Fly by Night (Rush song)

1975 single by Rush

"Fly by Night"

1975 Netherlands cover single

Single by Rush
from the album  Fly by Night
B-side| "Anthem"
Released| April 23, 1975[1]
Recorded| December 1974
Studio| Toronto Sound (Toronto)
Genre|

* Hard rock
* power pop[2]

Length| 3:20
Label| Mercury
Songwriter(s)|

* Geddy Lee
* Neil Peart

Producer(s)|

* Rush
* Terry Brown

Rush singles chronology
| "In the Mood"
(1974)  | "Fly by Night"
(1975)  | "Return of the Prince"
(1975)

|
|

Music video
"Fly by Night" on YouTube

"Fly by Night" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released in 1975 and is the title track of their second studio album. The music was written by bassist Geddy Lee and the lyrics were penned by drummer Neil Peart. Peart wrote the song about his first trip away from home. In 1971, at 18 years old, he left behind his small-town Canadian life and flew to England. Lee sings the lead vocals and on the song's middle eight, his voice is fed through a Leslie speaker.

It was released as a single in April 1975. It marked the first time a single by the band was also released in markets other than the United States or Canada, as it was released in The Netherlands and Australia during the summer of 1975.

Cash Box described it as "a hard-rocking, well-produced cut" that is "very Zeppelinish, with lead guitar and rhythm tracks that could have you evicted."[3] Record World said that a live medley with "In the Mood" "puts the emphasis on fuzz toned guitar and histrionic vocals."[4]

Peart wrote a prologue that is not in the song: "airport scurry / flurry faces / parade of passers-by / people going many places / with a smile or just a sigh / waiting, waiting, pass the time / another cigarette / get in line, gate thirty-nine / the time is not here yet."[5]

In December 1976, the song was released as a single a second time, in a live medley with "In the Mood" from the band's live album All the World's a Stage. This version became the band's first single to reach the US Billboard Hot 100, charting at No. 88\.

## Personnel

[edit]

* Geddy Lee – bass, vocals
* Alex Lifeson – guitar
* Neil Peart – drums

## Use in media

[edit]

* It was used in the Canadian TV series Degrassi High, in the season two episode "Home, Sweet Home".
* The song was used in TV series Supernatural, in the season-one episode "Wendigo".
* In 2012, it was used in an American TV commercial for the Volkswagen Passat.
* It was one of three Rush songs made available to download for play in Rock Band 3 on December 13, 2011, along with a live version of "The Spirit Of Radio" and the single edit of "Caravan".
* In the video game "DotA 2", the playable character known as "Dragon Knight" has a voice line referencing the song.

## See also

[edit]

* Rush discography
* List of Rush songs

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Fly By Night single".
2. ^ Segretto, Mike (2022). "1975". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 310–311\. ISBN 9781493064601.310-311&rft.pub=Backbeat&rft.date=2022&rft.isbn=9781493064601&rft.aulast=Segretto&rft.aufirst=Mike&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=jtNtEAAAQBAJ&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Fly+by+Night+(Rush+song)" class="Z3988">
3. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 10, 1975. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
4. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. December 4, 1976. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
5. ^ Prologue

* 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

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work
* MusicBrainz release group

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