"Cygnus X-1" is a two-part song series by

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

band Rush. The first part, "Book I: The Voyage", is the last song on the 1977 album ''

A Farewell to Kings ''A Farewell to Kings'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in September 1977 by Anthem Records. After touring their previous album '' 2112'' (1976), which saw the group reach a new critical and commercial peak, they ...

'', and the second part, "Book II: Hemispheres", is the first song on the following album, 1978's '' Hemispheres''. Book I is ten minutes and twenty-five seconds long (10:25), and Book II is eighteen minutes and seven seconds (18:07). It was released as a limited-edition

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

on April 22, 2017.

General storyline

A black hole, known as

Cygnus X-1 Cygnus X-1 (abbreviated Cyg X-1) is a galactic X-ray source in the constellation Cygnus and was the first such source widely accepted to be a black hole. It was discovered in 1964 during a rocket flight and is one of the ...

(an X-ray source believed to be an actual black hole), lies in the constellation Cygnus. An explorer aboard the spaceship ''

Rocinante Rocinante () is Don Quixote's horse in the two-part 1605/1615 novel ''Don Quixote'' by Miguel de Cervantes. In many ways, Rocinante is not only Don Quixote's horse, but also his double; like Don Quixote, he is awkward, past his prime, and ...

'' journeys toward the black hole, believing there may be something beyond it. As he moves closer, it becomes increasingly difficult to control the ship and he is eventually drawn in by the pull of gravity. The final words of Book I describe his ordeal: "Sound and fury drown my heart/Every nerve is torn apart." The explorer re-enters the story midway through Book II. He has emerged into Olympus, where he witnesses the gods

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

and

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Roma ...

caught in the struggle between Mind and Heart. Prior to his arrival, the logical thinkers are led by Apollo and the emotional people are ruled by Dionysus. Apollo had shown the people how to build cities and explore the depths of science and knowledge, but Dionysus had lured many of them into the wild forests and provided love. However, his followers do not store any food for the winter and are caught unprepared. A conflict breaks out as the two different ways of life clash. When the explorer reflects on what he sees, he becomes tormented in the lack of balance of the people who insist on one extreme or the other. His silent scream is felt by the warriors and causes them to rethink their struggle and unite. The gods recognize the explorer as a nascent new god and name him Cygnus, the God of Balance.

Allusions and allegory

Although the storyline revolves around a science fiction world, it uses

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

to explain the double meaning. "Cygnus X-1" is primarily about the discovery of two conflicting ways of life, and two vastly different ways in which the human mind thinks (

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premise ...

and

emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is currently no scientific ...

are separated into separate sides, or hemispheres, of the brain). The balance point (Cygnus) allows the mind to think with some logic and emotion at the same time, allowing people to be analytical, but not unemotional. The name of the spaceship ''Rocinante'' is derived from the name of the title character's horse in the novel ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'' by

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...

. It was also the name of the camper truck John Steinbeck used while writing his book '' Travels with Charley''.

Sections

Book I: The Voyage

"Prologue" This starts with a dissonant electronic soundscape and spoken introduction by album producer Terry Brown. Afterwards, a heavily syncopated bass riff in shifting time signatures (3/4, 7/8, 3/4, 4/4) fades in, with the full band joining in as the introductory sound effects fade out. "1" The shortest section of the song describes the black hole itself, and asks the question of what happens to someone who flies into it. "2" The protagonist sails into the black hole on board his "Rocinante". This section contains a wah-wah guitar solo by Alex Lifeson. "3" The climactic section of Book I uses a chord sequence first heard at 3:21 in the Prologue. The lyrics describe the "Rocinante" spinning out of control, and the protagonist's body being destroyed ("every nerve is torn apart"). This section includes the highest note sung by

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 ...

on any studio album (B♭6 at 9:27). The song fades out with a repeated chord sequence – which returns at 11:56 in Book II – along with the sound of a beating heart.

Book II: Hemispheres

"Prelude" This section contains several themes heard later in the song, similar to the "Overture" in " 2112." "Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom" Apollo, the Greek god of the sun and the arts, represents the left hemisphere. 'Left-brainers' are often logical thinkers, adept at mathematics. "Dionysus: Bringer of Love" Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility, represents the right hemisphere. He stood for uninhibited desire in Nietzsche's ''Birth of Tragedy'' and ''Human, All Too Human'' and was the opposite of Apollo. 'Right-brainers' are more common than 'left-brainers,' and include people who are artistic and sensitive. "Armageddon: The Battle of Heart and Mind" The title is reference to the Biblical war, but in this case Apollo and Dionysus pull man in opposite directions, toward Order or Chaos, respectively. The debate between classical and romantic (

Apollonian and Dionysian The Apollonian and the Dionysian are philosophical and literary concepts represented by a duality between the figures of Apollo and Dionysus from Greek mythology. Its popularization is widely attributed to the work ''The Birth of Tragedy'' by Fr ...

) cultures is ongoing. The left stereo channel switches to the right for dramatic effect when Lee sings the word 'hemispheres'. "Cygnus: Bringer of Balance" The chords played at the end of ''The Voyage'' return here. The explorer from ''The Voyage'' is frightened by the fighting and, after hearing the explorer's silent cry of terror, Apollo and Dionysus stop fighting and dub him Cygnus, god of Balance. "The Sphere: A Kind of Dream" Jane Austen's novel ''

Sense and Sensibility ''Sense and Sensibility'' is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) a ...

'' may be alluded to in the last few lines of the song.

Live performances

Rush performed the cycle (Book I followed by Book II) on the '' Hemispheres'' Tour and the '' Permanent Waves'' Tour. The band also played it on the ''Permanent Waves'' Warmup Tour, with the absence of Parts 2 (Apollo: Bringer of Wisdom) and 3 (Dionysus: Bringer of Love) from Book II. Book II: Prelude made a final appearance on the Counterparts Tour. Since then, an abbreviated version of book one was occasionally played live with only the instrumental section, as seen on ''

Rush in Rio ''Rush in Rio'' is a three-disc live album by Canadian band Rush, released on October 21, 2003. The album is also available as a two DVD set. With the exception of the last two tracks on the third disc, the album was recorded at Maracanã Sta ...

'' and '' R30''. Occasionally, the "Prelude" from Book II was also performed. During the 2010-11 Time Machine Tour, the band played part of Book I at the conclusion of the final song, "

Working Man "Working Man" is a song by rock band Rush from their self-titled debut album. 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. "Working Man" ...

." During the 2015 R40 Tour, the "Prelude" section from Book II was played, but tuned a step down to accommodate Geddy Lee's vocal range, which has decreased with age. The Prologue and part 3 of Book I were played immediately after as instrumentals, with a drum solo by Neil Peart ("The Story So Far") as an interlude.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cygnus X-1 Duology Rush (band) songs 1977 songs 1978 songs Suites (music) Greek mythology Song recordings produced by Terry Brown (record producer) Songs written by Neil Peart Songs written by Geddy Lee Songs written by Alex Lifeson