Rush is a Band

A blog devoted to RUSH:
Neil Peart, Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson

Thu, Mar 28, 2024

Rush sighting in VISA commercial

Wed, Nov 8, 2006@10:30AM | comments removed/disabled


UPDATE - 11/15@9:40AM: The commercial has been uploaded to YouTube and can be viewed here.

This has been floating around the "Rushisphere" (I think I just coined a new word) for the last week or so. I've seen it on message boards and also received a few emails about it. Severals fans have reported hearing the "Monsters" section of La Villa Strangiato in a recent VISA commercial. But it turns out that it was not Rush's La Villa Strangiato at all - it was a version of the song Powerhouse which was written, performed, and first recorded by Raymond Scott in 1936. The song is very familiar to many people because of its wide usage in cartoons. This FAQ from the Raymond Scott website sheds some light on the relation between Rush's La Villa Strangiato and Powerhouse:

Q: Did the rock band RUSH get sued and have to pay royalties for their unauthorized use of Raymond Scott's ''Powerhouse'' in their 1978 recording "La Villa Strangiato"?

A: By the time Raymond Scott's publisher notified the band's management of the infringement, the statute of limitations had expired on the challenge. But Rush's management, out of deference to Mr. and Mrs. Scott (Raymond was still alive at that point), offered a one-time "penance" payment, feeling it was the ethical thing to do. All involved were happy with the resolution, and Rush has no further financial obligations. Under the settlement, they were not required to accord RS partial songwriting credit on the.piece.

You can listen to Powerhouse (the "La Villa" bit is about half way in) at this link or using the player above. MitA also has provided us with a short clip of the song morphing into La Villa Strangiato. Very cool. You can listen to the morph at this link or by using the player above.

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