10 Song Guide To Neil Peart's Awesomeness
6. Tom Sawyer
This is the song that arguably made Rush a household name. From the start, the opening synth drone hits the listener like a ton of bricks. "Tom Sawyer" showed the band going in a more mainstream direction, but still on their own terms. Each instrument seems to be playing its own hook from the synth loop to Geddy Lee's vocal melody to the opening guitar wash.
"Tom Sawyer" also marked the first time Neil collaborated with lyricist Pye Dubois to construct a story of the archetypal rock and roll rebel. The line "his mind is not for rent to any god or government" is one of the most poetic encapsulations of the defiant rocker aesthetic.
The song also features what may possibly be one of the single greatest drum fills at the 2:35 mark on your video timecode. Along with being one of Rush's most accessible hits, Neil himself marked this down as one of the first records where the true version of Rush was born. As Rush continues to release spellbinding compositions, "Tom Sawyer" always remained an integral part of the band's live show up until the very end for a damn good reason.