"Mission" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush from the 1987 album ''

Hold Your Fire ''Hold Your Fire'' is the twelfth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on September 8, 1987. It was recorded at The Manor Studio in Oxfordshire, Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, Air Studios in Montserrat and McClear Place in Toronto. ...

''.

Writing and structure

"Mission" was inspired from a conversation

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 ...

and

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 ...

had about people who were not satisfied with the lives of people in their age group. Peart said that the lyrics are related to a tendency that people have for idealizing the lifestyle of others. People tend to imagine that those who are rich and famous are to be viewed as people who have fewer personal issues than ordinary people. However, he argues that every life has its own level of "toughness." As an example of this idea, he recounts that people used to refer to him as someone who has the best job in the world. He claims that he is very proud of being a musician, which was a job that he dreamed of in his youth. However, he claims people tend not to realize that being away from family for several months while on tour is not as easy as others make it sound. A key verse to express that concept says "We each pay a fabulous price for our visions of paradise," referring to personal sacrifices he had to make to achieve his dream. A

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 ...

review gave a description of "Mission" as a "rocky

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

."Rush - Hold Your Fire (album review 2)

. December 28, 2005. Accessed from June 23, 2013. It plays in a

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

key, though key changes into B

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

occur in certain parts of the song. Most of the song is played at a moderate tempo in a

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

. However, the musical interlude between the second chorus and final verse is played in time.Mission Sheet Music
onlinesheetmusic.com. Accessed from June 21, 2013. The song features prominent keyboard parts played by

. When working on the song in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, producer Peter Collins added

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

and

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

. The brass was performed by the William Faery brass band, and was recorded in

Oldham, England Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

. Info from book adopted b
2112.net
. Collins also suggested that new verses be added to the song. Peart, Neil
Firework: The Making of "Hold Your Fire"
. 2112.net. Accessed from June 21, 2013. A

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

solo is played in the song, in unison with the snare drum and bass.Parisi, Deborah (February 1988)
Fire in the Hold
Music Technology. Accessed from June 21, 2013. The marimba was a KAT mini-marimba sampled in the AKAI S-900 sampler.Neil Peart
. effingham.net. Accessed from June 17, 2013.

Critical reception

Music critics gave "Mission" good reviews.

Metal Storm Metal Storm Limited was a research and development company based in Brisbane, Australia, that specialized in electronically initiated superposed load weapons technology and owned the proprietary rights to the electronic ballistics technolog ...

considered the song, along with "

Lock and Key A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object (such as a key, keycard, fingerprint, RFID card, security token or coin), by supplying secret information (such as a number or letter permutation or pa ...

", a classic moment from ''

''. The song was called by

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

a "sheer beauty". ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

'' rated the song 8.5/10, and thought it was the 85th (out of 167) best Rush song.

Live performances

"Mission" was performed live during the ''Hold Your Fire'' tour (1988), the '' Presto'' tour (1990), and the ''

Snakes & Arrows ''Snakes & Arrows'' is the 18th studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on May 1, 2007, by Anthem Records. After their R30: 30th Anniversary Tour ended in October 2004 the band took a one-year break, during which they agreed to star ...

'' tour (2007-2008).

Charts

The live version from "

A Show of Hands ''A Show of Hands'' is a live album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1989. The band released a video of the same name, originally on VHS and LaserDisc, the same year. A DVD version was released as part of a box set in 2006, an ...

" charted on the Mainstream Rock Chart in March 1989.

Writing and structure

Critical reception

Live performances

Charts

References

See also