Cygnus X-1 series
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| "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" | ||
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| Song by Rush | ||
| from the album A Farewell to Kings | ||
| Released | August 18, 1977 | |
| Genre | Progressive Rock | |
| Length | 10:25 | |
| Label | Mercury Records | |
| Writer(s) | Lee & Lifeson Lyrics by Peart |
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| Producer(s) | Rush & Terry Brown | |
| A Farewell to Kings track listing | ||
| "Madrigal" (5) |
"Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" (6) |
None |
| "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Song by Rush | ||
| from the album Hemispheres | ||
| Released | October 8, 1978 | |
| Genre | Progressive Rock | |
| Length | 18:05 | |
| Label | Mercury Records | |
| Writer(s) | Lee & Lifeson Lyrics by Peart |
|
| Producer(s) | Rush & Terry Brown | |
| Hemispheres track listing | ||
| None | "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" (1) |
"Circumstances" (2) |
Rush's Cygnus X-1 Duology consists of Book I: The Voyage and Book II: Hemispheres. Book I is featured on the A Farewell to Kings album, while Book II is the first song on Hemispheres. Part one clocks in at ten minutes and twenty-five seconds (10:25), and part two is eighteen minutes and five seconds (18:05). Sometimes an abbreviated version of book one is played live with only the instrumental section, as is seen on Rush in Rio and R30.
[edit] General storyline
In the constellation of Cygnus lies a mysterious black hole that is simply titled "Cygnus X-1" (Cygnus X-1 is believed to be an actual black hole). An explorer aboard the ship "Rocinante" is curious about the black hole as it draws him in ("The x-ray is her siren song..."). Eventually, the pull of gravity is too great, and the explorer is sucked into a mysterious land.
The traveler finds himself in a world caught up in the struggle between Heart and Mind. The logical thinkers are led by Apollo and the emotional people are ruled by Dionysus. Apollo has his people build cities and explore the depths of science and knowledge, but Dionysus lures many of them into the "forests" and provides love, which many felt that Apollo's society was missing. Civil war breaks out as the two different ways of life clash. This leads up to the point where the Rocinante spins through the black hole of Cygnus X-1 and into this mysterious land. When the explorer enters the land, he notices the fighting and becomes upset. At this point, the explorer has become invisible with no physical mass at all. Troubled by all the fighting, the "spirit" of the lost hero lets out a silent scream, which is felt by the warriors. This causes the people to cease their struggle and unite together. The explorer is regarded as a hero, and is deemed "Cygnus, the God of Balance" for his arrival that brought the two sides together.
[edit] Allusions and allegory
Although the storyline revolves around this science fiction world, it uses Greek mythology to explain the double meaning. Cygnus X-1 is primarily about the discovery of two conflicting ways of life, and two vastly different ways in which the human mind thinks (logic and emotion are separated into separate sides, or hemispheres, of the brain). The balance point (Cygnus) allows the mind to think with some logic and emotion at the same time, allowing people to be analytical, but not unemotional. This is a concept out of pop psychology.
| Rush |
| Geddy Lee | Alex Lifeson | Neil Peart |
| John Rutsey |
| Discography |
|---|
| Albums: Rush | Fly by Night | Caress of Steel | 2112 | All the World's a Stage | A Farewell to Kings | Hemispheres | Permanent Waves | Moving Pictures | Exit...Stage Left | Signals | Grace Under Pressure | Power Windows | Hold Your Fire | A Show of Hands | Presto | Roll the Bones | Counterparts | Test for Echo | Different Stages | Vapor Trails | Rush in Rio | Feedback (EP) |
| Compilations: Archives | Chronicles | Retrospective I | Retrospective II | The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974-1987 | Gold |
| Related articles |
| The Rush Portal
Rush discography | Rush music videos | History of Rush | Rush instrumentals | Victor | My Favorite Headache | A Work In Progress | Anatomy of A Drum Solo | "Fear" Series | Cygnus X-1 Series |
