Even if you are not a particular fan of Canadian rock band Rush, if you listen to rock music you probably immediately recognized Rush’s ‘Working Man‘ when it showed up on the new season of Fargo this week — Fargo, Season 5, Episode 2, “Trials and Tribulations” — as Roy is relaxing in his hot tub.
The track begins on Fargo as we hear that cool guitar riff as the FBI agents are driving onto Roy’s property, followed by those amazing Robert Plant-style vocals sung by band lead singer Geddy Lee.
The track ends as the FBI agents disturb Roy in his hot tub.
Rush’s ‘Working Man’ is one of fans’ most-loved songs
Any Rush fan will tell you, ‘Working Man‘ was the track that put the then relatively unknown band on the track to superstardom.
That’s because the guitar-laden song was released as one of the tracks on the band’s self-titled debut album, which came out in early 1974 on the Anthem and Mercury record labels.
But wait.
Its appearance on that album was not the first time ‘Working Man’ had been released, or what helped the band become famous.
That happened earlier while Rush was still an unknown band.
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Instead, ‘Working Man‘ became a thing in Rush band lore when a DJ in Cleveland, Ohio played the song on her radio show and it grabbed the attention of her largely working class audience who began to request it in subsequent shows.
Due to those listeners’ reaction to the rock track, it helped the band sign a record deal with a major label.
That is also why you will still today see the DJ’s name — Donna Halper — listed in the notes on Rush’s first two albums, with the band’s gratitude for what she did for them.
‘Working Man‘ then went on to become known for its superb guitar solo, singer Geddy Lee’s vocals, and that it became one of Rush fans most popular songs to hear during live performances.
Watch one of those performances down below and, when that masterful guitar solo from guitarist Alex Lifeson begins, you will quickly see why.
Nowadays, decades after the initial release of ‘Working Man‘, and there are still only a handful of rock songs with a combination of guitar skills like that accompanied by similarly outstanding lead vocals.
Listen to Rush’s ‘Working Man‘ as heard on the second episode of the latest season of Fargo in the video, and via the band’s debut album on Spotify.
Rush’s live performance of ‘Working Man‘ below is one that was filmed in Germany in 2004 from guys who have performed that song for 30 years, and still sound like that.