Marathon (Rush song)

"Marathon"
"Marathon"
Song by Rush
from the album Power Windows
Released	October 21, 1985
Genre	Art pop; new wave; progressive rock;
Length	6:09
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee
Producer(s)	Peter Collins and Rush
Rush singles chronology
Music video
	"Marathon" on YouTube

"Marathon" is the fourth track on Canadian rock band Rush's 1985 album Power Windows.^[2]

It is written by Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson and bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Geddy Lee, and its lyrics are written by drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.^[2] The lyrics depict how one would feel while running in an actual marathon, but the meaning of the song is meant to use a marathon (an extreme challenge) as a metaphor for life, and say that life is full of obstacles and is all about one taking small steps to achieve their personal goals.

In a 1986 interview, Peart said "(Marathon) is about the triumph of time and a kind of message to myself (because I think life is too short for all the things that I want to do), there's a self-admonition saying that life is long enough. You can do a lot -- just don't burn yourself out too fast trying to do everything at once. "Marathon" is a song about individual goals and trying to achieve them. And it's also about the old Chinese proverb: 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."^[3]

The live version released on the "A Show of Hands" single reached number 6 on the US Mainstream Rock chart in 1989.^[4]

Composition[edit]

During the mid-1980s, Rush's style was beginning to lean towards a more synthesizer based style of rock music, as opposed to their earlier, heavier guitar based hard rock and progressive rock. During the mid-1980s, Neil Peart was also beginning to experiment with an electronic drum kit. Power Windows is perhaps Rush's most heavily synthesizer influenced album. All of these elements are evident throughout the album, including on "Marathon". It contains different sections with both Geddy Lee's synthesizer as the lead instrument, as well as Alex Lifeson's guitar as the lead instrument. During the chorus, Lee's synthesizer is most prominent, while during the verses and solo passages there is a mix between synthesizer and guitar.

References[edit]

^ "Power Windows release date".
^ ^a ^b "Power Windows — Rush.com". www.rush.com. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
^ Hansen, Eric. ""Surviving With Rush" - Canadian Composer, April 1986". www.2112.net. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
^ "Rush Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved 17 December 2020.

External links[edit]

[1] "Power Windows release date".

[:0-2] "Power Windows — Rush.com". www.rush.com. Retrieved 11 June 2017.

[3] Hansen, Eric. ""Surviving With Rush" - Canadian Composer, April 1986". www.2112.net. Retrieved 11 June 2017.

[4] "Rush Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved 17 December 2020.

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v t e Rush
Jeff Jones Alex Lifeson John Rutsey Geddy Lee Neil Peart
Studio albums	Rush (1974) Fly by Night (1975) Caress of Steel (1975) 2112 (1976) A Farewell to Kings (1977) Hemispheres (1978) Permanent Waves (1980) Moving Pictures (1981) Signals (1982) Grace Under Pressure (1984) Power Windows (1985) Hold Your Fire (1987) Presto (1989) Roll the Bones (1991) Counterparts (1993) Test for Echo (1996) Vapor Trails (2002) Snakes & Arrows (2007) Clockwork Angels (2012)
Live albums	All the World's a Stage (1976) Exit... Stage Left (1981) A Show of Hands (1989) Different Stages (1998) Rush in Rio (2003) R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Snakes & Arrows Live (2008) Grace Under Pressure Tour (2009) Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013) R40 Live (2015)
Live videos	Exit... Stage Left (1982) Grace Under Pressure Tour (1986) A Show of Hands (1989) Rush in Rio (2003) R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Rush Replay X 3 (2006) Snakes & Arrows Live (2008) Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013) R40 Live (2015)
Compilations	Rush Through Time (1979) Chronicles (1990) Retrospective I (1997) Retrospective II (1997) The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974–1987 (2003) Gold (2006) Retrospective III: 1989–2008 (2009) Working Men (2009)
Video compilations	Through the Camera Eye (1985) Chronicles (1990)
Box sets	The Studio Albums 1989–2007 (2013)
Extended plays	Feedback (2004) Cygnus X-1 (2017)
Singles	"In the Mood" "Fly by Night" "Lakeside Park" "The Twilight Zone" "Closer to the Heart" "Circumstances" "The Trees" "The Spirit of Radio" "Entre Nous" "Limelight" "Tom Sawyer" "Vital Signs" "New World Man" "Subdivisions" "Countdown" "Red Sector A" "Afterimage" "The Big Money" "Mystic Rhythms" "Time Stand Still" "Show Don't Tell" "The Pass" "Dreamline" "Roll the Bones" "Ghost of a Chance" "Stick It Out" "Nobody's Hero" "Test for Echo" "Half the World" "Driven" "One Little Victory" "Secret Touch" "Summertime Blues" "Far Cry" "Spindrift" "Caravan" "Headlong Flight"
Other songs	"Working Man" "2112" "A Passage to Bangkok" "Tears" "Xanadu" "Freewill" "Red Barchetta" "YYZ" "Witch Hunt" "The Analog Kid" "Between the Wheels" "Red Lenses" "Marathon" "Manhattan Project" "Force Ten" "Mission" "Lock and Key" "Heresy" "Animate" "Cold Fire" "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)"
Tours	Hemispheres Tour (1978–1979) Moving Pictures Tour (1980–1981) Exit... Stage Left Tour (1981) Power Windows Tour (1985–1986) Presto Tour (1990) Roll the Bones Tour (1991–1992) Counterparts Tour (1994) Test for Echo Tour (1996–1997) Snakes & Arrows Tour (2007–2008) Time Machine Tour (2010–2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2012–2013) R40 Live Tour (2015)
Related articles	Discography Songs Awards Instrumentals Victor My Favourite Headache A Work in Progress Anatomy of a Drum Solo Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road Hugh Syme Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Working Man – A Tribute to Rush
Category

Marathon (Rush song)

Composition[edit]

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References[edit]

External links[edit]