One Little Victory

The album opener is a declaration of survival. Peart's thunderous double-bass drumming hits like a statement of intent — life is brutal, but he's moving forward. The rapid-fire drums and Lifeson's aggressive guitar riff make it the heaviest Rush opener since "Animate." Lee persuaded Peart to move his short drum solo from the end to the beginning, creating one of Rush's most dramatic album openings.

The lyrics celebrate small triumphs over despair — finding reasons to keep going one day at a time. It's impossible to separate the song from the context of what Peart endured. "Celebrate the moment as it turns into one more / Another chance at victory, another chance to score."

"One Little Victory" reached #10 on the Mainstream Rock chart and was later remixed for Retrospective III — the positive reaction to that remix helped convince the band to remix the entire album.