Working Man
| "Working Man" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by Rush from the album Rush | ||
| Released | March 1974 | |
| Recorded | 1973 | |
| Genre | Heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock | |
| Length |
7:06 7:10 (Remastered Version) 7:15 (Vault Edition) | |
| Label |
Moon Records Anthem/Mercury Records | |
| Writer |
Alex Lifeson Geddy Lee | |
| Producer | ||
| Music sample | ||
| "Working Man" | ||
Working Man is a song by rock band Rush from its debut album, Rush. The middle of the song features an extensive instrumental jam with two guitar solos by Alex Lifeson, and freestyle bass playing by Geddy Lee. It was voted 94th in Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar solos.[1]
Donna Halper, then a disc jockey and music director at WMMS FM in Cleveland, Ohio is credited with getting Rush noticed in the United States by playing "Working Man" on the air. The song proved particularly popular in the working-class town. The response resulted in a record deal for the band, which gave her special thanks for her part in their early history and dedicated their first two albums to her.[2][3]
The song features the band's original drummer and co-founder, John Rutsey, who was replaced by Neil Peart. On the 1976 live album All the World's a Stage, the song segues into "Finding My Way" and one of Neil Peart's drum solos. After not performing the song live for a number of years, it has become a staple of their concerts since they opted to play it on their 2002 Vapor Trails tour. It has appeared on every tour since and has been included on Rush in Rio, R30, Snakes and Arrows Live and Time Machine Tour albums. The band performed the song early in the Clockwork Angels Tour of 2012 before retiring it for the second leg of the tour.
Two versions of the song are available as downloadable tracks for the music video game series Rock Band. One is a cover based on the original recording, while the other is a never before released master track with an alternate guitar solo.[4] The alternate version proved so popular that the band released it on the iTunes Store as the "vault edition."
"Working Man" was also featured in episodes of the television shows, My Name is Earl, That 70's Show and Supernatural. It was also featured in the 2011 film Goon (film). It is heard in a 2014 TV commercial for Walmart.
Notable covers
- Danielle Armstrong covered "Working Man" for the opening credits of Transporter: The Series. This version was arranged by Jamie Forsyth.[5]
- Thirteenth season American Idol contestant Caleb Johnson performed this song during the Top 12 round, and was met with moderate reviews from the judges.
- New Orleans R&B icon Cyril Neville covered "Working Man" on his 2013 album Magic Honey.
See also
References
- ↑ The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. Guitar World (accessed December 11, 2007).
- ↑ Soeder, John (15 April 2011). "After Donna Halper gave 'Working Man' a spin on WMMS, Rush's career took off". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012.
- ↑ MacLean, Chuck (9 July 2008). "Quincy woman still promoting Rush 34 years after discovering band". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012.
- ↑ DLC Week of July 8th. Rock Band Forum (accessed July 7, 2008).
- ↑ Thierry Attard's Double Feature
