| The Psychology behind one of the greatest rock albums of 2002. Of course these are just my opinions and views. Buy it, listen to it, and discover for yourself your own meanings!! "This album stands alone in the desolation of brilliance." What does the title Vapor Trails mean to you? In my minds eye this conjures up images of something not quite solid, formed from the passing of something else. Vapor trails themselves are merely a collection of water vapor. That vapor could represent any number of things, most likely (in my opinion): left over emotions. To illustrate my point, think of an “airplane” (the originator of the vapor trails themselves) as the embodiment of a relationship that we entertain ourselves with for an undetermined period of time. The trails left behind are all that is left once that relationship dries up. Nothing tangible, just mists in the dark skies of emptiness. It is those vapor trails that we see all around us. They’re everywhere. The ability to see them depends on a few things: Our reaction time; being in the right place at the right time; or if we aren’t fast enough, they disappear without a trace leaving us none the wiser for their once and true existence. Sometimes a brief moment of indecision can leave us out in the cold. One of the most important factors of all being: whether or not we want to see them. Sometimes we calculatingly choose not to see things, while other times we can’t see the forest for the trees. This is my take on the meaning behind the new Rush album Vapor Trails. It of course is only my understanding as I see it. I’m sure you have your own vision, and Geddy, Alex and Neil have their own too. All of the lyrics on the album come across to me as testaments to experience, liberal doses of wisdom mixed with prominent visions of healing. Most importantly of all the faint traces of hope strewn about on this album like splatters of paint on a blank canvas all the while carefully enrobed in the cacophony of music representing how vicious life can be. If we look in the right places, hope is always there waiting for us. It simply yearns for us to find it if we dare look! The key is, knowing where to look. Often times we don’t have to look any further than ourselves. The album starts off with “One Little Victory” a quick slap in the face for those who have lost hope. It tells us that anything is possible, and that victory is just around the corner if we choose to look for it. “Ceiling Unlimited” is about the endless possibilities of chances; where life changes with the toss of a coin, and how we perceive each other, often times with an unfair slant. This song is about the randomness of chance. In many ways is similar to the message of ‘Roll the Bones’ of years past. “Ghost Rider” talks about how we as people are haunted by our own vision of ourselves. Neil went through a terrible time in his life, with first the death of his daughter, then long before the healing process had finished, his loss of his wife. This double tragedy must have been terrible indeed. I cannot imagine. Yet, on this new album, lyrically Neil emerges with new clues and answers to the reasons for life itself. As an inspiration to all of us, he has weathered the storms of life, and is now a beacon of light illuminating the night so that we don’t have to crash on the rocks ahead. With Ghost Rider he tries to show us that we can run from all of life’s problems all we want, we can search the seven seas for answers, but the one thing we can’t escape is ourselves. “Peaceable Kingdom” is Neil’s response to the terrible acts of September 11th 2001. The dream of a better place, thus the “Peaceable Kingdom” is always in our hearts, mind and dreams, yet none of us do much to help build it. We often leave it for the next person, thinking it too daunting a task for but one person to achieve. We often forget that while one voice isn’t that strong, united many voices can accomplish anything. I think even though we mean well, we often forget this and let slip our responsibilities for a better world. In many ways this song expertly mixes the enchanting allure of hope with the sometimes more prevalent presence of despair. “The Stars Look Down” is an interesting song about how no matter what we decide in life, everything is already preordained for us. I really like the line: “Like the Rat in a maze who says: “Watch me choose my own direction” Are you under the illusion the path is winding your way?” All the while the stars look down upon us, as if they never change and are there throughout all our lives, our victories and our mistakes. They are the one constant thing in our lives. This is a testament to Neil’s great wit. He likes to play lyrical puzzles with the listener, he likes to ask questions and then sometimes answer them in another song. He is indeed a brilliant man. He asks us if we really believe that life is what we choose and not just the act of chance. I think this song asks the eternal question, “Why?” It’s a simple song, with an epic question. “How it is” is a clever little song about accepting defeat, and realizing how life should be, isn’t necessarily how it is. We all dream that life is something that we have control over, yet only when we lose someone dear to us do we realize it couldn’t be further from the truth. For all the bad things that happen to us in life, we have to accept the things that we cannot change and move on; otherwise we as a people stop living and start dying right then and there. It is this sudden realization that often sparks hope in people as we realize we’re not alone in this. We all feel the same pain. “Vapor Trails” as discussed in detail above. “Secret Touch” is about losing faith and then finding it within another. Becoming detached from reality and then with the help of another in an indirect way, finding not only yourself, but a higher meaning and purpose to life. A nice song of hope to all the lost souls out there who might feel there is no way out of the darkness. Look to others to help heal old wounds. When there isn’t anyone else around, look inside oneself. “Earthshine” is about looking for answers, when all along the answers are within you. It’s about acting upon ones feelings, yet never knowing if it is right or wrong. This song proves that there are really no scientific reasons for anything. Many things happen beyond our control. And once again, we are not alone. “Sweet Miracle” is one of the more touching instances of Neil’s passion for the life that he had, and how in what seemed like a moment it all came crashing down into nothing. He thought he had lost all hope. Just when it seemed that things couldn’t get worse, the life that he thought long gone sparked ever so faintly within, perhaps fuelled by a distant memory of his former self. He found the courage to build upon that spark until it roared strongly and fiercely once again. His appreciation for life grew. Hope and Salvation lie within. “Nocturne” is a journey once again into the unknown. Neil asks us to find out for ourselves if when we dream are we really dreaming or waking to another reality. “The morning says, the answer is yes” – a line taken from the song that leaves us asking ourselves, when I wake am I really awake? I must be. But am I really? Another question within a question. I believe this song more than any other on the Vapor Trails album takes us into the realms of the unknown. It’s probably just a question Neil has been asking himself, and wanted to share it with us. Do we dream? What do we really see when we dream? We may never know…but it will always haunt us. “Freeze” (part iv of “fear”) is another song about inaction. About us not knowing what we are up against until afterwards, when usually it is too late. It also touches upon the idea that we are sometimes so afraid of what we find, that we fail to act at all, hence inaction. Neil is trying to educate us based on some of his own experiences. The fact that this song deals with fear is an important one, since that emotion more than any other, drives us in the wrong direction of life. Something to think about; Something to act upon. “Out of The Cradle” is about the journey of life. In the beginning we start upon whatever road we wish to, but in the end we all come back to the same likes and dislikes. It’s about how life is a journey, not a destination. And how we always have the power to choose anything we want in life, yet seldom do. More often too many people are happy to accept whatever hand we are dealt as if it is the only choice. I think Neil is trying to leave us with a closing thought. I think he is trying to give us hope, and at the same time leave us with the hint that we will forever be the same, and there is nothing wrong with that. The cradle is endlessly rocking back and forth…for all eternity. As we grow, as we learn, as we die. As a great fan of Rush, I have faithfully followed their career for more years than I would like to admit. If you couldn’t tell by now, their latest effort, Vapor Trails has become one of my favorite albums. I think the messages that lie within this exceptional volume of words and music is an extraordinarily valuable one about life and the hopes that are out there if we look in the right places, often the answer is within us. Too many people never find these answers in life…and that truly is sad. Thankfully for us, we have these three gentlemen who have forged a true masterpiece in every sense of the word. Vapor Trails is one of the best releases of 2002 from anyone, and a tour de force from one of rock’s greatest and eternal voices, Rush. Yours, Greatsky 10/21/2002 |
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