Countdown

Written after the band members witnessed the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981 — the very first shuttle launch. They were invited guests at Cape Canaveral and the experience clearly left a deep impression. The song incorporates actual NASA mission control audio into its arrangement.

Peart's lyrics capture the awe, tension, and overwhelming sensory experience of watching a shuttle launch from close range — the ground shaking, the blinding light, the visceral power of human achievement. It's one of his most purely descriptive and experiential songs.

The track closes the album on an optimistic, forward-looking note that contrasts with the more introspective and anxious tone of much of Signals. It served as a reminder that despite Rush's increasingly electronic sound, their sense of wonder about the universe remained intact.