10 Classic Songs That Aren't As Serious As You Think
8. By Tor and the Snow Dog - Rush
As far as prog rock aficionados are concerned, Rush didn't really get started until Neil Peart joined the band for their second album Fly By Night. Growing up really fast, the entire album is a mix of harsh hard rock assaults mixed with the traditional tempo switch ups that you might expect from a prog act from this time. Though By Tor and The Snow Dog has a special place in the hearts of fans, the lyrics are not nearly as grandiose as you think they are.
That's not to say that it doesn't start off fairly strong, with most of the music doing a great job and painting the picture of these two warriors about to go to battle against each other. In this case though, the actual music itself might be a little too good for the story it's showcasing. While there's a prog rock extravaganza going on for the better part of 8 minutes, the story amounts to nothing more than a snow dog and a guy named By Tor fighting and the snow dog winning.
Given that most of the story isn't really that much to write home about, it almost makes sense that a good third of this song is instrumental, detailing the battle with music rather than words. Peart may have been a strong addition to the team, but this song wasn't exactly going to be the prog rock answer to Shakespeare or anything.