The Spirit of Radio
| "The Spirit of Radio" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Circumstances" (international) / "The Trees" & "Working Man" (UK/US promo copies) |
"The Spirit of Radio" is a song released in 1980 by Canadian rock band Rush from their album Permanent Waves. The song's name was inspired by Toronto radio station CFNY's slogan.[1][unreliable source?] The song was significant in the growing popularity of the band. The band had grazed the UK Top 40 two years earlier with "Closer to the Heart", but when issued as a single in March 1980, "The Spirit of Radio" soon reached #13 on the UK singles chart.[2] It remains their biggest UK hit to date (the 7" single was a 3:00 edited version which has never appeared on CD to date).[3] In the US, the single peaked at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980, and in 1998 a live version of the song reached #27 on the Mainstream Rock Charts.[4] "The Spirit of Radio" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and was among five Rush songs inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010.[5]
Promotional 12-inch copies were released in the United States late 1979 with the B-sides of "Working Man" and "The Trees", and the song being incorrectly titled "The Spirit of the Radio".[6]
Cover versions
Kobra and the Lotus included a version of "The Spirit of Radio" on their 2015 covers EP Words of the Prophets. The EP's title is a reference to the song.[7]
Catherine Wheel covered the song as a hidden track on their 1996 compilation Like Cats and Dogs.[8]
Samples
- The song is sampled on the 1993 track, "Conchita Martinez", by Saint Etienne.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Catchphrase". CFNY-FM. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
- ^ "UK Singles Chart runs". Polyhex.com. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Rush – Spirit Of Radio". Discogs.com. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ "Billboard Singles". Allmusic.com. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ Infantry, Ashante (January 20, 2010). "New home a place to sing praises of our songwriters". The Toronto Star. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ Rush-vlaanderen.com
- ^ "Video: Kobra and The Lotus Covers Alannah Myles's 'Black Velvet' on 'Words of the Prophets' EP". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ "Catherine Wheel - Like Cats And Dogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
- ^ "Saint Etienne's Conchita Martinez sample of Rush's The Spirit of Radio - WhoSampled". WhoSampled.
