In 1989, Rush recorded a song that made no sense. Geddy Lee will defend it until his dying day
Rush’s 1989 song ‘Anagram (For Mongo)’ uses elaborate wordplay without telling one clear story. Geddy Lee says that was deliberate: the track was a playful experiment, and he still believes it worked, showing how the band approached songwriting in different ways.
The song appeared on Presto, an album whose reception was less enthusiastic than the band’s best-known work. Lee described ‘Anagram’ as “a game”, with smooth choruses that play against its jumbled lyrics; its title nods to a scene in the 1974 comedy Blazing Saddles. Rush never performed it live.
In short
- ‘Anagram’ was designed as a playful word game.
- Geddy Lee still stands by the song.
- Rush never played it live.
Explained simply
Rush are a Canadian rock band formed in 1968, known for music that combines hard rock with complex arrangements and lyrics. The group’s best-known line-up featured singer and bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart, who also wrote many of the lyrics.
Presto, released in 1989, came after a run of albums that made Rush a major progressive rock band. Its songs took varied approaches, and the album was less warmly received than some of the group’s best-known records. “Anagram (For Mongo)” stands out for building its lyrics around rearranged words rather than a straightforward narrative.