Manhattan Project (song)
| "Manhattan Project" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Rush | ||||
| from the album Power Windows | ||||
| Released | October 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:05 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriters | Neil Peart, Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee | |||
| Producers | Peter Collins and Rush | |||
| Rush singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Manhattan Project" is a 1985 song by Canadian progressive rock band Rush, named after the WWII project that created the first atomic bomb. The song appeared on Rush's eleventh studio album Power Windows in 1985. "Manhattan Project" is the third track on the album and has a run-time of 5:07.[1]
Background
Lyricist Neil Peart read "a pile of books" about the Manhattan Project before writing the lyrics so that he had a better understanding of the topic.[2] Anne Dudley was responsible for the string arrangements during the instrumental interlude. Some of the fretless bass sounds were played by Andy Richards on a synthesizer; during live renditions of the song, Lee covered these parts using a sampler.[3]
"Manhattan Project" received 51 adds to album oriented rock radio station playlists in the United States during the week ending October 25, 1985, becoming the fifth most added song in that format according to Radio & Records.[4] One month later, 63% of album oriented radio stations had included the song in their playlists.[5] The song reached No. 10 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart in January 1986.[6]
Chart performance
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[7] | 10 |
See also
References
- ^ "Power Windows | Rush.com". www.rush.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
- ^ "NEP News". Neil Peart. Archived from the original on 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
- ^ Bowman, Durrell (2011). Rush and Philosophy: Heart and Mind United. United States: Open Court Publishing Company. pp. 183–184. ISBN 978-0-8126-9716-2.
- ^ "AOR Tracks" (PDF). Radio & Records. 1985-10-25. p. 74. Retrieved 2026-03-10 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "AOR Tracks" (PDF). Radio & Records. 1985-11-29. p. 61. Retrieved 2026-03-10 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Top Rock Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 4. 1986-01-25. p. 18.
- ^ "Rush Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2026.