waves album. On “Natural Science,” Peart urges us to maintain our integrity in matters of science and art.
A Dose of Levity
Rush’s compositions can get pretty heavy, but part of the allure of “The Spirit of Radio” is its (mostly) light-hearted approach. Just as the song’s lyrics are meant to reflect Peart’s gratitude for the experience that good radio stations provide, the music evokes a fun, carefree attitude, at least by Rush standards. Part of the bridge section is played in a reggae style, while the outro features some ‘50s-style rock and roll piano.
Even more surprising than the reggae feel of the bridge is Peart’s reference to a lyric from Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” Instead of Paul Simon’s lines, The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls / And tenement halls, Lee sings, The words of the profits were written on the studio wall / Concert hall.
The Impact of “The Spirit of Radio”
“The Spirit of Radio” was the only single from Permanent Waves to reach the Billboard Hot 100. In getting to No. 51, it was Rush’s highest-charting hit at that point. Largely on the strength of “The Spirit of Radio”’s popularity, Permanent Waves became Rush’s first Top 10 album, peaking at No. 4.
English alternative rock band Catherine Wheel covered “The Spirit of Radio” for a 1996 CD released by CFNY-FM called Spirit of the Edge, Vol. 2. Catherine Wheel then included the track on their Like Cats and Dogs compilation, which mostly consists of B-sides and outtakes.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of Permanent Waves, Rush released an animated video for “The Spirit of Radio,” which was created by Fantoons Animation Studios. The video, released five months after Peart’s death, ends with a rendering of Peart’s drum kit with the caption, “In memory of our brother Neil Peart.”
Radio is not nearly as relevant as it was when Peart wrote the lyrics for “The Spirit of Radio.” Still, Peart’s words are easy for music fans to relate to today. However we find the music we love, it’s important to appreciate the magical process of discovery and the magic of the music itself.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
