Working Man Rush

Working Man Album: Rush (1974)
by Rush

Rush released their self-titled debut album on their own label, Moon Records, in 1974. A DJ named Donna Halper at WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio, listened to the last track, "Working Man," and put it on the air, giving the band liftoff. It fit her criteria for three reasons:

1) Cleveland was a working town, and the lyrics were very relatable to their audience.

2) WMMS was an album-oriented rock station, so they looked for songs that other stations weren't playing.

3) Running 7:07, the song gave plenty of time for the DJ to take a bathroom or smoke break.

Immediately, the radio station received calls from people asking when the new Led Zeppelin album was coming out; they were surprised to learn that the vocalist was not Robert Plant, but Geddy Lee, lead singer for a new band called Rush. Thanks to the airplay, the album picked up steam in Cleveland and got the attention of Mercury Records, which signed the band and re-released the album with their promotional might behind it. With the backing of a major label, Rush soon became one of the most popular rock bands in the US and Canada.

This was one of the few popular Rush songs not co-written by Neil Peart, who hadn't joined the group yet (John Rutsey was their drummer). Like most songs on their debut album, "Working Man" was written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.

This song tells the story of a typical working man, stuck his routine of putting in his hours, coming home, then doing it all over again the next day. He has greater ambitions, but doesn't seem to have the will to act on them:

It seems to me I could live my life
A lot better than I think I am

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson never had 9-5s like this guy, but they did put in the work, playing any gig they could get after forming the band while they were still in high school.
Does this sound like a certain Led Zeppelin song? Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett told Martin Popoff that it sounds a lot like "Heartbreaker."

Working Man was used in a 2014 commercial for Walmart, where they touted their support of American factories.
Longtime Rush roadie Ian Grandy once heard Geddy Lee state that if there is one "ultimate" Rush song, it's "Working Man."
This was the last song Rush played live, using it as the capper to their R40 Live tour, which ended on August 1, 2015 with a show at The Forum near Los Angeles. On the tour, they played songs in reverse chronological order, starting with their newest songs and working backwards, with the backdrops changing to reflect the era.

The band didn't announce it as a farewell tour, but did say it would "most likely be their last major tour of this magnitude." Neil Peart had threatened retirement before, but this time he was more resolute: He was wearing down physically and wanted to spend more time with his young daughter. When the show ended, he "crossed the back-line meridian" for the first time, joining Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson at the front of the stage to take a bow. A year later, Peart developed brain cancer, which only his closest confidants knew until his death was announced on January 10, 2020 - he had died three days earlier.

Well, I get up at seven, yeah
And I go to work at nine
I got no time for livin'
Yes, I'm workin' all the time

It seems to me
I could live my life
A lot better than I think I am
I guess that's why they call me
They call me the workin' man

They call me the workin' man
I guess that's what I am

'Cause I get home at five o'clock
And I take myself out an ice cold beer
Always seem to be wonderin'
Why there's nothin' goin' down here

It seems to me
I could live my life
A lot better than I think I am
I guess that's why they call me
The workin' man

Well, they call me the workin' man
I guess that's what I am

Well, they call me the workin' man
I guess that's what I am

Well, I get up at seven, yeah
And I'll go to work at nine
I got no time for livin'
Yes, I'm workin' all the time

It seems to me
I could live my life
A lot better than I think I am
I guess that's why they call me
They call me the workin' man

Well, they call me the workin' man
I guess that's what I am

They call me the workin' man
I guess that's what I am