The Trees

4.7/5.0: i'm biased as hell, but this song is amazing.

Rush. Being a total Rush fan-boy, I was bound to mention them in an article sometime, and well, here we are. From their initial major label debut in 1974, Rush, to this year’s release more than three decades later, they have run the complete gamut in terms of popular progressive rock. Starting off as nothing more than a Zeppelin spin-off group, Rush dropped drummer John Rutsey from the lineup after their first release and added soon-to-be famous percussion virtuoso Neil Peart for their second, Caress of Steel. By the time their sixth album, Hemispheres, hit shelves in 1978, the Canadian power trio was in full rocking form, fascinating musicians and nerds everywhere with their quirky mix of fantastic musicianship and powerful lyrics (and Geddy Lee’s love-it-or-hate-it falsetto shriek).

“The Trees” is the third of four tracks on the disc. Entering with a beautifully simple acoustic introduction by guitarist Alex Lifeson followed by a brief verse softly spoken by Geddy, “The Trees” quickly turns into a rocker when Neil Peart joins the fray and Lifeson’s acoustic morphs into a characteristic electric (if you can’t tell an Alex Lifeson chord you haven’t listened to classic rock), following the vocal melody over a simple chord progression. Don’t let the absurd opening line, “There is trouble in the forest,” fool you. Lyricist Peart is onto a serious topic, here. The maples, trees in a forest, feel oppressed by the height of their oppressors, the oaks, who are stealing all of the sun’s light for themselves. Intriguing, no? After the scene is fully set, an atmospheric instrumental is lead by Lifeson’s soft guitar picking and then trades off lead to Geddy Lee’s melodic bass. This respite naturally morphs into a guitar solo and then into a strong climactic chord progression, after which the final verse is sung:

"So the maples formed a union
And demanded equal rights
'The oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us light'
Now there's no more oak oppression
For they passed a noble law
And the trees are all kept equal
By hatchet, axe and saw."