9/21: Rivendell

A lovely tune inspired by The Lord of the Rings.

I've traveled now for many miles.
It feels so good to see the smiles
Of friends who never left your mind
When you were far away.

If you had pick the most beautiful Rush song—not the best Rush song, or the most well-constructed, or the most technically perfected—many of us, I think, would land on “Rivendell.”

The song’s beauty lies in its simplicity. Geddy doesn’t stretch for high notes. Alex doesn’t burn up the frets. Neil doesn’t lose himself in overwrought metaphors. “Rivendell” is just a simple song, with simple lyrics, sung and played from the heart.

As such, I think it’s one of the most enduring tunes from the 70’s era discography. Recording artifacts aside, this sounds like something that Ged and Alex could pop into the studio and produce today.

When I hear “Rivendell,” I imagine The Lord of the Rings, of course. (By the way, The Hobbit was originally published on this date in 1937.) The song sounds like something Pippin might sing as the four hobbits camp in Old Forest or in the eponymous Rivendell, as bumblebees gambol about the flowers and sunlight dapples through the trees. A song he might once again sing as he watches Frodo and Bilbo and the last of the elves board the ship bound for the Grey Havens.

And now I made myself sad.