Between the Wheels explained

Between the Wheels
Artist:Rush
Album:Grace Under Pressure
Genre:
Label:Anthem
Composer:
Lyricist:Neil Peart
Producer:
  • Rush
  • Peter Henderson

"Between the Wheels" is a song by the Canadian rock band Rush. It was released on their 1984 album Grace Under Pressure.

Composition and recording

"Between the Wheels" was composed in the key of D minor, and is played in common time.[3] [4]

News stories from the Toronto-based newspaper The Globe and Mail inspired the song's lyrics.[5]

The line "Another lost generation" is from a quote by Gertrude Stein used by Ernest Hemingway at the beginning of The Sun Also Rises.[6]

Bill Banasiewicz in the book Rush Visions said:

"Between the Wheels" is about pressure, and returns to the gloom of much of the rest of Grace Under Pressure. Alex's guitar really jumps out. A lyric from the song puts across what they all must have felt at the time. "We can go from boom to bust . . . from dreams to a bowl of dust".[7]

Reception

Ultimate Classic Rock ranked the song number 80 on their list of "All 167 Rush Songs Ranked Worst to Best", writing "there's nothing wrong with 'Between the Wheels', but it's hard to shake the feeling that Rush – and, well, other bands – have presented this same song more effectively in the past".[8]

Louder ranked the song number 47 on their list of the top 50 Rush songs.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Revisit: Rush: Grace Under Pressure. 16 February 2016. 12 July 2016.
  2. Web site: Grace Under Pressure (1984) Stereogum. 12 July 2016.
  3. Web site: Between the Wheels. December 29, 2008. Musicnotes.com.
  4. Web site: Between The Wheels by Rush | BPM | Key | Find Song Tempo. findsongtempo.com.
  5. Web site: "Grace Under Pressure" linernotes and more from Power Windows: A Tribute To Rush. www.2112.net.
  6. Web site: Between The Wheels by Rush - Songfacts. www.songfacts.com.
  7. Web site: Between the Wheels. February 6, 2011.
  8. Web site: All 167 Rush Songs Ranked Worst to Best. Ryan. Reed. Ultimate Classic Rock.
  9. Web site: The 50 Greatest Rush Songs Ever. Classic Rock2015-06-11T09:36:00 161Z Classic. Rock. Classic Rock Magazine.