The Origins of "YYZ"

Did you know that Rush’s song YYZ’s name and its rhythm comes from the identification code of an airport?

When Alex Lifeson was flying the band into the Toronto Pearson International Airport, which is in Rush’s hometown, the plane received the identification code of the airport, “YYZ,” in morse code.

Perhaps what’s more interesting is that in interviews, Neil Peart stated that the morse code’s rhythm stuck with the band. Ultimately, the rhythm of the song was derived from the morse code signal.

That’s how the YYZ we know and love came to be. Geddy Lee and Neil Peart have both said "It's always a happy day when YYZ appears on our luggage tags."