Chemistry

Background and Commentary

Lyrics, by all three band members, describe how humans communicate without using language. “With words such as ‘signals,’ ‘energy,’ ‘reaction,’ ‘telepathy,’ and ‘synergy,’ the lyrics describe the body language, eye contact, the symbiotic connection between musicians and the connection between musicians and their audience.”—Timothy Smolko, “What Can This Strange Device Be?” in Rush and Philosophy

“‘Chemistry’ is a song about interpersonal relationships, similar in theme to ‘Entre Nous’ . . . and serves as an interlude between the segments of the ‘Digital Man,’ ‘Analog Kid,’ and ‘New World Man’ sequence” on Signals.—Carol Selby Price and Robert Price, Mystic Rhythms

“While some might consider this song to be a drug metaphor, it alludes to the subatomic world, the microcosmos. The invisible and intangible things and laws that exist are discussed in the first part of the song, and ’emotional chemistry’ are discussed in the second.”—Robert Telleria, Merely Players

On the Moving Pictures tour, “our sound man, Jon Erickson, had been taping our soundcheck meanderings and it had proved fruitful to us. On one particular day, we will unknowingly write a whole song at once, each of us playing a different part. While Geddy plays what will become the keyboard melody for the bridge section, Alex is playing the guitar riff for the verses, and I’m playing the drumbeat for the choruses. When Alex and Geddy get together to sift through the soundcheck tapes [while working on Signals] they will find a whole song written, and will arrange it, and make a demo that will be very close to the finished song. Lyrically, this is the first time that all three of us have collaborated on the words. Geddy and Alex came up with the title and concept, wrote out a few key phrases and words they wanted to get in, then passed it along to me for organization and a little further development. When all of this is put together, we have what was probably the easiest song to write on the album.” (Stories from Signals)—Neil in Merely Players

Lyrics

Signal transmitted
Message received
Reaction making impact
Invisibly

Elemental telepathy
Exchange of energy
Reaction making contact
Mysteriously

Eye to I
Reaction burning hotter
Two to one
Reflection on the water
H to O
No flow without the other
Oh but how
Do they make contact
With one another?

Electricity? Biology?
Seems to me it’s Chemistry

Emotion transmitted
Emotion received
Music in the abstract
Positively

Elemental empathy
A change of synergy
Music making contact
Naturally

One, two, three
Add without subtraction
Sound on sound
Multiplied reaction
H to O
No flow without the other
Oh, but how
Do we make contact
With one another?

Tablature

Excerpted from Fretplay.

This song is heavily dominated by Geddy’s keyboards, but Alex retaliates with an awesome solo!

Fig. 1 (Play 2x)
——————————————————-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5——————-5–5–5–5-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5–9–7———-7–5–5–5–5-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5——-10–9-10—-5–5–5–5-|
-5–5–5–5–3–3–3–3——————-3–3–3–3–|
——————————————————–|

Fig. 2 (Play 2x)
Second time includes overdub:
——————————————————-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5——————-5–5–5–5-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5——————-5–5–5–5-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5——————-5–5–5–5-|
-5–5–5–5–3–3–3–3–7–5———7—3–3–3–3-|
——————————–8–7-8——————-|

Approximation of overdub- w/delay _
–13-12———-13-12———13-12–13-12———-13-12-13–|
——–15-13-12——15-13-12——15——15-13-12———–|
——————————————————————|
——————————————————————|
——————————————————————|
——————————————————————|

Fig. 3 (2x) Approximation
—–
D DD D CCC D CDC
CD D DDC D D\C
GG G FF A F
D DD D D\C/ E# E# E# E#

Fig. 4 (10x)
—–
D D D D

Fig. 2 (2x) Second time with overdub
Fig. 3 (2x)
Fig. 4 (10x)

Pre-solo— *Solo
—————————————————————-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5—————————————-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5——————————–/12-10-|
-7–7–7–7–5–5–5–5————————–12-10\——-|
-5–5–5–5–3–3–3–3–7–5———7—-/10-8————–|
——————————–8–7-8—-8\——————-|

[——A.H.——]
———15——–13-12—————|
–15-13—–13~\———15-13——–|
——————————–12~\—|
—————————————-|
—————————————-|
—————————————-|

For complete tab, go to Fretplay.