Hold Your Fire is the twelfth studio album by Canadian progressive rock band Rush, released on September 8, 1987.

'Til Tuesday bassist and vocalist Aimee Mann contributed vocals to "Time Stand Still" and appeared in the Zbigniew Rybczyński-directed video.

Meanwhile, Geddy Lee started to compose on his keyboard setup controlled on a Macintosh computer using software called Digital Performer,[7][8] which would be useful for both the writing and production stages, and Alex Lifeson was doing experimental tapes at home.

However, after writing lyrics for the first song he wrote, "Time Stand Still", Peart started to create more material that would turn the theme into "Instinct,"[8] which was the reason for titling the album Hold Your Fire.

[9] In an afternoon later that month, Peart and Lee together showed what they had been working on, and also discussed a few lyrical ideas they weren't able to write on paper, which would be included in "Mission," "Open Secrets" and "Turn the Page.

According to Peart, Lifeson's tapes "would yield some good parts for several songs" and Lee's soundcheck jams were "sorted and labeled as potential verses, bridges, choruses or instrumental bits, and thus they served as a reference library of spontaneous ideas that could be drawn upon at will."

We were aware of the fact that only a small percentage of people actually buy records anymore, the vast majority choosing cassettes or CDs.

[6] On February 7, the band went to Ridge Farm Studio for Andy Richards to perform additional dynamic keyboards and exciting "events," as well as put all recorded instrument tracks into a digital machine.

[8] The band headed off to AIR Montserrat on March 1 to start producing guitar overdubs,[8][9] and later to McClear Place Studios in Toronto three weeks later to finish the overdubs, record orchestral arrangements by Steve Margoshes for "High Water," "Mission" and "Second Nature," and track additional voice parts, such as Aimee Mann's vocals for "Time Stand Still" and "Prime Mover," and gospel choir.

[5] Although Hold Your Fire was certified gold in the United States shortly after its release, it failed to reach platinum status according to the RIAA, becoming the first Rush studio album to not do so since 1975's Caress of Steel.

Luke Henson of The PROG Mind touted its "lush, warm production", "profound lyrics dealing with age, the natural world, optimism, cynicism, and enjoying life", and "fabulous bass work".

[4] Hold Your Fire was remastered again in 2011 by Andy VanDette for the "Sector" box sets, which re-released all of Rush's Mercury-era albums.