"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 progressive 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 ...

''.

Writing and structure

"Mission" was inspired from a conversation

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 ...

and

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 ...

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

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

."Rush - Hold Your Fire (album review 2)
Sputnikmusic. December 28, 2005. Accessed from June 23, 2013. It plays in a

D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

key, though key changes into B

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

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

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

. 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: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, producer Peter Collins added

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

and

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...

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

Oldham, England Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan B ...

. 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 mari ...

solo is played in the song, in unison with the

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

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 Akai (, ) is a Japanese brand & former electronics manufacturer, established as Akai Electric Company Ltd in Tokyo in 1929. It was best known outside Japan for its tape recorders during the 1960s and 1970s. The company became bankrupt in 2000 ...

.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 technology ...

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 p ...

", a classic moment from ''

''. The song was called by

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

a "sheer beauty".

Live performances

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

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'' tour (1990), and the '' Snakes & Arrows'' tour (2007–2008).

Charts

The live version from "

A Show of Hands ''A Show of Hands'' is a live album by the Canadian rock music, rock band Rush (band), Rush, released in 1989. The band released a A Show of Hands (video), video of the same name, originally on VHS and LaserDisc, the same year. A DVD version w ...

" charted on the Mainstream Rock Chart in March 1989.

Writing and structure

Critical reception

Live performances

Charts

References

See also