"Lock and Key" is a song written, produced and performed by Canadian

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

. It is a promotional single from their twelfth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, '' Hold Your Fire''. The song deals with the theme of every human being’s primal, violent instincts underneath their civil appearance - their “killer instinct”. Critics gave the song liking reviews, with some saying it had quality of a hit single, and would make it on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

chart; it went on to reach number 16 on the chart. The song's music video was originally released in 1987, and was produced by Bob Jason and directed by T. Vanden Ende.

Composition and background

Music

"Lock and Key" is an

atmospheric An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

, dark rock song, composed in a

G♯ minor G-sharp minor is a minor scale based on G♯ (musical note), G, consisting of the pitches G, A♯ (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C♯ (musical note), C, D♯ (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key sig ...

key, and played at a moderate tempo and in common time."Lock and Key Sheet Music"
onlinesheetmusic.com. Accessed from June 21, 2013. The intro follows the chord progression G♯m—F♯/A♯—B6—C♯7—G♯m—F♯/A♯—E—G♯m—F♯ (no. 2)/A♯—B (no. 2), the versus following G♯m—F♯/A♯—B, the pre-chorus following D#5—E♯5—F♯5—G♯5—A♯5—F♯5, the chorus following G♯m—F♯/A♯—B6—C♯—C#sus—G♯m—F♯/A♯—E5, and the bridge following G♯5—A♯5—B5. Geddy Lee said the song to have been a mix of sounds and ideas. Instrumentation includes

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, a rough-toned electric guitar, a smooth, creamy-toned bass guitar, and

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

.Ponting, Tim (August 1988)
"Neil Peart: Mystic Rhythms"
Rhythm. Accessed from June 18, 2013. Lee played both

and bass in the song, which he found to be a "battle"."Rush On 'Lock and Key'"

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

. Accessed from June 18, 2013. He also said in 1988 that, unlike most songs from '' Hold Your Fire'', he played a 5-string bass for the song (the only song in their discography where he did so): "I find that low string really means more today, because we're living in the world of synthesizers that go lower than basses ever went before."Tolleson, Robin (November/December 1988)
"Geddy Lee: Bass Is Still The Key"
Bass Player. Accessed from June 23, 2013. Drummer Neil Peart said that in the song, he performed "a solo while Geddy and Alex keep time behind me. That's fantastic, a beautiful exchange of roles: a drum solo in the terms of a guitar solo, where the rest of the band supports, Geddy and Alex playing the actual rhythmic pulse. It allows us to try out a new suit, to take on a new interrelationship between us." The song also includes a guitar solo by Lifeson that, according to a review on

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

, deviates "from his melodic aspirations elsewhere on the album old Your Fire""Rush - Hold Your Fire (album review 2)"

. December 28, 2005. Accessed from June 17, 2013.

Lyrics

"Lock and Key" alludes to the Carson McCullers novel '' The Heart is a Lonely Hunter''. Info adapted by th
Rush Vault
Accessed from June 29, 2013. The subject of the song is about violence,Bishop, Pete (October 4, 1987)
"'Hold Your Fire' more of the same old Rush, but with potential"
Pittsburgh Press. Accessed from June 18, 2013. making mentions of threats about a "killer instinct" inherent in humanity.Michael, Fischer (October 15, 1987)
"Rush - Hold Your Fire"
The Michigan Daily. Accessed from June 18, 2013. Alex Lifeson said that the phrase meant "the ability to kill for no reason at all,"Putterford, Mark (October 17, 1987)
"Lifeson Times"
Kerrang!. Accessed from June 18, 2013. so, according to the book ''Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush'', "we suppress and repress the living, vibrant, animal courage, and substitute the tepid, torpid, vapid, but secure robotic, mechanistic, automatic-pilot self. Risk is the price of being free, and we’d rather not pay it." Info adopted by th
Rush Vault
Accessed from June 29, 2013.

Release

"Lock and Key" was only released as a promotional single by

Anthem Records Anthem Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company was formed in May 1977 by Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson with initial recording artists Rush, Max Webster, Liverpool and A Foot in Coldwater. The three me ...

in Canada in 1987."Rush - Lock And Key (Vinyl)"

Discogs.com Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the l ...

. Accessed from June 18, 2013. It is the sixth track of the album '' Hold Your Fire''. Rush performed the song live on their ''Hold Your Fire'' tour,"Rush Tour Dates and Setlists"
. 2112.net. Accessed from June 19, 2013. and a live performance of the song appears on the

laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...

version of the concert film A Show of Hands.Rush – A Show Of Hands (Laserdisc)

. Accessed from June 30, 2013. The song was also listed as a track on the official flyer for the live

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

'' Rush Replay X 3'', but Anthem claimed it was an error and said it would not appear on the box set."Lock and Key NOT on Rush Replay X 3"
rushisaband.com. May 16, 2006. Accessed from June 30, 2013.

Reception

The song has been given positive reviews from music critics. Allmusic called the song "quintessential Rush".Rivadavia, Eduardo
"Hold Your Fire - Rush"
Allmusic. Accessed from June 17, 2013.

named it a "brilliant choice for a second single, and criminally underrated". Scouting magazine said the song had "genuine hit-single potential."

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

. Vol. 76. No. 1. January–February 1988. Accessed from June 17, 2013. Metal Storm said that the song was a standout track of '' Hold Your Fire'', stating that it "has a clear-cut power edge over the rest of the album." The Manila Standard also named it one of the best cuts from the album.Lara, Lucky (November 19, 1987)
Record Review: Rush - Lock and Key (Polygram Records)
Manila Standard. Accessed from June 30, 2013. In contrast, '' The Cavalier Daily'' found the song to be forgettable.Arnold, Dave (October 8, 1987)
Lost urgency, strained vocals mark latest Rush LP
The Cavalier Daily. Accessed from June 18, 2013. The song peaked at number 16 on the ''

chart.

Music video

The song's music video was originally released in 1987. It was produced by Bob Jason and directed by T. Vanden Ende.Rush - Lock and Key
VEVO. December 21, 2012. Accessed from June 17, 2013. The video was later released on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

on December 7, 2005.Music Videos - Lock and Key by Rush

. Accessed from June 30, 2013. The video includes a reel of old and unusual footage in the background, such as clips from the 1932 film '' The Last Mile''.Neil Peart
. effingham.net. Accessed from June 17, 2013.
nimitz.net. Accessed from June 18, 2013. Lee said that the goal of making the video was to make the footage match with the lyrics, which was very difficult to do, because "we he bandwere all trying to do those effects on camera."

In other media

"Lock and Key" was played on the episode "The Whole Truth" from the Canadian television show Degrassi Junior High.Rush Pop Culture References In Literature And Film
2112.net. Accessed from October 1, 2013. "Intro", from Joe Budden's self-titled debut album, is credited on the album's liner notes as sampling "Lock and Key".Rush Samplings from Power Windows
2112.net. Accessed from June 18, 2013.

Chart positions

References

{{authority control Rush (band) songs 1987 songs 1987 singles Song recordings produced by Peter Collins (record producer)