2112 (song)
Encyclopedia
2112 is the sidelong title track of Canadian progressive rock
band Rush
's album of the same name
, released in 1976. The overture and the first section, Temples of Syrinx, were released as a single and are still popular among Rush's setlists today. The "sci-fi" sounds in the beginning of the song were created using an ARP Odyssey
synthesizer and an Echoplex tape delay. Today, when performed live, the song is transposed down one full step, as heard on every live album and DVD from Different Stages forward. The entire song is featured in the video game, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
.
Both serve as the source, except where otherwise noted, of all that follows.
Lyricist/drummer Neil Peart is credited in the liner notes as acknowledging "the genius of Ayn Rand
."
Some listeners believe that "2112" is based on Ayn Rand's book, Anthem, but Neil Peart maintains that the resemblance is coincidental, saying in a 1991 "Rockline" interview:
's 1812 Overture
. Its sole lyric, at the end, "And the meek shall inherit the Earth", is a reference to the Beatitudes
of the New Testament
and Psalm 37:11.
The meaning of this part is not explained; some listeners regard this part (and this lyric) as signifying the rise of the Solar Federation, an event described on the back cover as follows:
The Protagonist lives in "the bleakness of Megadon", reflecting on how "we have had peace since 2062, when the surviving planets were banded together under the Red Star
of the Solar Federation." The Protagonist initially believes what he's been told, thinking he is happy, until he finds, as will soon be seen, "something that changed it all"—an old guitar
from the time before the Federation.
". The Priests—relying on an elaborate set of "great computers"—micromanage every aspect of Federation life: They proclaim, "We've taken care of everything—the words you read and the songs you sing. ... Never need to wonder how or why", asserting a "Brotherhood of Man". But their "equality" is illusory: They control all available information, and, as will soon become clear, have little tolerance for individuality or creativity that doesn't conform to their plan.
The song is hard rock
, except for a gentle acoustic guitar tag at the end—foreshadowing the next part, "Discovery".
Note: In Greek mythology, a syrinx is a water nymph. Temples are ascension symbols and are regarded to be closer to the gods with their height. The computerized nature of The Priests' system was a concept envisioned by Neil Peart in the 1970s.
In this song, guitarist Alex Lifeson
builds up from simple open string guitar playing into increasingly complex patterns and chords, showing the man's progress as he teaches himself to play the guitar.
Note: Printed on the album were the lyrics "Chords that build high like a mountain" and Geddy sang it this way for the 1996 live album, but the original lyrics were the same way as recorded, with the word "sounds" instead of "chords" ("sounds that build...").
Vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee
and guitarist Alex Lifeson
alternately represent the Protagonist—with gentle, low-pitched vocals and clean, soft rock
guitar—and the Priests—with harsh, high-pitched vocals and distorted, hard rock
guitar. The song ends with a guitar solo outro similar instrumentally to the chorus of "The Temples of Syrinx".
shows him the way it was before the Federation rose—a society where creativity and individuality flourished, with great "sculptured" works of beauty driven by "the pure spirit of man." He now sees that without these things, life has become "meaningless."
But he also sees "the hand of man arise with hungry mind and open eyes": The "elder race" was not destroyed, but "left our planets long ago", plotting to ultimately return "home to tear the Temples down."
VI Soliloquy
The protagonist returns to the cave and broods for "days". He imagines "what my life might be in a world like I have seen", and now considers life under the Federation "cold and empty", with his spirits "low in the depths of despair". He resolves that, in order to "pass into the world of my dream, and know peace at last", he must take his own life—his narrative ending as "my life blood spills over."
instrumental part. Like "Overture", the meaning here is ambiguous. Pingree's Music Reviews says, "‘2112’ ends with the oppressive government being attacked by another entity, left entirely up to the listener’s interpretation."; some listeners infer it to be an attempt—successful or unsuccessful—by the "elder race" to overthrow the Solar Federation, as forseen in the Protagonist's dream.. On the Classic Albums
episode of 2112 and Moving Pictures
, Neil Peart stated that the "Elder Race" successfully overthrows "The Solar Federation" at the end.
What's definite are the spoken words in the final flourish: "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation", which is spoken three times—followed by "We have assumed control", which is also spoken three times. The mechanical-sounding voice was reportedly created by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, "messing around with a tape recorder".
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
's album of the same name
2112 (album)
2112 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976.The album features an eponymous seven-part suite written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, with lyrics written by Neil Peart telling a dystopian story set in the year 2112. The album is sometimes described as a concept album...
, released in 1976. The overture and the first section, Temples of Syrinx, were released as a single and are still popular among Rush's setlists today. The "sci-fi" sounds in the beginning of the song were created using an ARP Odyssey
ARP Odyssey
The ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. Responding to pressure from Moog Music to create a portable, affordable "performance" synthesizer, ARP scaled down its popular 2600 synthesizer and created the Odyssey, which became the best-selling synthesizer they made.The Odyssey is...
synthesizer and an Echoplex tape delay. Today, when performed live, the song is transposed down one full step, as heard on every live album and DVD from Different Stages forward. The entire song is featured in the video game, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
.
Parts
| Part | Title | Starting time (*) | Length (*) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Overture | 0:00 | 4:33 |
| II | The Temples of Syrinx | 4:33 | 2:12 |
| III | Discovery | 6:45 | 3:29 |
| IV | Presentation | 10:14 | 3:42 |
| V | Oracle: The Dream | 13:56 | 2:00 |
| VI | Soliloquy | 15:56 | 2:21 |
| VII | Grand Finale | 18:17 | 2:14 |
| Total Running time | 20:33 |
- (*) Starting times and lengths approximate.
Synopsis
This song is described in the liner notes of the album—its interior and back cover—in two ways:- by the actually-sung lyrics, and
- by the narrative of the song's Protagonist—identified as "Anonymous, 2112"—quoted and italicized like entries from a personal journal—on the back cover and before the lyrics of all songs except "Overture" and "Grand Finale".
Both serve as the source, except where otherwise noted, of all that follows.
Lyricist/drummer Neil Peart is credited in the liner notes as acknowledging "the genius of Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
."
Some listeners believe that "2112" is based on Ayn Rand's book, Anthem, but Neil Peart maintains that the resemblance is coincidental, saying in a 1991 "Rockline" interview:
I Overture
This part musically foreshadows the rest of the song—incorporating movements from "The Temples Of Syrinx", "Presentation", "Oracle: The Dream", and "Soliloquy"—as well as a guitar adaptation of a familiar part of TchaikovskyPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
's 1812 Overture
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
. Its sole lyric, at the end, "And the meek shall inherit the Earth", is a reference to the Beatitudes
Beatitudes
In Christianity, the Beatitudes are a set of teachings by Jesus that appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful....
of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and Psalm 37:11.
The meaning of this part is not explained; some listeners regard this part (and this lyric) as signifying the rise of the Solar Federation, an event described on the back cover as follows:
The Protagonist lives in "the bleakness of Megadon", reflecting on how "we have had peace since 2062, when the surviving planets were banded together under the Red Star
Red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is an important ideological and religious symbol which has been used for various purposes, such as: state emblems, flags, monuments, ornaments, and logos.- Symbol of communism :...
of the Solar Federation." The Protagonist initially believes what he's been told, thinking he is happy, until he finds, as will soon be seen, "something that changed it all"—an old guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
from the time before the Federation.
II The Temples Of Syrinx
Everything he's been "told" comes from "The Priests of the Temples of SyrinxSyrinx
In classical mythology, Syrinx was a nymph and a follower of Artemis, known for her chastity. Pursued by the amorous Greek god Pan, she ran to the river's edge and asked for assistance from the river nymphs. In answer, she was transformed into hollow water reeds that made a haunting sound when...
". The Priests—relying on an elaborate set of "great computers"—micromanage every aspect of Federation life: They proclaim, "We've taken care of everything—the words you read and the songs you sing. ... Never need to wonder how or why", asserting a "Brotherhood of Man". But their "equality" is illusory: They control all available information, and, as will soon become clear, have little tolerance for individuality or creativity that doesn't conform to their plan.
The song is hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, except for a gentle acoustic guitar tag at the end—foreshadowing the next part, "Discovery".
Note: In Greek mythology, a syrinx is a water nymph. Temples are ascension symbols and are regarded to be closer to the gods with their height. The computerized nature of The Priests' system was a concept envisioned by Neil Peart in the 1970s.
III Discovery
The Protagonist finds the guitar—the life-changing thing—in a cave by a waterfall. He figures out how to tune and play it—enabling him to make his own music: "How different it could be from the music of the Temples!" He decides to perform it before the Priests, believing they will "praise my name" for letting "the people ... all make their own music."In this song, guitarist Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
builds up from simple open string guitar playing into increasingly complex patterns and chords, showing the man's progress as he teaches himself to play the guitar.
Note: Printed on the album were the lyrics "Chords that build high like a mountain" and Geddy sang it this way for the 1996 live album, but the original lyrics were the same way as recorded, with the word "sounds" instead of "chords" ("sounds that build...").
IV Presentation
The Protagonist performs before the Priests, but they—particularly Father Brown—express not "grateful joy" but "quiet rejection": They tell him that "we have no need for ancient ways", and dismiss the instrument as a "silly whim" that "doesn't fit the plan"—in fact, "another toy that helped destroy the elder race of man." Not believing "these things", the Protagonist tries to explain, "our world could use this beauty; just think what we might do"—to no avail. Father Brown stomps on the guitar and destroys it, and the Priests tell him, "Don't annoy us further."Vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee
Gary Lee Weinrib, OC, better known as Geddy Lee , is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush...
and guitarist Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson
Aleksandar Živojinović, OC, better known by his stage name Alex Lifeson, is a second generation Serbian-Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist of the Canadian rock band Rush. In the summer of 1968, Lifeson founded the band that would become Rush with friend, drummer John Rutsey...
alternately represent the Protagonist—with gentle, low-pitched vocals and clean, soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
guitar—and the Priests—with harsh, high-pitched vocals and distorted, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
guitar. The song ends with a guitar solo outro similar instrumentally to the chorus of "The Temples of Syrinx".
V Oracle: The Dream
The Protagonist "wanders home" and has a vision of the past and future—he "guesses" it was a dream, but it seems "so vivid" to him: An oracleOracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
shows him the way it was before the Federation rose—a society where creativity and individuality flourished, with great "sculptured" works of beauty driven by "the pure spirit of man." He now sees that without these things, life has become "meaningless."
But he also sees "the hand of man arise with hungry mind and open eyes": The "elder race" was not destroyed, but "left our planets long ago", plotting to ultimately return "home to tear the Temples down."
VI SoliloquySoliloquyA soliloquy is a device often used in drama whereby a character relates his or her thoughts and feelings to him/herself and to the audience without addressing any of the other characters, and is delivered often when they are alone or think they are alone. Soliloquy is distinct from monologue and...
The protagonist returns to the cave and broods for "days". He imagines "what my life might be in a world like I have seen", and now considers life under the Federation "cold and empty", with his spirits "low in the depths of despair". He resolves that, in order to "pass into the world of my dream, and know peace at last", he must take his own life—his narrative ending as "my life blood spills over."VII Grand Finale
The song concludes with an upbeat hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
instrumental part. Like "Overture", the meaning here is ambiguous. Pingree's Music Reviews says, "‘2112’ ends with the oppressive government being attacked by another entity, left entirely up to the listener’s interpretation."; some listeners infer it to be an attempt—successful or unsuccessful—by the "elder race" to overthrow the Solar Federation, as forseen in the Protagonist's dream.. On the Classic Albums
Classic Albums
Classic Albums is a documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.-Format:...
episode of 2112 and Moving Pictures
Moving Pictures (album)
- Personnel :* Geddy Lee - Bass guitar; Minimoog; Oberheim 8-voice synthesizer; OB-X, Moog Taurus bass pedals, vocals* Alex Lifeson - Electric and acoustic guitars, Moog Taurus...
, Neil Peart stated that the "Elder Race" successfully overthrows "The Solar Federation" at the end.
What's definite are the spoken words in the final flourish: "Attention all planets of the Solar Federation", which is spoken three times—followed by "We have assumed control", which is also spoken three times. The mechanical-sounding voice was reportedly created by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, "messing around with a tape recorder".