In 1981, Rush nearly left a song off their album. Now, it’s been streamed over 430,000,000 times
Rush’s ‘Tom Sawyer’, now one of the band’s best-known songs, was nearly left off their 1981 album Moving Pictures after the group struggled to finish it. Its eventual success helped bring Rush’s intricate progressive rock to a much wider audience and changed the band’s career.
Geddy Lee said engineer Paul Northfield’s unusual microphone setup helped create the distinctive sound of Alex Lifeson’s guitar. Neil Peart recalled improvising the song’s odd-time section after getting lost during a take. ‘Tom Sawyer’ has since passed 430 million Spotify streams and reached new listeners through the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man.
In short
- ‘Tom Sawyer’ nearly missed Moving Pictures.
- Peart’s improvised section became part of the song.
- The track has more than 430 million Spotify streams.
Explained simply
Rush were a Canadian rock band formed in 1968, with singer and bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart at its core. They became known for progressive rock: music with elaborate arrangements, changing rhythms and longer instrumental passages.
Moving Pictures, released in 1981, was the band’s eighth studio album. Its songs combined those complex elements with a more direct sound, helping Rush reach listeners beyond their existing following. The album became one of their most successful records, and ‘Tom Sawyer’ went on to attract new audiences decades later through streaming and film.