Enemy

Album: Envy Of None (2022)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Put down the weapon, I'm not your enemy," Maiah Wynne sings on this track from the debut album of Envy Of None, the band Alex Lifeson formed after Rush called it quits. Lifeson stretched out his musical muscles on the album, exploring many different sounds. "Enemy" has a menacing, almost industrial vibe.

    "It's a very dynamic song," Lifeson said in a Songfacts track by track. "A lot of cool dynamics down low and menacing and dangerous and in-your-face and powerful."

    "There's something about 'Enemy' that just really reaches in and grabs your heart and rips it out," he added. "There's a lot of heaviness in the music, but it's the vocal that scares the crap out of you."
  • This was one of the first songs Maiah Wynne recorded with Envy Of None, which in addition to Lifeson, consists of Alfio Annibalini (production and engineering) and Andy Curran (bass). She wasn't part of the band when they started, but the guys knew she was a great fit as soon as they heard her sing. She also brought a lot to the table creatively, especially with lyrics.

    "There's a lot of back and forth between Andy and I on lyrics for that," she told Songfacts. "The way it turned out, I was able to channel a little bit more vocally and be a little bit more aggressive. It was a great experience working on that song with these guys."
  • A 7-inch single of "Enemy" was released in support of Ukraine, which had been attacked by Russia. The single is pressed on vinyl with the top half blue and the bottom half yellow to symbolize the flag of Ukraine. Proceeds go to the UN Refugee Agency for humanitarian aid to the country.

    The band released a statement explaining that the song took on a new meaning in light of the war:

    I'm not your enemy...

    Friends and enemies—life and death—good and bad. The eternal contrast and conflict that tears us apart so easily yet mends us so arduously. It's not a fair fight.

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