Coverstory: Permanent Waves

Permanent Waves - by Rush, 1980, Anthem Records/Mercury Records

In an era of our culture intimate with the ideas of apocalypse, with droves of everyday Americans flocking to see movies based upon the destruction that could be wrought upon the world by global warming, zombies, or the year 2012, I find it interesting to look back and note a relative acceptance of the idea of the world ending.

The principle of this cover, a woman standing calmly as the world around her is destroyed by the wrath Poseidon hath wrought, seems to be a tip of the hat to this attitude. Perhaps it is even more appropriate that the nod to the Marilyn Monroe skirt-blowing is included and the black-and-white scheme prevails, alluding to the nineteen-fifties and the culture of acceptance that a nuclear war could end all traces of the world in an instant, an unsettling yet oddly accepted notion.

It is said that ignorance is bliss, but I feel that it should be more along the lines that acceptance is bliss. By acknowledging what could happen if the world dissolved into chaos, we hold on to the belief that it could never actually be that bad, that it won't happen to us, that since its happening in the movies, it can't happen in real life.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer and say that the Mayans were right, and truly I believe the opposite, I just think that disaster really is a part of our lives, and we have to work with it. In all reality, by accepting that disaster is going to happen, and that we can get past it, we are showing the true spirit of optimism.

But anyways, back to the album:

Beyond the basic themes, there are a few other interesting tidbits to this design that I want to mention. Perhaps most entertaining is the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline on the newspaper. Providing a reason for the world's end, mayhaps? In addition, Hugh Syme, the graphic artist who has worked with Rush on their album covers for many years, appears as the man dancing in the background. Lastly, it may be noted that the band member's names appear on billboards in the background. This is actually an afterthought, as a Coca-Cola ad was originally included, but a copyright dispute led to the final design.

Though Rush may have ultimately been referring to the airwaves, I can't help but feel that the permanence of destruction in our lives stands as an added metaphor of Permanent Waves.