"Circumstances" is a song by Canadian rock band
Rush from its 1978 album ''
Hemispheres
Hemisphere may refer to:
In geometry
* Hemisphere (geometry), a half of a sphere
As half of Earth or any spherical astronomical object
* A hemispheres of Earth, hemisphere of Earth
** Northern Hemisphere
** Southern Hemisphere
** Eastern Hemisphe ...
''. Lyrically, it is an autobiographical account by drummer
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart ( ; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer, percussionist, and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush (band), Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname "the Profe ...
about the time he spent living in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, 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 Helsink ...
. On the latter tour, the song was played in a lower key than the original recording, to accommodate vocalist
Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee Weinrib (; born Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Rock music, rock band Rush (band), Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968 at the request o ...
'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).
See also
*
List of Rush songs
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
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
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