On This Day, Jan. 14, 1980: Rush released the album ‘Permanent Waves’

On This Day, Jan. 14, 1980 …

Rush released their seventh studio album, Permanent Waves, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard album chart. It was the Canadian band’s first album to land in the top five, making it their most successful album at that time. It was later surpassed by their following album, Moving Pictures, which was released in 1981.

Permanent Waves featured several songs considered to be more radio friendly than Rush’s previous music, with tracks like “The Spirit of the Radio” and “Freewill” going on to become Rush classics.

Its closing song was a nine-minute track titled “Natural Science,” which was composed in three movements.

Permanent Waves went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA. A 40th anniversary edition of the album, which  featured bonus material, was released in 2020.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.