The song that makes Geddy Lee cry
Geddy Lee, the vocalist, bassist and keyboard whizz of prog masters Rush, has a wide-reaching music taste, with his record collection featuring some of the most prominent acts of his era, as well more contemporary, cultish artists.
One band that Geddy Lee has never been scared to effuse about is English prog-rock pioneers Yes, who proved to be a significant inspiration for Rush in their formative years. In fact, the group’s original frontman, Jon Anderson, is the Rush vocalist’s favourite singer of all time. Whilst Yes have had various singers over the years, to Lee, all pale compared to the band’s first focal point.
“The first time Yes came to Toronto, my friend Oscar and Alex and myself, we lined up at Maple Leaf Gardens all night to get tickets, and we ended up with second-row seats,” Lee once told Rolling Stone. “I’ll never forget that. We drove out. I think it was that same week, they were also playing in Kitchener, Ontario, and saw them out there as well. They still are the only band I’ve lined up all night to see!”
Furthermore, when speaking to Classic Rock in 2020, Lee described what it was about Anderson’s voice that attracted him to Yes and made him want to emulate him. He said: “Jon Anderson had such a clear, beautiful voice that could be rock when it needed to be. (Also) soulful when it needed to be. As a young aspiring musician, I wanted to sing like that.”
Given that Geddy Lee has spoken so extensively about Yes during his time in the limelight – no pun intended – there’s no surprise that when it comes to the song that makes him cry, it’s a Yes number. The track is ‘And You and I’, the second effort from the 1972 album Close to the Edge. This ten-minute odyssey features what has long been hailed as the finest lineup of the band; Jon Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, keyboardist Rick Wakeman and drummer Bill Bruford.
Asked to name the song that makes him weep when speaking to Classic Rock in the same 2020 piece, Geddy Lee revealed that it was this classic song by the English prog pioneers. Explaining that it’s a “combination” of nostalgia and sonic magnificence that forces his tears ducts open, he said: “‘And You and I’ by Yes is so beautiful, especially when I listen to it now. The combination of nostalgia and pure sonic beauty is pretty moving.”
Listen to ‘And You And I’ by Yes below.
