The Canadian band Rush has produced many hit songs, but there are still some songs that are better than others. Here I will be looking at their second studio album, Fly by Night, and I will be ranking them from the least enjoyable to the most enjoyable. Bear in mind that this is all my own opinion, and honestly, if I could, I would have put every song on this album at number 1, because I love all of them. But when I actually started doing this, I found that there were songs I definitely liked more than others. So, here is my list. As there are no truly bad songs here, it will instead be a list from the most forgettable songs to the most excellent ones. Enjoy.
Number 8 -- Making Memories. This one doesn't stand out, it just doesn't do it for me, and it is dull.
Number 7 -- Best I Can. This one has a funny melody, but other than that it feels more like something from their first album.
Number 6 -- Beneath, Between, and Behind. This one definitely sounds like a Fly by Night track, but it is low on the list because it had some stiff competition.
Number 5 -- In the End. This is a beautiful song that starts slow, but gets fast toward the end of it, although like the previous song on this list, it just can't compare with the others.
Number 4 -- Rivendell. This is a song that is slow throughout, yet still entertaining, and although it is very nice, there are still three songs that can top it.
Number 3 -- Anthem. The first song on the album, and the first Rush song to have their amazing drummer, Neil Peart, this starts the album off right, although the lyrics are often too fast to hear.
Number 2 -- Fly by Night. The titular song has a nice melody and snappy lyrics, and it deserves a high ranking, so what could possibly beat it?
Number 1 -- By-tor and the Snow Dog. The first extended track that tells an entire story, By-tor and the Snow Dog is an epic tale of two dogs fighting, an evil hell hound and a heroic dog from the good side. Everything in this song feels like it is telling the story, and the instrumental portion sounds like an actual fight between two dogs. Even more impressive is the fact that this one is just on their second album, when they had just gotten together with their permanent drummer.
Well, that is my list. I am posting this in honor of the fortieth anniversary Permanent Waves album coming out. Maybe I will rank the songs on Permanent Waves soon. Anyway, you can feel free to comment what your personal list would be for this album. Happy 40th, everyone.
