Cygnus X-1 series
Encyclopedia
The Cygnus X-1 duology is a duology of songs by Canadian
progressive rock
band Rush
. It consists of "Book I: The Voyage" and "Book II: Hemispheres". Book I is the last song on the A Farewell to Kings
album, while Book II is the first song on Hemispheres
. Book I clocks in at ten minutes and twenty-five seconds (10:25), and Book II is eighteen minutes and eight seconds (18:08).
, titled Cygnus X-1
(believed to be an actual black hole), lies in the constellation
of Cygnus
. An explorer aboard the ship "Rocinante
" is drawn in by the black hole. As he moves closer, it becomes increasingly difficult to control the ship and he is eventually drawn in by the pull of gravity. His final words in Book I are: "Sound and fury drown my heart/Every nerve is torn apart." Just before the final note a faint heartbeat is heard.
The explorer re-enters the story midway through Book II. He has emerged into Olympus, where he witnesses the gods Apollo
and Dionysus
caught up in the struggle between Mind and Heart. Prior to his arrival, the logical thinkers are led by Apollo and the emotional people are ruled by Dionysus. Apollo had shown the people how to build cities and explore the depths of science and knowledge, but Dionysus had lured many of them into the wild forests and provided love, which many felt that Apollo's society was missing. A conflict now breaks out as the two different ways of life clash. Short snippets of Book I are heard in the background to mark the explorer's entry into this realm.
When he reflects on what he sees, he becomes tormented in the lack of balance of the people who insist on one extreme or the other. His silent scream of terror is felt by the warriors and causes them to rethink their struggle and unite together. The gods recognize the explorer as a nascent new god and name him Cygnus, the God of Balance.
to explain the double meaning. "Cygnus X-1" is primarily about the discovery of two conflicting ways of life, and two vastly different ways in which the human mind thinks (logic
and emotion
are separated into separate sides, or hemispheres, of the brain). The balance point (Cygnus) allows the mind to think with some logic and emotion at the same time, allowing people to be analytical, but not unemotional.
The name of the ship, "Rocinante
", is derived from the name of Don Quixote's horse in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
.
"Part 1" The shortest section of the song describes the black hole itself, and asks the question of what happens to someone who flies into it.
"Part 2" The protagonist sails into the black hole on board his "Rocinante". This section contains a wah-wah guitar solo by Alex Lifeson.
"Part 3" The climactic section of Book I uses a chord sequence first heard at 3:21 in the Prologue. The lyrics describe the "Rocinante" spinning out of control, and the protagonist's body being destroyed ("every nerve is torn apart"). This section includes the highest note sung by Geddy Lee
on any studio album (Bb5 at 9:27). The song fades out with a repeated chord sequence, which returns at 11:56 in Book II, along with the sound of a beating heart.
", the Prelude contains many movements to be heard later on.
"Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom" Apollo represents the left hemisphere. 'Left-brainers' are often logical thinkers, adept at math. Apollo was the Greek god of the sun and the arts.
"Dionysus: Bringer of Love" Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and fertility (read the right hemisphere.) He stood for uninhibited desire in Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy and Human, All Too Human and was the extreme opposite of Apollo. 'Rightbrainers' are most common, and include people who are artistic and sensitive.
"Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind" A reference to the Biblical war, but in this case Apollo and Dionysus pull man in opposite directions, toward Order or Chaos, respectively. The debate between classical and romantic (Apollonian and Dionysian
) cultures is ongoing. You can hear the left channel switch to the right for dramatic effect when Geddy sings the word 'hemispheres'.
"Cygnus: Bringer of Balance" The chords played at the end of The Voyage return here. The explorer from The Voyage is frightened by the fighting and, after hearing the explorer's silent cry of terror, Apollo and Dionysus stop fighting and dub him Cygnus, god of Balance.
"The Sphere" Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility may be alluded to in the last few lines of the song.
Tour. The band also played it on the Permanent Waves Warmup Tour, with the absence of Parts 2 (Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom) and 3 (Dionysus: Bringer of Love) from Book II. Since then, an abbreviated version of book one is occasionally played live with only the instrumental section, as is seen on Rush in Rio
and R30
. Occasionally, the "Prelude" from Book II is also performed.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
progressive rock
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...
. It consists of "Book I: The Voyage" and "Book II: Hemispheres". Book I is the last song on the A Farewell to Kings
A Farewell to Kings
A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1977. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales, and mixed at Advision Studios in London....
album, while Book II is the first song on Hemispheres
Hemispheres (Rush album)
Hemispheres is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1978. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and mixed at Trident Studios in London....
. Book I clocks in at ten minutes and twenty-five seconds (10:25), and Book II is eighteen minutes and eight seconds (18:08).
General storyline
A mysterious black holeBlack hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
, titled Cygnus X-1
Cygnus X-1
Cygnus X-1 is a well-known galactic X-ray source in the constellation Cygnus. It was discovered in 1964 during a rocket flight and is one of the strongest X-ray sources seen from Earth, producing a peak X-ray flux density of 2.3 Wm−2Hz−1...
(believed to be an actual black hole), lies in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
of Cygnus
Cygnus (constellation)
Cygnus is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way. Its name is the Latinized Hellenic word for swan. One of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross...
. An explorer aboard the ship "Rocinante
Rocinante
Rocinante is the name of Don Quixote's horse, in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.-Etymology: in Spanish means work-horse or low-quality horse , but also illiterate or rough man. There are similar words in French , Portuguese and Italian . The etymology is uncertain. The name is,...
" is drawn in by the black hole. As he moves closer, it becomes increasingly difficult to control the ship and he is eventually drawn in by the pull of gravity. His final words in Book I are: "Sound and fury drown my heart/Every nerve is torn apart." Just before the final note a faint heartbeat is heard.
The explorer re-enters the story midway through Book II. He has emerged into Olympus, where he witnesses the gods Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
and Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
caught up in the struggle between Mind and Heart. Prior to his arrival, the logical thinkers are led by Apollo and the emotional people are ruled by Dionysus. Apollo had shown the people how to build cities and explore the depths of science and knowledge, but Dionysus had lured many of them into the wild forests and provided love, which many felt that Apollo's society was missing. A conflict now breaks out as the two different ways of life clash. Short snippets of Book I are heard in the background to mark the explorer's entry into this realm.
When he reflects on what he sees, he becomes tormented in the lack of balance of the people who insist on one extreme or the other. His silent scream of terror is felt by the warriors and causes them to rethink their struggle and unite together. The gods recognize the explorer as a nascent new god and name him Cygnus, the God of Balance.
Allusions and allegory
Although the storyline revolves around this science fiction world, it uses Greek mythologyGreek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
to explain the double meaning. "Cygnus X-1" is primarily about the discovery of two conflicting ways of life, and two vastly different ways in which the human mind thinks (logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
are separated into separate sides, or hemispheres, of the brain). The balance point (Cygnus) allows the mind to think with some logic and emotion at the same time, allowing people to be analytical, but not unemotional.
The name of the ship, "Rocinante
Rocinante
Rocinante is the name of Don Quixote's horse, in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.-Etymology: in Spanish means work-horse or low-quality horse , but also illiterate or rough man. There are similar words in French , Portuguese and Italian . The etymology is uncertain. The name is,...
", is derived from the name of Don Quixote's horse in the novel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written...
.
Book I: The Voyage
"Prologue" This starts with a dissonant electronic soundscape and spoken introduction by sound engineer Terry Brown. Afterwards, a heavily syncopated bass riff in shifting time signatures (3/4, 7/8, 3/4, 4/4) fades in, with the full band joining in as the introductory sound effects fade out."Part 1" The shortest section of the song describes the black hole itself, and asks the question of what happens to someone who flies into it.
"Part 2" The protagonist sails into the black hole on board his "Rocinante". This section contains a wah-wah guitar solo by Alex Lifeson.
"Part 3" The climactic section of Book I uses a chord sequence first heard at 3:21 in the Prologue. The lyrics describe the "Rocinante" spinning out of control, and the protagonist's body being destroyed ("every nerve is torn apart"). This section includes the highest note sung by 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...
on any studio album (Bb5 at 9:27). The song fades out with a repeated chord sequence, which returns at 11:56 in Book II, along with the sound of a beating heart.
Book II: Hemispheres
"Prelude" Like "Overture" from "21122112 (song)
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...
", the Prelude contains many movements to be heard later on.
"Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom" Apollo represents the left hemisphere. 'Left-brainers' are often logical thinkers, adept at math. Apollo was the Greek god of the sun and the arts.
"Dionysus: Bringer of Love" Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and fertility (read the right hemisphere.) He stood for uninhibited desire in Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy and Human, All Too Human and was the extreme opposite of Apollo. 'Rightbrainers' are most common, and include people who are artistic and sensitive.
"Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind" A reference to the Biblical war, but in this case Apollo and Dionysus pull man in opposite directions, toward Order or Chaos, respectively. The debate between classical and romantic (Apollonian and Dionysian
Apollonian and Dionysian
The Apollonian and Dionysian is a philosophical and literary concept, or dichotomy, based on certain features of ancient Greek mythology. Several Western philosophical and literary figures have invoked this dichotomy in critical and creative works....
) cultures is ongoing. You can hear the left channel switch to the right for dramatic effect when Geddy sings the word 'hemispheres'.
"Cygnus: Bringer of Balance" The chords played at the end of The Voyage return here. The explorer from The Voyage is frightened by the fighting and, after hearing the explorer's silent cry of terror, Apollo and Dionysus stop fighting and dub him Cygnus, god of Balance.
"The Sphere" Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility may be alluded to in the last few lines of the song.
Live performances
Rush performed the Cygnus X-1 duology (Book I followed by Book II) on the Hemispheres Tour and the Permanent WavesPermanent Waves
Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released January 1, 1980. The album was recorded at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, and was mixed at Trident Studios in London, UK. Permanent Waves became Rush's first US Top 5 album hitting #4 and was the band's fifth...
Tour. The band also played it on the Permanent Waves Warmup Tour, with the absence of Parts 2 (Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom) and 3 (Dionysus: Bringer of Love) from Book II. Since then, an abbreviated version of book one is occasionally played live with only the instrumental section, as is seen on Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio
Rush in Rio is a live album by Canadian band Rush, released in 2003 . The album is also available as a two DVD set. The album was recorded at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and was the final concert on the Vapor Trails Tour. However, the third CD contains two bonus tracks played previously on...
and R30
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour
R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour is a live DVD by the Canadian band Rush, that was released on November 22, 2005 in Canada and the U.S. and November 28, 2005 in Europe, therein documenting the band's R30: 30th Anniversary Tour. The DVD was released in a standard and deluxe set...
. Occasionally, the "Prelude" from Book II is also performed.