Favorite "Man" Songs #1 - "Working Man"
@teamfreak16 (43421)
Denver, Colorado
December 4, 2017 4:26pm CST
It's over, man. We've reached #1 in my countdown of my favorite songs with "man" in the title: "Working Man" by Rush.
Canadian rock trio Rush has always had a special love for Cleveland, Ohio. It was a Cleveland Disc Jockey, Donna Halper, who broke the band in the US when she began playing "Working Man," from their self-titled 1974 debut album, on her radio show. Whenever the song aired, the phones would light up with inquiries of where it was possible to buy the album.
Oddly, "Working Man" was not released as a single, not even in Canada. Yet it remains a fan favorite, one which, after years and years of the band not playing it live, Rush began playing regularly in 2002.
(Fun Fact: Alex Lifeson's guitar solo was named the 94th Greatest Guitar Solo by Guitar World Magazine. However, a master tape with an alternate solo was so popular as a download for the Rock Band video game that the band now sells it on iTunes.)
I've linked to a 2011 Cleveland performance during the band's Time Machine Tour. This is really cool, if you like Rush: the group begins the tune as a reggae song! Don't worry, once they kick it in, they rock the living bejezus out of it.
"Hello Cleveland!" indeed.
(Info verified by Wikipedia)
Experience the Time Machine Tour! 26 Songs, including "Closer to the Heart," "The Spirit of Radio," and the seminal "Moving Pictures" album, performed live i...
11 people like this
12 responses
@NJChicaa (115972)
• United States
4 Dec 17
@teamfreak16 Rush, Steely Dan, and Stevie Nicks. No thank you!
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (48417)
• Mojave, California
4 Dec 17
They used to play this during rush hour here in the inland empire. Get it rush hour. 
Was pretty cool. Now radio stations are all confused as what to play to try to stay relevant, they do not play stuff like this anymore.
Was pretty cool. Now radio stations are all confused as what to play to try to stay relevant, they do not play stuff like this anymore.1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (48417)
• Mojave, California
4 Dec 17
@teamfreak16 Yeah, local radio stations were really biased on this band, Sundays the LA affiliate would play whole Cd's of bands, every other weekend Rush was the band they played. 95.5 i KLOS is what I think it was and then our local affiliate would try to compete with them and they would play three rush albums out of nowhere. Was kind of funny.. Probably exaggerating, but what it seemed like. I can see people's disdain for them because of that.
One thing was for sure everyone was in a hurry to be stuck in traffic and you could hear about 10 cars with their windows rolled down playing that song. Was kind of cool looking back on it. Only in California. lol
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
4 Dec 17
@crossbones27 - A Rush traffic jam. Nice.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
4 Dec 17
If they played this, that would be one less chance to play "Tom Sawyer" that day!
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62096)
• United States
5 Dec 17
Too bad they’ve retired, or the “Rush Reggae” tour (where they do reggae versions of their songs) might be something even I’d like to see.
Good series...and, as usual, we didn’t match a single song again. 
Good series...and, as usual, we didn’t match a single song again. 1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Dec 17
They seem to like it, they did throw a little reggae into "The Spirit of Radio."
Did you see the Yes R&R HOF performance of "Roundabout" with Geddy on bass?
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Dec 17
@FourWalls - I just love it when they do that. (Searching for "sarcasm" emoji.)
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (36434)
• Toccoa, Georgia
5 Dec 17
I love RUSH! They are my favorite band and "Working Man" was one of the first songs I heard of theirs on the radio, along with Xanadu being on the radio. They are so talented.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (36434)
• Toccoa, Georgia
5 Dec 17
@teamfreak16 My husband and I saw them in June 2011 on their Clockwork Angels Tour. It was a awesome concert that I will never forget.
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@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Dec 17
@LeaPea2417 - Oh yes, they put on a great show.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Dec 17
They are one of my favorite bands. I got to see them twice, on the Signals and Power Windows tours.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (34350)
•
7 Dec 17
I wonder if the reason they did not play the song live for so long was it featured the Original drummer John Rutsey, who played on their first album recording. He was replaced by Neil Peart in1974.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
7 Dec 17
That very well be. That, or they had become a prog band and it might not have fit the setlist. Maybe they just got sick of it. Who knows?
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (34350)
•
8 Dec 17
@teamfreak16 I think your right on it not fitting their set list.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
5 Dec 17
great song history - you should work for Rolling Stone magazine
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Dec 17
Oh, thank you. This is definitely a song with cool history.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7477)
• Canada
5 Dec 17
Used to hear Rush on the radio regularly back in the day. I think being in Canada helped.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73368)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
5 Dec 17
I enjoyed this, Had never heard it before. I know RUSH just not this song.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Dec 17
This was very early. Neil Peart wasn't even in the band yet.
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@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Dec 17
You snuck in Rush! Argh lol!
1 person likes this
@misunderstood_zombie (8142)
• United States
5 Dec 17
Great song by Rush. Wow, they're really still rocking in the video.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
5 Dec 17
I know. It's like they were still young.
1 person likes this
