"Circumstances" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush from its 1978 album '' Hemispheres''. Lyrically, it is an autobiographical account by drummer

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

about the time he spent living in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and his eventual disillusionment with his then-current occupations. The song was played sporadically on the 1978-79 Tour of the Hemispheres, and did not return to Rush's setlists until the 2007

Snakes & Arrows Tour The Snakes & Arrows Tour was a concert tour by Canadian rock band Rush to promote the studio album ''Snakes & Arrows''. The first leg of the tour began on June 13, 2007, in Atlanta and concluded on October 29, 2007, at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki ...

. On the latter tour, the song was played in a lower key than the original recording, to accommodate vocalist

Geddy Lee Geddy Lee (born Gary Lee Weinrib; July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968, at the re ...

's vocal range decreasing with age. It is one of a few Rush songs with French lyrics, these occurring in the chorus: "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" (the more it changes, the more it is the same).

References

1978 songs 1978 singles Rush (band) songs Macaronic songs Songs about England Song recordings produced by Terry Brown (record producer) Songs written by Neil Peart Songs written by Geddy Lee Songs written by Alex Lifeson Anthem Records singles {{1970s-rock-song-stub

See also

References