Working Man

"Working Man" is a song by rock band Rush from their self-titled debut album. The song's guitar solo was voted 94th in Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar solos.[1] In an interview on the Rolling Stone youtube channel, bassist and lead vocalist Geddy Lee said that "Working Man" is his favorite song to play live.[2]

For other uses, see Working Man (disambiguation).
"Working Man"
Song by Rush
from the album Rush
ReleasedMarch 1974 (1974-03)
Recorded1973
Genre
Length
  • 7:06
  • 7:10 (Remastered version)
  • 7:15 (Vault edition)
LabelMoon, Anthem/Mercury
Songwriter(s)Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee
Producer(s)Rush
Audio sample
"Working Man"
  • file
  • help

Donna Halper, then a disc jockey and music director at WMMS 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 city. 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.[3][4]

Like all of the songs on the band's first album, the song features original drummer John Rutsey, who was replaced by Neil Peart in 1974. On the 1976 live album All the World's a Stage, the song segues into "Finding My Way" and a drum solo by Peart. After not being performed live for most of the 1980s and 1990s, it returned to Rush's setlists during the 2002 Vapor Trails Tour. With the exception of the 2007-08 Snakes & Arrows Tour, the song appeared on every live setlist through the R40 Live Tour of 2015, the band's last. It was included on the live albums and videos of the tours in which it was used, except for Clockwork Angels Tour; for R40 Live, it was played as part of a medley with "What You're Doing" and ended with a snippet of "Garden Road," a song from the band's early catalog.

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 previously unreleased released master track with an alternate guitar solo.[5] The alternate version proved so popular that the band released it on the iTunes Store, under the title "Working Man (Vault Edition)."

The song is featured in episodes of the television series My Name is Earl, That '70s Show and Supernatural, the 2011 film Goon, and a 2014 Walmart television advertisement.

Personnel

Notable covers

See also

References
  1. The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. Guitar World (accessed December 11, 2007).
  2. Rush Answers Your Twitter and Facebook Questions, retrieved 2019-09-29
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. DLC Week of July 8th. Rock Band Forum (accessed July 7, 2008).
  6. Thierry Attard's Double Feature
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