Jacob's Ladder Rush

Jacob's Ladder Album: Permanent Waves (1980)
by Rush

Inside, Doctor Krieger has a chain steering wheel, two sets of leopard print curtains and heavily tinted black windows. Lana comments on the "illegal-ass window tint" and says the van, "is like rolling probable cause," meaning police officers wouldn't need much of an excuse to pull over and search the van. Malory is embarrassed to be in the van, and calls it the "S.S. Date Rape."

Krieger usually brings his virtual girlfriend into the van, or she has a projector there. He uses the van as a place where they can have privacy.

Krieger has had multiple vans, with a recurring theme being that Krieger engages in questionable activities to obtain funds to create an ultra-cool van, which is then destroyed, usually because of Archer. They nearly always have names and painted murals based on Rush albums.

The first van, "Exit: Van Left" (a homage to Rush's "Exit: Stage Left" live album), was totaled when Katya Kazanova fell on top of it.

Krieger's second van, "Vanispheres," first seen and subsequently destroyed in "The Man From Jupiter," is a homage to Rush's album Hemispheres. This van was outfitted with a wheelchair lift to accommodate Ray.

In the Season 3 finale, "Space Race: Part II", Krieger's third van borrows its name, "Caress of Krieger," and appearance from the Rush album Caress of Steel. At least part of this was apparently financed by selling access to Lana's medical records and information, and telling Barry that Archer was on the International Space Station. Apparently this particular van provided some method for Krieger to have sex with his virtual girlfriend, because they enter the van after he shows it off to her and it begins rocking.

In the Season 4 episode, "The Wind Cries Mary", another van of Krieger's is shown in a flashback as a weapon distribution center (yet another way he funds projects like his van). It is an homage to the Rush album Fly by Night, and aptly named "Van by Night". Krieger's van has not been seen outside of this flashback in Season 4, so it is unclear where this van fits in the continuity.

In Season 6, Krieger's van is repainted as simply "VAN," in homage to Rush's self-titled album.

In Season 11, Krieger's van is named "Screaming For Van-geance," which is a homage to Judas Priest's album "Screaming For Vengeance." In "Helping Hands", the van is destroyed by Hands using a rocket launcher.

Krieger was using his first van to tape bum fights, among other things, as referenced in "Honeypot."

Jacob's Ladder is a reference from the Bible's Old Testament, Genesis 28:10-22. Jacob has a dream about a stairway resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Neil Peart (Rush Backstage Club newsletter, December 1985): "This song simply describes the phenomenon of the sun breaking through the clouds in visible rays, as it sometimes does after a rain or on a cloudy day. The actual name seems to be one of those traditional names for natural things which has probably been around for ages. I think Geddy actually suggested the idea to me, after hearing his mother-in-law use the name. It had a nice sound to it, and of course the event itself is a beautiful and inspiring one."

In the April 1980 issue of Sounds magazine, Neil Peart explained how the song was written: "Whereas most of the ideas we were dealing with this time were on the lesser side, and in some cases, like in 'Jacob's Ladder,' looked at as a cinematic idea. We created all the music first to summon up an image - the effect of Jacob's Ladder - and paint the picture, with the lyrics added, just as a sort of little detail, later, to make it more descriptive."

Guitarist Kirk Hammett, a huge Rush fan, copped to lifting a riff from this song for the Metallica track "The Thing That Should Not Be."

Rush songs have extremely challenging drum sections, but according to Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, this one is the hardest to play.