Distant Early Warning (song)
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| "Distant Early Warning" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Rush | ||||
| from the album Grace Under Pressure | ||||
| B-side | "Between the Wheels" | |||
| Released | April 1984 | |||
| Studio | Le Studio (Morin-Heights) | |||
| Length | 4:45 | |||
| Label | Anthem | |||
| Composers | ||||
| Lyricist | Neil Peart | |||
| Producers | ||||
| Rush singles chronology | ||||
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"Distant Early Warning" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released as a single and as the lead track on their tenth studio album Grace Under Pressure (1984). As with most Rush songs, its music was composed by bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, while its lyrics were written by drummer Neil Peart.
Greg Prato of AllMusic describes "Distant Early Warning" as a "tale about nuclear war".[1] Its title is derived from the Distant Early Warning Line, a succession of missle detection radar systems located in Canada's northern Arctic region. Described by Stereogum as an "eloquent state-of-the-world address circa 1984", the song's lyrics contain references to nuclear fallout, acid rain, and communism,[2] as well as environmentalism and the Cold War.[3] Biographer Jon Collins calls the track an "environmental call to arms".[4]
The song contains a synthesized intro played by Hugh Syme, who also created the artwork for the album.[5] Collins opines that the track showcases Lifeson "at his dissonant best", while also highlighting its backing of "reverberating drums and keyboards".[4]
