"But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth.."

Songwriters: Neil Peart (lyrics) Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee (music)
Performed by: Rush
Album: Signals (1982)
When I first heard it: 1990 autumn, as part of a Rush Greatest Hits compilation. Haven't heard much of the Signals album, except this song and "The Analog Kid".

Rush always reminded me of the age of the android, the kind of world suggested by works such as H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, for instance. Rush's entire output seems to hinge on what happens when there is a small defect in the wiring, in a completely circuited world.

"Subdivisions", however, strikes deeper and nearer home - it is about men, not androids. Its themes are the loneliness of isolation and obscurity, the unexpected frustrations of geekiness, directionless, purposeless and zombie-like suburbia where people seem to come off a mass-production line, all same, geometric, and totally inhuman.

Some of the imagery (see lyrics below) perfectly captures its concerns - "ticking traps" (referring to the cold, precise running according to clocks that suburbia depends on), "mass-production zone" (suburbia making identical zombie-copies out of people) "far unlit unknown" (the unseen edges of suburbia's horizons).

Striking deeper, "Subdivisions" is essentially about the loneliness of a geek, or someone who just doesn't fit. As young people, we all would identify with it at some stage - we took refuge in all kinds of things; almost anything would do to help us escape the fact that we longed to belong, to identify, to be accepted.

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Rush started off in 1972 as an ordinary, if somewhat supercharged heavy metal trio, essentially bass-guitar-drums interlock. Neil Peart's penchant for writing obscure, if pointless lyrics with adequate hooks might have been noticed early on, as the band moved through territory familiar to most heavy metal outfits - sword-and-sorcery, mythological epic-length ramblings. A Farewell to Kings (1977) was somewhat transitional -  moving decisively from guitar-and-drums sound wall traditional heavy metal, to a familiar keyboard-bass-drums interlock rhythm section which still supported essentially overdrive, metallic rock'n'roll guitar riffs and high-octane metal guitar, bass and keyboard solos. This sound had emerged especially by the time of Moving Pictures (1981), the eighth studio album.

Signals is one of the most loved albums, next to other favourite albums from the so-called "keyboard" period such as Moving Pictures, Grace Under Pressure (1984), Power Windows (1985) and Hold Your Fire (1987).

"Subdivisions" has a strong opening keyboard bass note which makes a powerful counterpoint to begin the song. The refrain contains the word "subdivisions" spoken over a powerful, driving (now trademark) Geddy Lee bass run of some complexity which is met note for note by Neil Peart's precise, chiseled drumming.

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Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer or the misfit so alone

(Subdivisions)
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
(Subdivisions)
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth the unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory of lighted streets on quiet nights...