You know that iconic Rush instrumental “YYZ” with its unforgettable opening riff?
And of course you’re familiar with the instantly recognizable theme song to Mission: Impossible.
Well, prepare to have your mind blown.
These two massively popular pieces of music from completely different eras and genres have something deeply connecting them at their core.
The Code Behind the Madness
That frenetic series of screeching guitar notes that kicks off “YYZ”?
It’s morse code.
No, really.
The notes spell out the letters Y-Y-Z, which are the international morse code calls signs for Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
Wild, right?
But that’s not all.
The 60s Spy Roots You Never Suspected
That iconic Mission: Impossible theme that instantly transports you into a world of suspense and espionage?
You guessed it – morse code again.
Specifically, the five-note melody is meant to represent the morse code for “M”.
Sensing a theme here?
The Bizarre Backstories
So how did these classic tunes with morse code DNA even come to be?
For “YYZ”, Rush drummer Neil Peart has said he intentionally wanted to base their intro on the airport’s coded callsign as a nod to their Canadian roots.
As for Mission: Impossible, the show’s creators purportedly stumbled upon the morse code melody essentially by chance while experimenting with different sounds.
The Universal Language of Music
Morse code may have originated as a way to transmit messages over long distances using a series of sounds and pauses.
But it’s fascinating how these two wildly popular tunes managed to take that simple core concept and transform it into something so powerful and iconic.
At the end of the day, is morse code anything more than just a collection of beeps and tones?
Yet somehow, musicians like Rush and the Mission: Impossible composers were able to take those bare-bones elements and turn them into works of art embedded in our pop culture DNA.
It just goes to show that in the hands of true creative visionaries, even the most basic building blocks can be turned into something transcendent and unforgettable.
The Morse Code Strikes Again?
So next time you hear “YYZ” or get chills during that Mission: Impossible theme, you’ll have a wild new bit of music trivia to share.
But who knows – maybe the morse code magic doesn’t stop there.
After all, if something as ubiquitous as those classic tunes could emerge from humble morse code roots, what other hidden gems are just waiting to be decoded?
Spread the word and share this crazy music factoid on Facebook – who knows what other morse code mysteries could be awaiting to blow minds everywhere!
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