The Body Electric

by

Rush

Album: Grace Under Pressure      Released: 1984

UK Chart: 56

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This is based on Twilight Zone episode #100 - "I Sing the Body Electric." The episode originally aired in 1962. It's about a family who orders a robot "Grandmother" after the death of their young mother. Written by Ray Bradbury, the name came from a Walt Whitman poem. The story was later included in a short stories collection with the same title in 1969.

Some believe the song was inspired by the movie THX 1138, one of the first films made by Star Wars creator George Lucas. (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, Washington, for above 2)

The song describes a robot who struggles to break free of the hegemony of the robots' social structure. The chorus repeats several times:
one-zero-zero-one-zero-zero-one SOS
one-zero-zero-one-zero-zero-one In Distress
1001001 is ASCII code for the letter 'I.' This could indicate the robot's motivation for escape - it's attainment of self-awareness. (thanks, Michael - Torrance, CA)

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Comments:

When I first heard this song I thought of my Algebra class; the formula for the Identity Matrix is: 1 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 0 1 Since the song refers to an android with an Identity Crisis.... The binary code explanation makes more sense to me now though.
- jimmy, houston, TX

Zach, Geddy was born in '54, i think, and that's way after the jewish holocaust, at least it's enough time for Geddy's father to conceive him. I think that neil emphasized more in a dystopic future than in biographic tellings while writing down those lyrics for P/G, though I believe there's some background concerning Geddy's personal accounts.
- Manu, Buenos Aires, Argentina

this song and video was featured in a movie from back in the 80's, it was a movie about some young music lovers and I think one of them worked for a either a radio or tv station and they played music, I can't remember much more than that but would like to know the name of the movie if anyone knows. Thanks!
- Dave, Coal Valley, IL

Actually I would venture to believe that the song might be loosely based on Walt Whitman's poem "I Sing the Body Electric" from his 1855 collection; which most likely influenced the Twilight Zone episode. All of which in many ways may have been influenced in part by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; food for thought.
- Joanna, Portales, NM

Also the code being referenced in the song 1001001 (the binary code for "I") could also find it's roots from the "I" in Issac Asimov's series "I,Robot" which coincidentally, also finds its root in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein."
- Joanna, Portales, NM

Morse Code: . = 1 - = 0 e = . g = --. 1001001 = .--.--. = egg The inner sleeve (I have the vinyl LP) has a picture of an egg in a c-clamp. Did anyone else come to this conclusion?
- Marr, Toronto, Canada

The drums here, in the beginning of the song, are awesome!
- Jesse, L.A., CA

Although Joe makes a good point, I have to disagree with the paternal thing. After I surfed around a bit, I discovered that Neil wrote the lyrics for Red Sector A after hearing Geddy talk about how his mother survived the Holocaust. Although it would seem obvious that since his father did not, the song would be about him, I don't think it is. I believe the song is about his mother's suffering, and how she dealt with her husband's death. Then again, I could be completely wrong about that. For all I know, Geddy's father could have survived the Holocaust, and lived a happy life with his family. It's been awhile since I saw the article, and my memory about it is a bit foggy.
- Zachary, Baxter, Canada

The binary 1001001 in decimal is 73. 1973 is the year Rush recorded their first album.
- Paul, Williamstown, MA

In contrast to "Red Sector A" (also on Grace Under Pressure), which seems to deal with someone crying out to a missing paternal figure, this song has the main character of the story, a robot, crying out to the "mother of all machines," the feminine. I've always viewed this song as an allegory for how some people live their lives as automatons, going through a daily routine without significant deviation. The robot's cry to a maternal figure is a cry for the emotional and intuitive aspects of intelligence that differentiate a lifeform from a machine.
- Joe, Allston, MA

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