With their 1973 album ‘Dark Side Of The Moon,’ Pink Floyd hit the big leagues. The album legitimized their mainstream success. No longer an arthouse act with a limited following, Pink Floyd had finally found success on a global level. But soon, the fame got to the band. The original fanbase labeled them sell-outs, as Pink Floyd struggled to find their way back.
It seemed like ‘Dark Side Of The Moon‘ was their best for the longest time. After its release, the band was written off by the world. With a tremendous sense of failure and Syd Barrett’s struggles with mental illness came the band’s most significant hit, ‘Wish You Were Here.’ Find out how the song ‘Wish You Were Here‘ came to be and what it meant for the band.
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‘Wish You Were Here’ Is An Anthem Of Alienation
Having become millionaire musicians with ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon,’ Pink Floyd was no longer in connection with their founding musical sensibilities. With ‘Wish You Were There,’ they were placing all of their deepest fears of having lost their way. They were also enraged with the industry and blamed them for tampering with their original talent. Ultimately, it became Pink Floyd’s most resonant song.
The beating heart of ‘Wish You Were Here‘ was the theme of alienation. Having lost their passion for the music that made them, most band members didn’t turn up for the album’s recording at the same time. The trials and tribulations of these sessions became the basis for ‘Wish You Were Here.’
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‘Wish You Were Here’ Is Dedicated To Former Pink Floyd Member Syd Barrett
When a disoriented Syd Barrett showed up to a music recording unannounced, it became clear he needed help. Barret had gained a lot of weight and shaved his head and eyebrows. Roger Waters was hurt to see his friend losing his mind and realized he would have to pick up the slack.
‘Wish You Were Here‘ came from the intersection between the band’s alienation and Syd Barrett’s mental state deterioration. On the podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ Roger Waters told the host that the song came from a poem he wrote about Syd Barrett suffering from schizophrenia.
Roger Waters believes Syd Barrett’s dalliance with LSD might have influenced his schizophrenia. After Barret’s mental collapse, Waters took the lead in writing the lyrics for the band. While ‘Wish You Were Here‘ is a mournful elegy for Pink Floyd’s darker days, one cannot help but feel Syd Barrett’s ghost haunting the band’s sound.
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