I realized something about Never Enough

[Adami]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

This. And I've seen it live enough times now to last the rest of my life.

What's wrong with Panic Attack? I like the Muse vibe it has.

I honestly will have a hard time actually quantifying what I don't like about panic attack. The riffs are fine, the vocals are fine, the drums are fine. But the song is just....boring. I dunno why. It just lacks any energy at all to me. And it's pretty built on the premise of being a heavy exciting song. I get nothing at all out of it. Not sure why. Hell it might even be the production (though the live versions I've heard were even more boring).

[juice]

I always thought the unison was pretty sweet.

The rest of the song is pretty sweet as well.

[Mladen]

Never enough is a fantastic song. And the lyrics are great as well, if you think of them in a different way.

You know when people are ungrateful to you even though you tried your best to help them, and deep inside you know that they wouldn't be able to do that something without you being around? Yeah, that's what I like to thing what the words are about. It's better that way.

[KevShmev]

That song has always been one of my favorites and I've never had a problem with the lyrics. Probably a big reason why is because having been connected to MP, I have seen some of the crap he's had to deal with (which I'm sure is only a fraction of what he's faced over the years) and I can't say I blame him for unloading in those lyrics. Maybe not as eloquent as other lyrics, but the message is put across. And as has been stated previously, this isn't a message to the general fanbase (unlike a song like Limelight from Rush), but rather directed to a small percentage of those who griped at anything and everything MP/DT did.

Scott, you make a great point citing the difference between Never Enough and Limelight. Rush wasn't always this happy fan friendly band that they appear to be nowadays. They had always come accross as one of the most insulated bands out there.

Except that "Limelight" isn't a message to the general fan base; it is simply a take on how isolated one can feel by living in the limelight and how it isn't always what it is cracked up to be.

[lithium112]

Except that "Limelight" isn't a message to the general fan base; it is simply a take on how isolated one can feel by living in the limelight and how it isn't always what it is cracked up to be.

And neither is Never Enough.

[LCArenas]

Am I the only one who enjoys Octavarium all the way through?

No, here I am.

[TAC]

That song has always been one of my favorites and I've never had a problem with the lyrics. Probably a big reason why is because having been connected to MP, I have seen some of the crap he's had to deal with (which I'm sure is only a fraction of what he's faced over the years) and I can't say I blame him for unloading in those lyrics. Maybe not as eloquent as other lyrics, but the message is put across. And as has been stated previously, this isn't a message to the general fanbase (unlike a song like Limelight from Rush), but rather directed to a small percentage of those who griped at anything and everything MP/DT did.

Scott, you make a great point citing the difference between Never Enough and Limelight. Rush wasn't always this happy fan friendly band that they appear to be nowadays. They had always come accross as one of the most insulated bands out there.

Except that "Limelight" isn't a message to the general fan base; it is simply a take on how isolated one can feel by living in the limelight and how it isn't always what it is cracked up to be.

"I can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend"
True perhaps, but back in the 80's Rush really came off as smug. They just did. This band could not pretend to enjoy themselves for the sake of the show.
Rush to me is a great enigma and this is one of the reasons why.

[wolfking]

Does no one think that Never Enough is a direct ripoff of Stockholm Syndrome.

[Adami]

Does no one think that Never Enough is a direct ripoff of Stockholm Syndrome.

It's a very obvious homage. Not a direct ripoff.

[Sigz]

I never got the hate for Never Enough. Damn good song.

[wolfking]

Does no one think that Never Enough is a direct ripoff of Stockholm Syndrome.

It's a very obvious homage. Not a direct ripoff.

Maybe, but it's borderline IMO.

[TL]

Musically, I've always liked Never Enough and Panic Attack. Lyrically, some parts of NE aren't great, but it's not enough to ruin it for me.

[Birch Boy]

Both great songs.

[Occasional_Madman]

I've just recently started to notice this song. It's great, not the best on Octavarium, though. That unison is a pain in the ass to learn.

[wolfking]

That unison is a pain in the ass to learn.

You know you can say that about most DT songs?

[hefdaddy42]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

This. And I've seen it live enough times now to last the rest of my life.

What's wrong with Panic Attack? I like the Muse vibe it has.

I honestly will have a hard time actually quantifying what I don't like about panic attack. The riffs are fine, the vocals are fine, the drums are fine. But the song is just....boring. I dunno why. It just lacks any energy at all to me. And it's pretty built on the premise of being a heavy exciting song. I get nothing at all out of it. Not sure why. Hell it might even be the production (though the live versions I've heard were even more boring).

I understand.  I've always felt pretty much exactly the same way about that song.

[gilpdawg]

I don't mind it except I don't like the vocal melody in the chorus. I don't like the way James holds those long notes. Sounds weird to my ears, like it doesn't fit.

[Ħ]

Panic Attack is a well-written song.  Dislike the riffage, that's fine.  But there's nothing wrong with it.  It's crisp.

On the other hand, Never Enough is not crisp.  Listening to Never Enough is like drinking bitter coffee...it's offputting and bland, there's nothing interesting about it, and it leaves a terrible aftertaste.  Also, it can burn your tongue, and then you can't enjoy a caramel macchiato or a double chocolate chip frappaccino  as much as you would originally be able to.

Never Enough is easily in the bottom 10 for me.

[LudwigVan]

This is why I NEVER skip tracks on an album I'm listening to.  You never really know when the music will hit you. 

[KevShmev]

"I can't pretend a stranger is a long awaited friend"
True perhaps, but back in the 80's Rush really came off as smug. They just did. This band could not pretend to enjoy themselves for the sake of the show.
Rush to me is a great enigma and this is one of the reasons why.

Huh?  I have all of the band's official video releases from the 80s, and they look like they are having a blast on all of them, so I don't know what you are talking about.

Also, that line from "Limelight" is, right or wrong, Neil Peart's way of saying that he can't pretend to be all excited when some random fan sees him on the street, and greets and talks to him like they were best friends years ago.  And I personally see where is coming from.

[Perpetual Change]

I don't think Rush come across as smug now, but I remember that scene from Beyond the Lighted Stage where they're in the studio working on Permanent Waves and Geddy's like, "a lot of bands have gone back to doing simple four-chord rockers. Well that's all they ever could do, but anyway..."

I love Rush, but I do think they've always tried to sell themselves on a *technical* level as much better than they actually are. Which is a shame, because I don't think anyone listens to them for their "chops" at least not anymore.

[LudwigVan]

I don't think Rush come across as smug now, but I remember that scene from Beyond the Lighted Stage where they're in the studio working on Permanent Waves and Geddy's like, "a lot of bands have gone back to doing simple four-chord rockers. Well that's all they ever could do, but anyway..."

heh, Geddy the prog snob 

[KevShmev]

Eh, I'll bet a lot of people still go nutty over their chops (especially Peart's).  I think, for many who consider Rush prog, they were different than any other prog band of the 70s.  Bands like Yes, ELP, Genesis, etc. were strictly rock, and often had excessive song arrangements and lengths. For those who liked to just rock, Rush was like a hard rock band that had the chops of those prog bands, but rarely went completely overboard with the song lengths, which is probably a huge reason why they got so popular in the late 70s/early 80s, a time period where many prog bands either died off or change their sound for whatever reason.  

[Dream Team]

I never had the problem with Never Enough that most others seem to have. Panic Attack is the song I always skip.

This. And I've seen it live enough times now to last the rest of my life.

What's wrong with Panic Attack? I like the Muse vibe it has.

I honestly will have a hard time actually quantifying what I don't like about panic attack. The riffs are fine, the vocals are fine, the drums are fine. But the song is just....boring. I dunno why. It just lacks any energy at all to me. And it's pretty built on the premise of being a heavy exciting song. I get nothing at all out of it. Not sure why. Hell it might even be the production (though the live versions I've heard were even more boring).

I understand.  I've always felt pretty much exactly the same way about that song.

As I get older, I find myself wanting good melodies more and more, and PA just lacks in that area. There is quite a bit of good stuff in it, but not enough to make it a top song for me. To me, it'll always be "that song DT used to get popular with the Guitar Hero kids."