The Polyphonic Spree - The Spirit Of Radio

Thursday, time for a cover.

"The Spirit of Radio" is a song released in 1980 by the Canadian rock band RUSH from their album "Permanent Waves". The song's name was inspired by Toronto radio station CFNY-FM's slogan. It was significant in the growing popularity of the band, becoming their first top 30 single in Canada and reaching number 51 on the US Hot 100. It remains one of RUSH's best-known songs and was a concert staple until their retirement. Originally written by Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson, and performed by RUSH.

"The Spirit of Radio" features the band experimenting with a reggae style in its closing section. Reggae would be explored further on the band's next three records, Moving Pictures, Signals, and Grace Under Pressure. The group had experimented with reggae-influenced riffs in the studio and had come up with a reggae introduction to "Working Man" on their tours, so they decided to incorporate a passage into "The Spirit of Radio", and as Lifeson said, "to make us smile and have a little fun".

Today's version is made by the American choral rock band THE POLYPHONIC SPREE, they are from Dallas, Texas that was formed in 2000 by singer/songwriter Tim DeLaughter. The band's pop and rock songs are augmented by a large vocal choir, and instruments such as flute, trumpet, french horn, trombone, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano, guitars, bass, drums, electronic keyboards, and EWI.

Leoncarlo Canlas - Violin
Paul Deemer - Trombone/Trumpet
Tim DeLaughter - Vocals
Stephanie Dolph Pirro - Vocals
Constance Dolph - Vocals
Nick Earl - Guitar
Elizabeth Evans - Vocals
Ryan Fitzgerald - Guitar
Thaddeus Ford - Trumpet
Jason Garner - Drums
Jennifer Jobe Penn - Vocals
Jessica Jordan - Vocals
Mark Pirro - Bass
Brianne Sargent - Cello
Dylan Silvers - Acoustic Guitar
Mike St. Clair - Trombone/Trumpet
Heather Test - French Horn
Kelly Test - Percussion
Poppy Xander - Piano/Keyboards
Natalie Young - Vocals

Today's tune "The Spirit Of Radio" is taken from the bands latest (Covers) album "Afflatus", was released on April 16, 2021 on Good Records. Video directed by Steven Gaddis, Josh David Jordan, James Pafford, Editing and Rotoscope by Steven Gaddis



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Listen to ”The Polyphonic Spree - The Spirit Of Radio" on Spotify!

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Rush - The Spirit Of Radio

Sunday, time for a classic.

"The Spirit of Radio" is a song released in 1980 by Canadian rock band RUSH from their album Permanent Waves.

The song's name was inspired by Toronto radio station CFNY's slogan. The song was significant in the growing popularity of the band. It is also the first song of the 1980s (for the band as well as in general), since Permanent Waves was released on January 1, 1980, and it was the opening track on the album. The band had grazed the UK Top 40 two years earlier with "Closer to the Heart", but when issued as a single in March 1980. It remains their biggest UK hit to date (the 7" single was a 3:00 edited version which has never appeared on CD to date).

"The Spirit of Radio" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, RUSHs only such entry. The song was among five Rush songs inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010.

Promotional 12-inch copies were released in the United States late 1979 with the B-sides of "Working Man" and "The Trees", and the song being incorrectly titled "The Spirit of the Radio"

The final lines of the song ("For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall.../Concert hall/And echoes with the sounds of salesmen") are an allusion to the famous final lyrics from the Simon and Garfunkel classic "The Sound of Silence": "...the words of the prophets/Are written on the subway walls/And tenement halls/And whispered in the sounds of silence.

One of the lines of the song references the composition Morning Mood, which bears a strong musical similarity to the opening guitar riff.

The album version includes the sound of a cheering crowd just after Lee sings "concert hall." It has since become a tradition in live shows for the arena lights to come up at this point and the audience to cheer, mimicking the effect, as shown on every live DVD from Grace Under Pressure Tour forward.

On performances during the 1981 tour, the line "one likes to believe in the freedom of music" was changed to "one likes to believe in the freedom of baseball" as a commentary on the 1981 Major League Baseball Players Association strike. Geddy Lee still occasionally drops this change into the song when performing live.

The live version recorded in June 17th, 1980 at the Apollo in Manchester, England appeared as a playable song in the 2009 video game Guitar Hero 5 where it is considered one of the hardest songs on guitar in the game.

The song is sampled on the 1993 track, "Conchita Martinez", by Saint Etienne.

Enjoy todays tune!

First Video is an unofficial music video for Rush's Spirit of the Radio that I pieced together from concert footage of the 1984 Grace Under Pressure Tour.



Second Video is a Live version from the "Snakes and Arrows - Tour"



More info @

Official Rush Web

Listen to "Rush- The Spirit Of Radio" on Spotify here!

Follow tuneoftheday.blogspot.com on Spotify here