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Song · Rush

“Working Man” by Rush

From the album Rush (1974)

“Working Man” by Rush appears on 71 radio countdowns from 25 stations between 1990 and 2026. It was first released in 1974 on the album Rush. Its best result is #4 on the KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,561 indie & aaa song of all time and #434 of the '70s.

71countdowns
25stations
#4best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1990–2026years charted

Watch

Working Man

Video from YouTube (Rush - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Working Man" is the grinding, blue-collar heart of Rush's self-titled 1974 album, released on Moon Records and produced by the band themselves: Geddy Lee on bass and lead vocals, Alex Lifeson on guitar, John Rutsey on drums. Lee and Lifeson wrote it, and it hits like a factory shift, a heavy, clanking riff, Lee's piercing howl and a Lifeson solo that later landed on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos list.

Cleveland made it matter. Donna Halper, a DJ and music director at WMMS, put it on the air, the working-class town ate it up, and the response won Rush a record deal; the band returned the favor with a special thank-you and put her name on the dedication of each of their first two records. Lee has called it his favorite song to play live, and an unreleased master with a different solo later surfaced in Rock Band and sold on iTunes as "Working Man (Vault Edition)".

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1990 64 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1994 4 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 25 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 20 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 365 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 40 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 52 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 297 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 362 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2010 137 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 135 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 837 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 875 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 355 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 39 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 641 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 674 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 614 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 480 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 482 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 405 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2016 688 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 224 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 228 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 307 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2017 218 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 152 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2018 274 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 458 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 162 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 366 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 947 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 427 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2020 396 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 119 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 449 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 480 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 426 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 853 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 320 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 427 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 444 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 288 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2022 435 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 96 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 497 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 317 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 265 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 147 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 793 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2023 118 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 279 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 86 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 287 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 404 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 91 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 597 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2024 286 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 295 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 90 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 370 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 461 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 206 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 357 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 202 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 302 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 90 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 508 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 365 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 149 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 419 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

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