Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson has spoken about the tension behind the making of "Subdivisions," the opening track from the band's 1982 album Signals, recalling how the song's shift towards synthesisers left him feeling sidelined during recording. The track, produced at Le Studio in rural Quebec, became one of the band's most divisive songs, marking a moment when Rush embraced the electronic sound sweeping through rock music at the time, at the expense of the guitar-driven style that had long defined the band.

Lifeson recalls sitting in on the mix and realising his guitar parts had been pushed far into the background, prompting frustration as bassist and singer Geddy Lee, a self-described "synth geek," steered the song towards a more keyboard-led arrangement. Lee had been folding synthesisers into Rush's sound since 1977's A Farewell to Kings, and by the early 1980s that influence had grown stronger, reflecting broader shifts in rock as synthesisers challenged the guitar's dominance. The episode captures a period of creative negotiation within the band as they balanced changing musical trends with their established identity.