5/24: Lakeside Park

Or three 20-somethings get nostalgic about their childhoods.

Days of barefoot freedom, racing with the waves,
Nights of starlit secrets, crackling driftwood flames,
Drinking by the lighthouse, smoking on the pier,
Still we saw the magic was fading every year.

Trivia time! Only two Rush songs mention specific dates, and they both appear on this record, Caress of Steel.

The first is fairly obvious: “Bastille Day,” the holiday which memorializes the storming of the Bastille prison. (Guess what day I’ve scheduled that song.)

The second is “Lakeside Park,” which mentions watching fireworks at the park on the 24th of May, which likely means Victoria Day:

Everyone would gather on the 24th of May
Sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display
Dancing fires on the beach, singing songs together
Though it's just a memory, some memories last forever

“Lakeside Park” is a sweet amuse bouche of nostalgia, one that’s a little dissonant coming from three twenty-somethings. What on earth do these youngsters have to feel sappy about? They’re barely out of zit cream.

I get why they included this song on the album, though. Caress of Steel needed something softer to balance out the raw horror of “Bastille Day” and the two epic-length prog anthems, “The Fountain of Lamneth” and “The Necromancer.” “I Think I’m Going Bald” is funny, but sweetness provides another necessary ballast.

“Lakeside Park” isn’t one of their knock-out songs, but it’s got the same vibe as the tunes from Fly By Night. I consider this a good beer-and-barbecue jam. It’s got a pleasant hook, it’s not too obtrusive, and it’s over before it can overstay its welcome.