Album: Power Windows (1985)

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Songfacts®:

• Neil Peart told Canadian Composer, April 1986, that "Marathon" is about "the triumph of time and a kind of message to myself (because I think life is too short for all the things that I want to do)." He added: "There's a self-admonition saying that life is long enough. You can do a lot - just don't burn yourself out too fast trying to do everything at once. 'Marathon' is a song about individual goals and trying to achieve them. And it's also about the old Chinese proverb: 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
• In the April 1986 issue of Guitar Player magazine, Alex Lifeson was asked if any tracks on the album were specially difficult to cut. He replied: "It's funny. There's always one song that you're terrified of doing. You think it's going to be really tough, and Marathon was the one. We wrote it and thought, 'This song is going to be like pulling teeth once we get in the studio.' Of course, we get into the studio and it's a breeze. And a song like Emotion Detector, which we thought would be a breeze, was the killer. It was very, very difficult to get the mood right. I'm still not really sold on that song. It never ended up sounding the way I had hoped it would. But the Marathon solo was probably the easiest of all the solos to do." >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Mike - Mountlake Terrace, Washington, for above 2

Comments: 12

• Darren from UkI've seen Rush everytime they've been to the UK for the past 30 years. What a group, my favs. Recently I lost my job, racing around to get back into work, had a complete meltdown, lost weight, but now I am on a good recovery pattern. What a song. Don't keep rushing and racing around, although life puts you against it at times. The moral of the jibberish: life's a MARATHON not a sprint. Enjoy your life and take it as a MARATHON.
• Deron from Clifton Hts, PaI was a runner 25 yrs ago and now I'm trying to get back in my prime shape and this song helps a lot. Plus I'm building a race car for 1/4 mile track it's a (73 Plymouth Road Runner)and it is my Red Barchetta.But anyway this song makes me push everything to the limit weather it be me or my cars. Deron,West Brook park PA.
• Rufus from Wheeling, WvLove the bass line(s) on this one; love the version from A Show of Hands.
• Parvez from San Francisco, CaThe lyric "At first, to last" is a phrase used by one of Napolean's generals. I can't remember the French.
• Jaakko from Pudasjärvi, FinlandThis is one of my favourite Rush songs. Dunno what else to say, it's just brilliant.
• Chen from Yichang, ChinaChinese proverb: 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."
  
  yeah，its "千里之行,始于足下"
• Mike from Escondido, CaThe middle instrumental part of "Marathon" is wonderful. One of the best the band has ever done!
• John from Asheville, NcI've always like this song. Love how the pace reflects the lyrical theme. Love the warm keyboard splashes during the chorus. Song has a feeling of triumph to it without being overly dramatic in the keyboards...which a lot of 80s tunes suffer from. Rush always knows when to use their instruments as accents and rarely overdoes it. Nice temperment here too.
• Reed from Cincinnati, OhI'm 16 years of age, have run only track and cross country as sports for the past 5 years, love the song... Also my warm up song... I always thought Getti said "from first to last, the week kids never past"
• Aaron Edward Sarka from Seward, Aki'm a cross-country runner, this is my warm-up song
• David from Peterborough, Canadasweet son, has real meaning like keep oing to achieve your goals.
• David from Port Hawkesbury, CanadaI was at a track and field meet a couple weeks ago, and I'm in high jump, and you always get that feeling that maybe youre gonna hit the bar, or something will go wrong, I think this song says that perfectly.

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