Talk:Xanadu (Rush song)

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User 70.17.222.89 asserted that the subject is pronounced "han-ah-du". Is this vandalism or serious? It's certainly not pronounced this way in the song. Brianhe 17:33, 18 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Geddy Lee's double-necked Rickenbacker[edit]

Geddy Lee, quoted from the A Farewell To Kings Tourbook:


"searching for something called "Xanadu" (although it is not explicity stated what this is)"[edit]

Actually, Peart's lyrics make very LARGE mention of "The river Aplph" and "Kublai Khan". Kublai Kahn stayed in palace in Xanadu during the summer, and the River Alph ran through Xanadu.

Might want to look up the article on Xanadu. I leave the editing of the main article in your hands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanadu

      • Last summer, I made an edit that pointed out what Xanadu was, the song's debt Coleridge poem, etc. I linked to the Wikipedia page on the Coleridge poem. Some boob deleted my edit, with the comment "sounds like original research." Yeah, right, it was original research, that's why it included a source verifying everything I said.
        • Apparently some people require remedial instruction on what "original research" is. First of all, you can't use another Wikipedia article as a citation. Secondly, the song was INSPIRED by the poem - it is not a play by play narrative - it's an adaptation. This should be apparent to anyone who actually reads Neil's original stanzas. No where in the song does Peart address what the "Lost Xanadu" is - nor does Coleridge's poem for that matter. Wisdom89 03:12, 3 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
          • On the contrary, Coleridge addresses what Xanadu was in the very first lines of his poem: "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan/A stately pleasure dome decree." In other words, Xanadu was a place and Kubla Khan built a palace there. (Or as I posted before, Xanadu was "the site of ... an Eastern palace.") And it's pretty common knowledge to anyone the slightest bit literate. But hey, if I ever add to a page on Paul Revere by pointing out that Boston was a place & Revere rode a horse through there, it's nice to know I can count on people like you to delete it as original research.
            • Apparently reading comprehension isn't your forte - The problem with this original research business stems from your inability to 1)NOT use other Wikipedia articles as primary sources and 2)Not assume Neil Peart's reference to "Xanadu" refers to the "stately" summer abode of Kublai Kahn. Shall I reiterate? NO WHERE is it mentioned in the song what the protagonist is searching for, beyond "Xanadu". Interestingly, you also fail to grasp that YOU (or anybody else) interpreting Coleridge's "In Xanadu did Kubla Kahn...etc..etc.." as referencing this very same summer palace constitutes original research - unless you can provide some kind of reputable or scholastic citation to support it. Also, you might want to brush up on WP:civil - might make your stay here less of a headache. Wisdom89 03:16, 7 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
              • (1) Although I linked to the Wikpedia article to support what I was saying, it is obvious that my primary source is the Coleridge poem itself. Even the most cursory reading of it in comparison with the Rush song shows that it is the inspiration for the Rush song. (2) Don't be absurd. Xanadu, per Coleridge, is the site of "a sunny Pleasure-Dome with caves of ice"; the place "where Alph, the sacred river ran"; a traveller there "on honeydew hath fed, and drunk the milk of Paradise"---you're saying the song, which nearly reproduces these lines verbatim, is giving a unique meaning to the word "Xanadu"? Right. Right, Jack. And I'm the one with poor reading comprehension. Look: Xanadu is a place. The word has been used fairly often in art and literature, for centuries, always in reference to the same place (whether it was real or legendary is beside the point). There is no reason whatever to suppose that Neil Peart decided to use the name, yet for some bizarre reason to give it a wholly novel meaning. There is even less reason to suppose so when the song repeatedly and obviously references the poem, time & time again.
                  • You're still missing the point. Personal interpretation (no matter how patently obvious it may be) that is not espoused by published commentary/sources falls under the heading of original research. That's all I'm saying. Believe it or not I actually AGREE with you regarding Coleridge and his poetic allusions (even though Alph the sacred river is kind of..you know..thought to be legendary or mythological in nature - I could be wrong there but, that's not really my point - feel free to correct me), however, I cannot in good faith (without procuring a direct quotation from the band members) presume what Mr. Peart actually intended by penning "Prison of the lost Xanadu" and various other lines therein - especially since the verses speak of things which do not relate to content found in the poem. Do you see what I'm getting at? Wisdom89 03:58, 9 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
                    • Although I see what you're saying (in fact, I think this is Neil's main original contribution to the Xanadu myth: the idea that the "curse" involved is the curse of immortality; he specifically brings immortality into it whereas Coleridge doesn't really touch on that at all), I still maintain that he's using the word "Xanadu" to connote at the outset everything that the name traditionally connotes, and it's useful to be aware of "Xanadu"'s connotations in analysing the song. This is not to deny that Neil goes beyond those connotations into something new. But the statement "it is not explicitly stated what [Xanadu] is" neglects a wealth of artistic tradition that Neil is clearly invoking, and which helps in interpreting the song. I think it would make sense for the page to give some information on this point.

(RI)Taking it back to the basics, the lyrics of the song are "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a pleasure dome decree"; that is almost exactly taking it from the poem, so logically Xanadu is the same thing as the place within the poem. —83.104.37.31 16:15, 14 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

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a single take?[edit]

no-one's challenged this assertion, or questioned the practical meaning of it. I'm not going to say that they couldn't have done it; they clearly did perform the song many dozens of times live, & more-or-less how it is on the album. but this idea that they ran through some of it for a mic check, then recorded it in one go & (presumably) had the rest of the day off in the pub with dave edmunds or whoever, that's a bit of a stretch. one take & then some overdubs, perhaps more likely?

duncanrmi (talk) 15:17, 22 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-real-story-behind-how-rush-made-a-farewell-to-kings
“We had played Xanadu before we recorded it,” says Lee dryly. “You know, the easy songs an audience can take in and appreciate without knowing what the hell they are. We certainly had the parts of that and I think Closer To The Heart might have been written. Not much else beside that – the rest of it was done on the spot. It was sort of how we were working back then, because we didn’t have time – you’re on the road all the time, so you have to write as you’re moving.”
“Xanadu was well rehearsed before going to Rockfield, I remember that,” adds Lifeson. “On the day we recorded it, Pat Moran, the resident engineer, set all the mics up and we ran the song down, partially to get balances and tones. Because it was a long song, we didn’t need to complete that test run.
“We then played it a second time from top to bottom and that’s what you hear on the album. Needless to say, Pat was shocked that we ran an 11-minute song down in one complete take. Practice doesn’t always make perfect, but it sure helps!” 24.96.9.188 (talk) 01:15, 25 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]
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