A Passage to Bangkok

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A Passage to Bangkok - Wikipedia

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"A Passage to Bangkok"
Song by Rush
from the album 2112
Released	March 1976^[1]
Genre	Hard rock^[2] progressive rock
Length	3:34
Label	Anthem
Composer(s)	Geddy Lee Alex Lifeson
Lyricist(s)	Neil Peart
Producer(s)	Rush Terry Brown

Lyric video
"A Passage to Bangkok" on YouTube

"A Passage to Bangkok" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, released in March 1976 by Anthem Records. The song appears on the band's fourth studio album 2112 (1976).^[3] With the album's title track comprising the first half of the record, "A Passage to Bangkok" opens the second side of the album (on the original LP and audio cassette).

Composition

The song is in the key of E minor and is played in 4/4 time.^[4]^[5]

Guitarist Alex Lifeson said in 2009 that the Led Zeppelin song "Kashmir" inspired "A Passage to Bangkok".^[6]

Lyrics

The song's lyrics, written by drummer Neil Peart, are widely interpreted as describing drug tourism, specifically cannabis.^[7] The lyrics employ innuendo, eschewing naming any actual drugs. The song describes visiting Colombia, Mexico, Jamaica, Morocco, Thailand, Afghanistan, "golden Acapulco nights"^[8] (a reference to Acapulco Gold), Nepal, and Lebanon. Mention is made of "smoke rings", "pipe dreams", various fragrances, and welcoming natives who "pass along" their unspecified "yield".

Lifeson said:

This piece is about a fun little journey to all the good places you could go to have a puff. We thought it would be kind of fun to write a song about that, and Neil did it in a very eloquent way, I think. That song was probably written in a farmhouse, on an acoustic guitar, in front of a little cassette player of some sort. We would record like that and then go down in the basement and rehearse it.^[9]

In the documentary Classic Albums Presents the Making of 2112 & Moving Pictures (2010), Peart states the intent was to be "light in tone and write some funny songs" when discussing "A Passage to Bangkok". In the film, Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, Rush producer Terry Brown, and Peart explain and demonstrate the subtleties in the song that make it a tongue-in-cheek reference to drug use in the 1970s.^[10]

Reception

Ultimate Classic Rock ranked "A Passage to Bangkok" number 16 on their list of "All 167 Rush Songs Ranked Worst to Best", writing that it is "one of the sharpest vocal melodies the band wrote pre-1980, and it's a load of fun as a lyric".^[11] They thought it was the best song on 2112.^[12]

Greg Prato of AllMusic chose "A Passage to Bangkok" as one of the album's highlights.^[13]

Personnel

Geddy Lee – vocals, bass
Alex Lifeson – lead and rhythm guitars
Neil Peart – drums

References

^ Lee, Geddy (2023). My Effin' Life (1st ed.). HarperCollins. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-06-315941-9.
^ Thoroddsen, Arnar Eggert (2005). "Rush - 2112". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 362.
^ "2112 | Rush.com". Retrieved 2021-11-19.
^ Geddy, Lee; Alex, Lifeson; Rush; Neil, Peart (7 January 2008). "A Passage To Bangkok". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ "A Passage To Bangkok by Rush - BPM - Key - Find Song Tempo". Findsongtempo.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ "A Passage To Bangkok by Rush". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ Steve, Elliott (26 June 2011). The Little Black Book of Marijuana: The Essential Guide to the World of Cannabis. Peter Pauper Press, Inc. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4413-0726-2.
^ Barrett, Grant (23 May 2006). The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English. McGraw Hill Professional. p. 173. ISBN 978-0-07-149163-1.
^ "A Passage to Bangkok". Rushvault.com. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
^ "ALL 167 RUSH SONGS RANKED WORST TO BEST". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
^ "The Best Song From Every Rush Album". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
^ Prato, Greg. "2112 – Rush". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-20.

v t e Rush
Jeff Jones Alex Lifeson John Rutsey Geddy Lee Neil Peart
Studio albums	Rush (1974) Fly by Night (1975) Caress of Steel (1975) 2112 (1976) A Farewell to Kings (1977) Hemispheres (1978) Permanent Waves (1980) Moving Pictures (1981) Signals (1982) Grace Under Pressure (1984) Power Windows (1985) Hold Your Fire (1987) Presto (1989) Roll the Bones (1991) Counterparts (1993) Test for Echo (1996) Vapor Trails (2002) Snakes & Arrows (2007) Clockwork Angels (2012)
Live albums	All the World's a Stage (1976) Exit... Stage Left (1981) A Show of Hands (1989) Different Stages (1998) Rush in Rio (2003) R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Snakes & Arrows Live (2008) Grace Under Pressure Tour (2009) Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013) R40 Live (2015)
Live videos	Exit... Stage Left (1982) Grace Under Pressure Tour (1986) A Show of Hands (1989) Rush in Rio (2003) R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Rush Replay X 3 (2006) Snakes & Arrows Live (2008) Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland (2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2013) R40 Live (2015)
Compilations	Rush Through Time (1979) Chronicles (1990) Retrospective I (1997) Retrospective II (1997) The Spirit of Radio: Greatest Hits 1974–1987 (2003) Gold (2006) Retrospective III: 1989–2008 (2009) Working Men (2009)
Video compilations	Through the Camera Eye (1985) Chronicles (1990)
Box sets	The Studio Albums 1989–2007 (2013)
Extended plays	Feedback (2004) Cygnus X-1 (2017)
Singles	"In the Mood" "Fly by Night" "Lakeside Park" "The Twilight Zone" "Closer to the Heart" "Circumstances" "The Trees" "The Spirit of Radio" "Entre Nous" "Limelight" "Tom Sawyer" "Vital Signs" "New World Man" "Subdivisions" "Countdown" "Red Sector A" "Afterimage" "The Big Money" "Mystic Rhythms" "Time Stand Still" "Show Don't Tell" "The Pass" "Dreamline" "Roll the Bones" "Ghost of a Chance" "Stick It Out" "Nobody's Hero" "Test for Echo" "Half the World" "Driven" "One Little Victory" "Secret Touch" "Summertime Blues" "Far Cry" "Spindrift" "Caravan" "Headlong Flight"
Other songs	"Working Man" "2112" "A Passage to Bangkok" "Tears" "Xanadu" "Freewill" "Red Barchetta" "YYZ" "Witch Hunt" "The Analog Kid" "Between the Wheels" "Red Lenses" "Marathon" "Manhattan Project" "Force Ten" "Mission" "Lock and Key" "Heresy" "Animate" "Cold Fire" "The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)"
Tours	Hemispheres Tour (1978–1979) Moving Pictures Tour (1980–1981) Exit... Stage Left Tour (1981) Power Windows Tour (1985–1986) Presto Tour (1990) Roll the Bones Tour (1991–1992) Counterparts Tour (1994) Test for Echo Tour (1996–1997) Snakes & Arrows Tour (2007–2008) Time Machine Tour (2010–2011) Clockwork Angels Tour (2012–2013) R40 Live Tour (2015)
Related articles	Discography Songs Awards Instrumentals Victor My Favourite Headache A Work in Progress Anatomy of a Drum Solo Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road Hugh Syme Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Working Man – A Tribute to Rush
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