5 Facts About Rush’s “The Spirit of Radio”

It was Rush’s first Top 30 single in Canada Released in February 1980, the song became the band’s first to crack the Canadian Top 30.

The title was inspired by a Toronto radio station The phrase “the spirit of radio” was a slogan used by CFNY-FM, a station that supported new and underground music.

The song opens with a reggae-style guitar riff Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson wrote the riff as a nod to the band’s diverse influences.

It criticizes the commercialization of radio The lyrics contrast the joy of discovering music with the pressure to play only profitable songs.

The track ends with a live-sounding fade-out The band recorded the ending to mimic the sound of a radio being tuned away from the station.