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"Cygnus X-1"
Limited edition EP cover
Suite byRush
from the album A Farewell to Kings(Book I) Hemispheres(Book II)
Released	August 29, 1977 (1977-08-29) (Book I) October 24, 1978 (1978-10-24) (Book II)
Genre	Progressive rock[1] progressive metal[2]
Length	10:25 (Book I) 18:07 (Book II) 28:32 (both songs)
Label	Mercury
Composers	Geddy Lee Alex Lifeson Neil Peart
Lyricist	Neil Peart
Producers	Rush Terry Brown
Rush suite chronology
"2112" (1976) "Cygnus X-1" (1977–78) "La Villa Strangiato" (1978)

"Cygnus X-1" is a two-part song series byCanadianprogressive rock bandRush. The first part,"Book I: The Voyage", is the last song on the 1977 albumA Farewell to Kings, and the second part,"Book II: Hemispheres", is the first song on the following album, 1978'sHemispheres. Book I is ten minutes and twenty-five seconds long (10:25), and Book II is eighteen minutes and seven seconds (18:07).

It was released as a limited-editionextended play on April 22, 2017 forRecord Store Day.^[3]

Ablack hole, known asCygnus X-1 (a real-life X-ray source believed to be an actual black hole), lies in theconstellationCygnus. An explorer aboard the spaceshipRocinante journeys toward the black hole, believing there may be something beyond it. As he moves closer, it becomes increasingly difficult to control the ship and he is eventually drawn in by the pull of gravity. The final words of Book I describe his ordeal: "Sound and fury drown my heart/Every nerve is torn apart."

The explorer re-enters the story midway through Book II, left a wandering soul due to the destruction of his body. He has emerged into Olympus, where he witnesses the godsApollo andDionysus caught in the struggle between Mind and Heart. Prior to his arrival, the logical thinkers are led by Apollo and the emotional people are ruled by Dionysus. Apollo shows his followers how to build cities and explore the depths of science and knowledge, but a lack of emotional attachment to each other allows Dionysus to lure many of them into the wild forests, where he provides love. Dionysus' followers do not store any food for the winter, leaving them blindsided when winter arrives. A conflict breaks out as the two different ways of life clash, leading to the world splintering into hemispheres, each with a deeply unhealthy society.

When the explorer reflects on what he sees, he becomes tormented in the lack of balance of the people who insist on one extreme or the other and the violence that has ensued. His silent scream is felt by the warriors and causes them to rethink their struggle and unite. Wanting someone to keep them in check to avoid a repeat of their conflict, the gods recognize the explorer as a nascent new god and name himCygnus, the God of Balance. The final words of Book II describe a harmonious society where emotion - "the truth of love" - and logic - "the love of truth" - coexist and feed each other "in a single perfect sphere."

Although the storyline revolves around a science fiction world, it usesGreek mythology to explain the double meaning. "Cygnus X-1" is primarily about the discovery of two conflicting ways of life, and two vastly different ways in which the human mind thinks (logic andemotion are separated into separate sides, or hemispheres, of the brain). The balance point (Cygnus) allows the mind to think with some logic and emotion at the same time, allowing people to be analytical, but not unemotional.

The name of the spaceshipRocinante is derived from the name of the title character's horse in the novelDon Quixote byMiguel de Cervantes.

1. "Prologue": This starts with a dissonant electronic soundscape and spoken introduction by album producerTerry Brown. Afterwards, a heavily syncopated bass riff in shifting time signatures (3/4, 7/8, 3/4, 4/4) fades in, with the full band joining in as the introductory sound effects fade out.
2. "1": The shortest section of the song describes the black hole itself, and asks the question of what happens to someone who flies into it.
3. "2": The protagonist sails into the black hole on board his "Rocinante". This section contains awah-wah guitar solo byAlex Lifeson.
4. "3": The climactic section of Book I uses a chord sequence first heard at 3:21 in the Prologue. The lyrics describe the "Rocinante" spinning out of control, and the protagonist's body being destroyed ("every nerve is torn apart"). This section includes the highest note sung byGeddy Lee on any studio album (B♭5 at 9:27). The song fades out with a repeated chord sequence – which returns at 11:56 in Book II – along with the sound of a beating heart.^[4]

1. "Prelude": This section contains several themes heard later in the song, similar to the "Overture" in "2112".
2. "ApolloBringer of Wisdom": Apollo, the Greek god of the sun and the arts, represents the left hemisphere. 'Left-brainers' are often logical thinkers, adept at mathematics.
3. "DionysusBringer of Love": Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility, represents the right hemisphere. He stood for uninhibited desire in Nietzsche'sBirth of Tragedy andHuman, All Too Human and was the opposite of Apollo. 'Right-brainers' are less common than 'left-brainers,' and include people who are artistic and sensitive.
4. "ArmageddonThe Battle of Heart and Mind": The title is reference to the Biblical war, but in this case Apollo and Dionysus pull man in opposite directions, toward Order or Chaos, respectively. The debate between classical and romantic (Apollonian and Dionysian) cultures is ongoing. The left stereo channel switches to the right for dramatic effect when Lee sings the word 'hemispheres'.
5. "CygnusBringer of Balance": The chords played at the end ofThe Voyage return here. The explorer fromThe Voyage is frightened by the fighting and, after hearing the explorer's silent cry of terror, Apollo and Dionysus stop fighting and dub him Cygnus, god of Balance.
6. "The SphereA Kind of Dream":Jane Austen's novelSense and Sensibility may be alluded to in the last few lines of the song.^[5]

• List of songs recorded by Rush
• Cygnus X-1 (astronomical object)
• Apollonian and Dionysian

• Rush (band) songs
• 1977 songs
• 1978 songs
• Suites (music)
• Greek mythology
• Song recordings produced by Terry Brown (record producer)
• Songs written by Neil Peart
• Songs written by Geddy Lee
• Songs written by Alex Lifeson
• Record Store Day releases

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles that may contain original research from May 2008
• All articles that may contain original research
• Music infoboxes with unknown value for type
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