Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCLIX--Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here

Whatever gene it was in my generation that sent millions of my peers into music stores to buy Pink Floyd records apparently was not a part of my DNA.  I can't think of one of their songs, outside of this week's tune, that I remotely liked, and their whole psychedelic rock shtick was lost on one whose soul was much quainter than those souls whose idea of fun was dropping acid.  Still, my liking of their one tune fits nicely into my opinion that if any band sticks around long enough, you're bound to find at least one song of theirs that you like (except REO Speedwagon, who put the shit in shitty pop tunes).

Fortunately for me, the history of Pink Floyd is a bit long to cover in a paragraph, especially considering that their Wikipedia entry was far too long to read in its entirety for someone whose interest in the band is middling at best.  They formed in 1965 in London, England, with original members Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright.  David Gilmour would join in 1967, followed shortly by the departure of Barrett due to mental health issues.  The band would continue in that form until the eighties, with Wright and Waters departing, and Gilmour and Mason continuing on through the mid-nineties.  The band has had a pair of small reunions since, though they have not overcome their personal differences enough to make that Big Bucks Reunion Tour.  For their career, Pink Floyd has sold over 250 million records, having released 14 studio albums, three live albums, and 14 compilations.  My opinion of the band notwithstanding, they truly do stand in the pantheon of great rock bands, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.  Roger Waters, for his songwriting, and David Gilmour, for his guitar playing, would also make many a best of list for their respective talents.  Sadly founding members Syd Barrett and Richard Wright have passed away and joined many other wondrous talents at the Great Rock Concert in the Sky.

Fun (and heartwarming) Fact:  The band members always made sure that Syd Barrett was taken care of financially for his contributions to the band, which allowed Barrett to face his personal difficulties with plenty of financial stability.

"Wish You Were Here" was released in 1975 on Pink Floyd's appropriately enough titled album, Wish You Were Here.  Though the song was never released as a single in its original incarnation (a live version was released at one point), the song is considered a classic and was ranked #324 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time.  The album, though poorly received critically at its release, is also considered a masterpiece and was voted #211 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of all time.  Just for good measure, the LP also sold over 13 million copies.

There are songs that come along that force the listener to put on their big boy pants (like Seger's "Night Moves" or Springsteen's "Born to Run" to name but a pair), and "Wish You Were Here" is one such song.  While there seems to be some debate as to what the song is about--lyricist Waters claims it's about himself, music writer Gilmour says he never sings the song without thinking about Syd Barrett--most fans tend to side with Gilmour as to the song's intentions.  Hear the opening acoustic guitar solo and you will never, ever, ever forget it.  Gilmour's plaintive vocals echo a sadness that is still palpable.  Even the song's nuances are stunning--the chorus part after another piece of the the acoustic guitar intro, the emptiness of the wind blowing at the song's end--one wouldn't think it possible for a band that one doesn't care for to make a song that would be on one's top ten songs of all time, but Pink Floyd has done it for me.  I've never been one for believing pop music is an art form (it's called "pop" music for a reason), but "Wish You Were Here" is one of those songs that would certainly leave me open to thinking that it is.

Lyric Sheet:  "Cold comfort for change?  Did you exchange/A walk-on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?"

Enjoy:

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emaycee