"Tom Sawyer"
Single by Rush
from the album Moving Pictures
Released	February 28, 1981
Recorded	October - November 1980 at Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec
Genre	Progressive Rock
Length	4:33
Label	Mercury Records
Producer(s)	Rush and Terry Brown
Rush singles chronology
"Entre Nous" (1980)	"Tom Sawyer" (1981)	"Limelight" (1981)
"Vital Signs" (1981)	"Tom Sawyer" (Live) (1981)	"Closer to the Heart" (Live) (1981)
Moving Pictures track listing
Beginning of Album	"Tom Sawyer" (Track 1)	"Red Barchetta" (Track 2)

"Tom Sawyer" is a 1981 song by Canadian progressive rock band Rush named for Mark Twain's literary character. The song relies heavily on Geddy Lee's skill as a synthesist and the techniques of drummer Neil Peart. Geddy Lee has referred to the track as the "quintessential Rush song"; It is one of Rush's best-known songs and is a staple of classic rock radio. Notably, it No.24 in the UK singles chart in May 1981 as a follow-up to their breakthrough hit "The Spirit of Radio" Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. ... Neil Pearts drum kit, Moving Pictures tour Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music). ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rush at Le Studio (Moving Pictures session photo 1980) Le Studio is a recording studio located just south of the tourist town of Morin Heights, Quebec. ... Morin Heights is a town in the Laurentian Mountains region of Quebec, Canada. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mercury Records was a record label founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams and Arthur Talmadge. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. ... Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. ... Limelight is a song by Canadian progressive rock band Rush. ... Closer to The Heart is a single by Rush, released 1977. ... Neil Pearts drum kit, Moving Pictures tour Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music). ... Red Barchetta is a song by the progressive rock band Rush from their album Moving Pictures. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 other events of 1981 list of years in music 1980s in music // January 10 - Revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadways Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith February... For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. ... Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910),[1] better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, writer, and lecturer. ... Tom Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. ... Geddy Lee OC (born Gary Lee Weinrib on July 29, 1953 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian musician. ... A synthesizer (or synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument designed to produce electronically generated sound, using techniques such as additive, subtractive, FM, physical modelling synthesis, phase distortion, or Scanned synthesis. ... A drummer in Action A drummer is a person who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Neil Ellwood Peart (IPA: ) OC, (born September 12, 1952 in Hagersville, Ontario) is the drummer and lyricist for the progressive rock band Rush. ... Classic rock was originally conceived as a radio station programming format which evolved from the album oriented rock (AOR) format in the early-1980s. ... The Spirit of Radio is a song first recorded in 1980 by popular Canadian rock band Rush on their album Permanent Waves. ...

Origin

The song was written by Lee, Peart, and guitarist Alex Lifeson in collaboration with Canadian lyricist Pye Dubois (a member of Max Webster), who also co-wrote other Rush songs such as "Force Ten," "Between Sun and Moon," and "Test For Echo." According to the US radio show In the Studio with Redbeard (which devoted an entire episode to the making of Moving Pictures), "Tom Sawyer" came about during a summer rehearsal holiday that Rush spent at Ronnie Hawkins' farm outside Toronto. Peart was presented with a poem by Dubois named "Louis the Warrior" that he modified and expanded. Lee and Lifeson then helped set the poem to music. The unique growling sound heard in the song came from Lee's fiddling with his Oberheim synthesizer. Alex Lifeson OC (born Alexander Zivojinovich on August 27, 1953, in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada), is a Canadian musician, best known as the guitarist for the rock group Rush. ... Pye Dubois is a Canadian musical lyricist. ... Max Webster was a Canadian rock band of the late 1970s. ... In the Studio with Redbeard is a North American radio program hosted by Dallas, Texas rock and roll disc jockey Redbeard. ... Ronnie Hawkins, born January 10, 1935 in Huntsville, Arkansas, United States, is a pioneering rock and roll musician and cousin to fellow rockabilly pioneer Dale Hawkins. ... Growling is the low, guttural vocalization produced by predatory animals to express anger. ... Oberheim Electronics is a company, founded in 1973 by Tom Oberheim (a former design engineer at Maestro), which manufactured audio synthesizers and a variety of other electronic musical instruments. ... A synthesizer (or synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument designed to produce electronically generated sound, using techniques such as additive, subtractive, FM, physical modelling synthesis, phase distortion, or Scanned synthesis. ...

Structure and fan reaction

Fans of Rush cite "Tom Sawyer (help· info)" as an example of Rush's distinctive songwriting, blending intelligent yet enigmatic lyrics with an intricate pattern of multiple time signatures^{[citation needed]}. The middle section of the song is built around a simple riff that was originally a 'little melody' Geddy Lee used to test his synthesizers: A - F# - G# - E - F# - D - A - F# - G# - E - F# - B - as it is 'passed over' from one instrument to another. During the synth part, an unusual 7/8 time signature is used. Image File history File links TomSawyer. ... A songwriter is someone who writes either the lyrics or the music for songs. ... Lyrics are the words in songs. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ...

As a Twain reference, "Tom Sawyer" can be considered an abstract commentary on a free-thinking "modern day warrior".

Album appearances

The song was released on Mercury Records and PolyGram in 1981 on the Moving Pictures album and later also appeared on 1990's Chronicles as track 1 on disc 2. Its duration is approximately 4 min 33 sec (studio version). It has also appeared on numerous Rush live albums and bootlegs. Mercury Records was a record label founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams and Arthur Talmadge. ... PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. ... Neil Pearts drum kit, Moving Pictures tour Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music). ... Chronicles is a compilation album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1990 (see 1990 in music). ... A bootleg recording (or simply bootleg or boot) is an audio and/or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist, or under other legal authority. ...

Covers and appearances in pop culture

• The synth intro to the song was later used by The Beastie Boys as part of a DJ set during one of their tours. It was also covered by Deadsy on 2002's Commencement and by Mindless Self Indulgence on their 2005 album You'll Rebel to Anything and was sampled in The Aquabats' song Pool Party.
• The main/verse guitar riff of the song was used by Metallica as the bridge of the song Sanitarium that originally appeared on their 1986 album Master of Puppets. Metallica has often listed Rush as one of their main influences and even thanks the band in the credits section of the album.
• The song appeared in the movie Small Soldiers (remixed by DJ Z-Trip) and in the movie The Waterboy starring Adam Sandler.
• Professional wrestler Kerry Von Erich (who wrestled under the nickname "The Modern Day Warrior") used "Tom Sawyer" as his entrance music.
• During the episode Anthology of Interest II of Futurama, the song plays during the Space Invaders scene, referring to the lyrics: "Today's Tom Sawyer, he gets high on you, and the space he invades he gets by on you."
• Barenaked Ladies do a small musical homage to this song in the middle of their song "Grade 9" off their first full length album Gordon.
• In 1993, short-lived Rap collective the Young Black Teenagers sampled Tom Sawyer on their song "Tap The Bottle" on the grounds that "it's the phattest shit ever recorded and deserves to be revisited".
• The instrumental intro to "Tom Sawyer" was used in television commercials for the Nissan Maxima in 2000.
• In the episode "Chick Cancer" of the 5th season of Family Guy makes reference to the song, with Chester Cheetah declaring "Oh god! There is no fucking drummer better than Neil Peart!" as the song plays in the background. 2
• In Brazil the song was used as the introduction for the TV series McGyver aired by the TV Globo.
• The song is featured on The Knights of Prosperity episode "Fighting Shape" as the Knights "theme song".
• Brazilian legendary rock band Mamonas Assassinas did a small homage to Tom Sawyer that can be heard in the bridge of Bois don't cry, a song from their first album.
• Jack Black performed guest vocals with The String Cheese Incident performing instrumental live.
• The song was Mentioned in Brian Keene's Novel "Ghoul". The book took place in 1984.
• The Bad Plus cover the song on their upcoming album Prog.

The Beastie Boys as depicted on the cover of their 1992 album Check Your Head. ... Deadsy is an American synth rock band from California. ... Commencement is the 2002 debut of the rock band, Deadsy. ... Mindless Self Indulgence (commonly referred to as MSI) is an American-based Industrial band. ... Youll Rebel To Anything is a music album by New York City band Mindless Self Indulgence released on April 12, 2005. ... The Aquabats (often written as The Aquabats!) are an American rock band formed in 1994 in Huntington Beach, California and currently recording for Nitro Records. ... Myths, Legends, and Other Amazing Adventures of The Aquabats, Volume 2 is The Aquabats fourth album. ... Metallica is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1981,[1] which has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. ... Welcome Home (Sanitarium) is a song by Metallica. ... Master of Puppets is the third album by American thrash metal band Metallica, released by Elektra Records on February 28, 1986 (see 1986 in music) in North America. ... Small Soldiers (1998) is an action/science fiction film, directed by Joe Dante. ... The Waterboy is a movie starring Adam Sandler, released in 1998. ... Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer, and musician. ... Kerry Gene Adkisson (February 3, 1960 – February 18, 1993) was an American professional wrestler under the ring names Kerry Von Erich and The Texas Tornado (World Wrestling Federation or WWF) and part of the famous Von Erich family. ... Entrance music may refer to: The music that accompanies a baseball player when he bats or pitches: List of baseball entrance music. ... Anthology of Interest II is the eighteenth episode of the third season of Futurama. ... Futurama is an Emmy Award-winning animated sitcom created by Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) and David X. Cohen for the Fox Network, and will resume airing in 2008 on Comedy Central. ... Barenaked Ladies (often abbreviated BNL or occasionally BnL) is a Canadian alternative rock band currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Steven Page, Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart, and formerly Andy Creeggan. ... An earlier version of the album cover, used from approximately 1992-1996 Gordon was the debut CD and first major-label album by Barenaked Ladies. ... Young Black Teenagers (YBT) was an early 1990s American rap group consisting of Knowledgable Child, First Born, ATA, Tommy Never, and DJ Skribble. ... Nissan Motor Co. ... For other uses of Maxima, see Maxima (disambiguation). ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chick Cancer is the 7th episode of Season 5 of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. ... Family Guy is an American animated television series about a nuclear family in the suburb of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... Cheetos are a crunchy, cheese-flavored snack made from cornmeal introduced by Frito-Lay in 1948. ... Neil Ellwood Peart (IPA: ) OC, (born September 12, 1952 in Hagersville, Ontario) is the drummer and lyricist for the progressive rock band Rush. ... MacGyver is an American adventure television series about an extremely resourceful secret agent named Angus Mac MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson. ... // TV Globo Rio de Janeiro History In July of 1957 the President of the Republic, Juscelino Kubitschek, approved the concession of TV for the Radio Globe and, in 30 of December of the same year, the National Advice of Telecommunications published decree granting canal 4 of Rio De Janeiro to... The Knights of Prosperity is a TV comedy series that premiered on ABC in the United States on Wednesday, January 3, 2007. ... Mamonas Assassinas was a satirical Brazilian pop/rock band. ... Tom Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. ... Jack Black (born Thomas J. Black, Jr. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Brian Keene Brian Keene is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winning horror author, first in 2001 for his non-fiction work Jobs In Hell and then again in 2003 for his debut novel, the post-apocalyptic zombie tale The Rising. ... The iconic ghoul from Dungeons & Dragons. ... The Bad Plus are a jazz piano trio consisting of pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King. ...

See also

• Moving Pictures, the 1981 album on which the song appeared
• Synthesizer, an instrument that played a significant role in defining the sound of this recording
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the book that is referenced in the song

Neil Pearts drum kit, Moving Pictures tour Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music). ... A synthesizer (or synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument designed to produce electronically generated sound, using techniques such as additive, subtractive, FM, physical modelling synthesis, phase distortion, or Scanned synthesis. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Tom Sawyer. ...

External links

• Official website
• Tom Sawyer on Family Guy