Prime Mover
by Rush

Album: Hold Your Fire (1987)
Charted: 43
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Songfacts®:

  • Rush drummer/lyricist Neil Peart is a big Twilight Zone fan. This shares the title with a famous Twilight episode # 57, March 24, 1961. Buddy Ebsen plays Jimbo Cobb, the title character of "The Prime Mover," which was written by Charles Beaumont but based on an unpublished story by George Clayton Johnson. Jimbo, who runs a cafe, has psycho-kinetic powers and when his partner Ace Larsen (Dane Clark) discovers Jimbo's power would allow him to manipulate dice, they head for Las Vegas. The pair win big, but Ace cannot stop gambling, despite the pleas of his girlfriend Kitty (Christine White) and Jimbo, who cares more about his friend than all the money in the world.
  • Definition: Prime Mover - a self-caused agent that is the cause of all things; "God is the first cause."
  • Geddy Lee (Bass Player, Nov/Dec 1988): "We obviously have a chordal structure, and a melodic fix or picture of what the part's going to be. Usually I put it down, and between Neil and myself, we get little rhythm patterns going. I play around with the melody, and depending on what the tone center is and what the chord structures are in that area, I just write my part. Then Alex plays different solos around what Neil and I have already put down. He's quite content to work with what we've put down, and in most parts he's around through every stage anyway, so he's quite aware of the direction it's going in. He'll go down and wail, and a lot of times he will surprise us. It's a totally different direction than we had expected it, but it's always within the melodic structure that exists." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Mike - Mountlake Terrace, Washington, for above 3

Comments: 8

  • Mark from IdahoPrime mover is how Ayn Rand referred to her protagonist in Fountainhead. Roark and this song does describe his experience.
  • Andrew Mccann from Austin, TxGreat comments...
    And then the reference to Hemingway (always present in their lyrics): "From the point of conception / to the moment of truth."

    I pair this with New World Man to get myself looking forward and to the possibilities...
  • Patrick from Bedford, TxBased on what I've heard so far (the song Anthem and the songs before this on this album) this band would be amazing if they didn't try to have words or keyboards in their music. The bass in this song messes with my head.
  • Pauljb from Warwick, RiGreat emotion in this song - when I need a little inspiration just give it a listen. It motivates that you have take that first step for change to happen and set it in motion!
  • Dave from Plympton, MaI love how Neil uses different definitions of the word 'point' in this song.
    "From the point of ignition": a specific moment in time.
    "The point of the journey": a goal.
    "A point on a compass": a direction.
    "The point of the needle" an arrow.
  • John from Asheville, NcLove the bass groove afoot here. Really love the energy and melody...especially in the chorus.
  • Tom from Highland, NyI have to agree with Mike - A beautifully crafted song. It builds very nicely, has lots of energy. The bridge is very smooth and a I love the way it explodes at the end with a superb fade out. Probably my favorite on this album.
  • Mike from Indianapolis, InI love the emotion in this song! Man it is a great one.

    Anything can happen!
    The point of surrender.
    Anything can happen.
    The point of the journey.
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