Second Nature (Rush song)

"Second Nature" is the fourth track of Canadian rock band Rush's twelfth studio album Hold Your Fire (1987), released on September 8, 1987 by Anthem Records.

[11] Cultural musicologist Durrell Bowman interpreted both it and "Prime Mover" to be meta on Hold Your Fire's dependence on electronic music production techniques, emphasized by the absence of a guitar solo.

[15][14]: 9–10  Following the general album's theme of instinctual drive, "Second Nature" is also about man's requirement to habituate their moral virtue, a concept from Greek philosopher Aristotle's perspectives on the subject.

[18][19] While Greg Pratt perceived a critique of modern capitalism, Robert Freedman thought Peart did not discourage the profit motive while requesting leaders to take in the big picture.

"[20][21] Anand Agneshwar noticed the theme of Peart's reluctant downfall from "rock's bastion of human perfection" presented in the line in his review for the Press & Sun-Bulletin.

[16] A difference is that it is based on Ancient Greek philosophy and Henry David Thoreau instead of American classical liberalism expressed by the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

[19][23][24][25] Upon release, Circus recommended "Second Nature" along with "Force Ten" and "High Water" for songs on Hold Your Fire that sound like their "vintage" work.

[7][29] Thrillist ranked "Second Nature" the 156th best Rush song out of 1987, where Jordan Hoffman compared it to Pete Townshend's 1980s solo albums, and Ultimate Classic Rock 146 out of 167.

[29] Episcopal Church prelate Mark Hollingsworth quoted the chorus and second verse of "Second Nature" in his book Embracing the Gray: A Wing, a Prayer, and a Doubter's Resolve (2023).

[13] Pratt humorously wrote the song was set "to the backdrop of more tinkers and totters and keyboard plinks that just sound totally great, and serve as a convenient wakeup call to Lifeson who... nope, he doesn't wake up".