/
1x
Advertisement
Proudly Canadian, obsessively Toronto. Subscribe to Toronto Life!
Culture

Hello, Cleveland? Rush inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

By Greg Hudson
Copy link
Hello, Cleveland? Rush inducted into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, which has traditionally shone its spotlight on such folk heroes as Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot, chose a more progressive band this year, giving homegrown heroes Rush some much-deserved love. It’s nice that our hall of fame appreciates the Holy Triumvirate, since those squares at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland haven’t.

During the induction ceremony, which took place on Sunday, such younger acts as Alexisonfire and Christian folk artist Jacob Moon performed some of Rush’s big hits. The band seemed genuinely pleased with the honour, maybe because their complex song structures aren’t immediately accessible, or possibly because songs about space voyages don’t often get respect (David Bowie hits notwithstanding).

“When we tried to write songs that are simple and uncomplicated, it didn’t work,” Rush vocalist Geddy Lee told the Star. “One of our producers used to tell us, ‘You’d have a lot of hits if only someone else recorded them.’”

With last year’s rock-out appearance in I Love You, Man (wherein Lee was seen slappin’ da bass) and the career-spanning documentary Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage screening at Hot Docs, it’s totally unironically cool to like Rush. We’re waiting for the same thing to happen for Gowan.

Geddy Lee humbled as Rush joins songwriters hall of fame [Toronto Star]

THIS CITY

Obsessive coverage of Toronto, straight to your inbox

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Advertisement
Advertisement

The Latest

Muskoka's hottest ride is this restored 1915 yacht
City News

Muskoka’s hottest ride is this restored 1915 yacht

Inside the Latest Issue

The July issue of Toronto Life features a behind-the-curtain look at the insatiable political ambitions of Doug Ford. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.