Rush's most celebrated instrumental, named after the IATA airport code for Toronto Pearson International Airport. The opening rhythm is the Morse code signal for Y-Y-Z (-.--/-.--/--..), which plays over the airport's VOR beacon — a sound the band heard every time they flew home. Peart and Lee composed the music together, making it one of the rare Rush instrumentals not co-written by Lifeson.
The track is a showcase of virtuosity that never descends into mere showing off — the complex time signatures and lightning-fast passages serve the music's energy and momentum. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, Rush's first Grammy nomination.
"YYZ" became one of the band's most iconic live pieces and a highlight of every concert. At the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts in 2022, Lee and Lifeson performed it with Tool's Danny Carey on drums — Hawkins had called it his favorite Rush song. For musicians, it remains one of the ultimate tests of ensemble playing in rock music.