“We Have Assumed Control”: The Otherworldly Meaning of “2112” by Rush

Just about every musical artist we’ve heard of in recent decades has had a breakthrough recording. After all, what else would have brought them to so many people’s attention? A hit song often gets the ball rolling. Then some people who like what they hear will start to explore the entire album or other albums altogether.

How many artists can claim a sharp rise in popularity due to a 20-minute piece with seven distinct movements? Rush just might be on their own in this category. It wouldn’t be until the 1980 release of Permanent Waves that the Canadian rockers would begin a string of chart-shredding albums. However, four years earlier Rush would gain legions of fans with 2112—a distinctly radio-unfriendly collection. The album opens with the side-long title track, which is a self-contained science fiction rock opera.

Much of the appeal of “2112” comes from its story about a young man in a post-Earth galaxy, written by lyricist and drummer Neil Peart. The story’s hero inadvertently winds up challenging the priests who control virtually all aspects of life on the planet. Like many rock operas, “2112” is more than just a story about its characters. It touches on larger themes—in this case, individuality, freedom of expression, and mediocrity.

An Unwitting Champion of Beauty and Individual Expression

The first lyrics of “2112” don’t appear until the end of the nearly four-and-a-half-minute “Overture.” The first line, And the meek shall inherit the earth, has significance for the song’s dramatic ending. It also ushers in the next movement, “The Temples of Syrinx.” The titular temples are the banks of computers that provide the priests with their divine guidance. Lead vocalist Geddy Lee introduces us to the priests and their temples in the opening verse of this section.

We’ve taken care of everything
The words you read, the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eye

Against this backdrop of enforced sterile conformity, we are introduced to the song’s unwitting hero in “Discovery.” In sorting through the debris of some ancient ruins, he finds a guitar. Within about 30 seconds, he tunes this previously unknown instrument and plays a beautiful melody. In a 2016 interview for NPR, Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson showed that he saw the humor in the story’s unrealistic pacing, saying, “How does he tune the guitar and learn to play it so fast?” The hero, excited by what he found, signals that he wants to let the priests know about the guitar.

I can’t wait to share this new wonder
The people will all see its light
Let them all make their own music
The Priests praise my name on this night

Rebuffed by the Priests

If this were the TV sitcom Arrested Development, this would be the point where narrator Ron Howard would say, ”The priests did not praise his name on this night.” To the contrary, in “Presentation,” they are hostile to the young man. After initially telling him, Yes, we know, it’s nothing new / It’s just a waste of time, the young man tries to get the priests to “listen to my music.” They respond even more forcefully and tell the budding guitarist to stick to societal norms.

Don’t annoy us any further!
Oh, we have our work to do
Just think about the average
What use have they for you?

A Martyr for Freedom?

In “Oracle: The Dream,” the young man then has a dream where “the elder race still learn and grow.” Then in “Soliloquy,” he wakes up and realizes he can’t live a life where he isn’t free to express himself. His final words, which conclude the movement, are My spirits are low in the depths of despair / My lifeblood spills over.

While it’s not completely clear how “2112” ends, there are strong clues that the young man’s confrontation with the priests was not for naught. A noisy and chaotic “Grand Finale” ends with the announcement, Attention all planets of the Solar Federation / We have assumed control. While we don’t know who has assumed control, we do know it was wrested away from the priests and the temple. The song’s opening line, And the meek shall inherit the earth, just might have been a foreshadowing.

The Ayn Rand Controversy

Peart cited author and philosopher Ayn Rand (and particularly her novella Anthem) as an important inspiration for the story in “2112.” Peart’s affinity for Rand’s work earned him and the band consternation from some observers, due to her support for an ethics based on hyper-individualism and self-interest. One critic—NME’s Barry Miles—accused Rush of naively espousing proto-fascist rhetoric.

In a 2012 interview for Rolling Stone, Peart explained how his relationship with Rand’s work had evolved over the years. Around the time he was writing lyrics for 2112, Peart was still trying to reconcile the cynicism he saw in the music business in England during his late teens with his idealistic attitudes about being a musician. He saw Rand’s writing “as an affirmation that it’s alright to totally believe in something and live for it and not compromise.” Over time, though, Peart came to understand “the way that it gets twisted by the flaws of humanity. And that’s when I evolve now into a bleeding-heart Libertarian.”

The Impact of “2112”

Despite the lack of a hit single and the presence of a side-long track that was not designed for radio airplay, “2112” was the first Rush album to crack the upper half of the Billboard 200. It peaked at No. 61. Its 37-week stay on the chart ties it with Permanent Waves for the third-longest tenure for a Rush album.

“2112’s” unique status as a 20-minute long commercial breakthrough is a reflection of Rush’s superb songwriting, top-shelf musicianship, and Peart’s science-fiction concept. There is much to enjoy here, including a little bit of irony. Rush reached its largest audience to date with a not-made-for-radio statement about the value of going off the beaten path.

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