The Wall: Part One

For such a monumental album, I am going to need a monumental post. There are 26 songs on Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, and unlike “Nostradamus”, I am going to go through each and every one and what it means to the story. This will not be the most difficult of tasks, determining the meaning behind the tracks, because there has already been a Wall movie released, telling the story of the album. So without further ado, The Wall!

In the Flesh?:The song opens with a soft, soft melody, and then randomly bursts into guitar, startling me every time. This song basically sets the scene for the movie: you hear the plane crash that killed the main character. Pink’s father, and set off the chain of events that led to The Wall being built and subsequently Pink’s isolation.

The Thin Ice:”Mommy loves her baby, and Daddy loves you too…” That is how the song begins, so we see here that early on in Pink’s life, his mother tries to overcompensate for the loss of his father, and that means smothering him with extra love, which we will see later in

Mother.The idea of thin ice is interesting. The song warns Pink not to be surprised when “a crack in the ice appears under your feet.” This could be reference to the instability of Pink’s mind, which could at any time come crashing down, weighing down the thin ice.



Another Brick In The Wall, Part 1:”Daddy’s flown across the ocean, leaving just a memory…” With these lines, it becomes pretty clear to us that. Pink’s father fought in what seems to be WWII, and he later in the song questions his father, angrilly, saying “Daddy, what’d ya leave behind for me?” He concludes by stating that “All in all it was just a brick in the wall”. This shows us that the first half of this album consists of Pink building up this wall of total isolation from humanity, and this is one of the bricks.

The Happiest Days of Our Lives: This song title to me appears sarcastic, saying that school years were supposed to be the happiest days of children’s lives but for the reasons specified were not for Pink and his classmates, because “there were certain teachers who would hurt the children any way they could, by pouring their derision upon anything we did, exposing every weakness however carefully hidden by the kids.” He does take pleasure in the fact that “when they got home at night their fat and psychopathic wives would thrash them within inches of their lives!”

Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2: This song basically continue the theme of the previous, and states that this too was another brick in the wall.

Mother: This is one of my favorite songs on the first half of the album, and it consists of Pink asking questions to his mother and his mother responding later on in the song. She is visibly overprotective and harmful to Pink, stating that she “won’t let you fly, but she might let you sing.” She doesn’t want Pink to end up killed in the war like his father. She also states “of course mommy’s gonna help build the wall” but at the end of the song Pink asks “mother did it it need to be so high…?” This shows that his overprotective mother was multiple bricks in the wall.

Goodbye Blue Sky: "Look mommy, there’s an airplane up in the sky!" Could this be another airplane crash reference and one to Pink’s dad? Maybe. But this song is basically saying goodbye to Pink’s innocence, and that is the main point. Enter Empty Spaces.

Empty Spaces:"How will I complete the wall?" There is still, at this point, at least one more brick to put in the wall. how will Pink fill the spaces, he wonders?

Young Lust:Pink goes out looking for women, dirty, naughty women, to be exact. He finds one in one of his groupies., which he brings to his home in the UK while his wife, as heard in the end, continues to try and call him collect from America, a call which he keeps hanging up on. “This is the United States calling, are we reaching?… See he keeps hanging up!”

One of My Turns:One of My Turns is essentially the breaking point for Pink. He lashes out at this woman and presumably hits her (hinting that he also hits his own wife) and freaks out and screams at her until she runs away.

Don’t Leave Me Now:Pink is distraught that this woman is running away from him, but I believe it also represents him getting caught having these affairs and his wife leaves him (“remember the flowers I sent?” why would he send flowers to a groupie?) So his life falls down around him, and he loses it.

Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3:This is the last straw for Pink, as he exclaims, “I don’t need no arms around me, and I don’t need no drugs to calm me, I have seen the writing on the wall.” He has filled up his wall.

Goodbye Cruel World:Pink is leaving the world as he knows it. He isn’t committing physical suicide as the title might suggest, rather he is committing what I will call social suicide, in which he completely isolates himself from the rest of the world. The way the song ends, we can almost imagine him literally placing the last brick into the wall as the sounds go silent and it’s done, The Wall is complete.

Animals

Pink Floyd’s “Animals” is the the first album you pick up when you are starting to listen to them. That spot is reserved for “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall”. However, “Animals” is a marvelous album in its own right, and one of the absolute cornerstones of the Pink Floyd discography. “Animals” is based of of George Orwell’s famous “1984”, but it has differences. The main similarity is the the animals mentioned in each all represent a different type of human. By doing this, Pink Floyd successfully portrays capitalism as they view it: flawed and merciless. Although “1984” is a commentary on socialism, “Animals” is anti-capitalist in origin. Waters divided the capitalistic society into three different types of animals: Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep, each receiving a track on the album, sandwiched between the more hopeful Pigs on the Wing Parts I and II.

Dogs:The first type of human to be represented by an animal on the album is a dog. The dogs are high-powered businessmen. They are combative and cutthroat, they will stop at nothing to reach the ultimate standard of wealth and achievement. The dog has mastered the art of business, with the “sudden look in the eye, and an easy smile.” If you are a dog, you “have to be trusted by the people that you lie to, so that when they turn their back on you, you’ll get the chance to put the knife in.” This line is one of my favorites, as it shows the backstabbing nature of these businessmen. These businessmen, however, are not the super rich and wealthy, they have superiors, and are “given a pat on the back” when they do well. These men are “fitted with collar and chain” by their superiors, like dogs on leashes, and are “stranger(s) at home”, showing how they spend more time at work than with their families. However, this lifestyle catches up with them, as he becomes “a sad old man, all alone, dying of cancer.” He is dragged down by the “stone” which, in the song, symbolically fades into a sort of a barking sound, representative of a dog. The way of a Dog will not last.

Pigs (Three Different Ones): The Pigs are the super rich, the CEO’s, the billionaires, what have you. Three Different Ones refers to three specific individuals, of which only one is known for sure, because she is mentioned: Mary Whitehouse, who is notable for her anti-liberalism. Waters wrote Pigsto represent the super rich as incredibly manipulative, stopping at nothing to keep their wealth, control others, and remain on top of the social and economic ladder. He tells his employees to “keep on digging” while he relaxes and continues to make his money, and is portrayed by the media as a morally superior citizen, all through manipulation. The Pig truly is a disgusting example of Waters’ idea of Capitalism gone wrong.

Sheep: The Sheep are the final animals portrayed by Waters and they represent the common idea of sheep: followers. It is most likely that Waters meant this to be religious people. The Sheep are very united as a group, and they believe it is their duty to stay out of the way of things. “You better look out, there may be dogs about!” If you are a sheep, you are “harmlessly passing your time in the grassland away, only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air…” They either do not understand or choose not to acknowledge what is wrong with the world, for fear of being “devoured” by the dogs. They are “meek and obedient” and “follow the leader”. Then, an edited version of Psalm 23:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
He makes me down to lie
Through pastures green He leadeth me the silent waters by.
With bright knives He releaseth my soul.
He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places.
He converteth me to lamb cutlets,
For lo, He hath great power, and great hunger.
When cometh the day we lowly ones,
Through quiet reflection, and great dedication
Master the art of karate,
Lo, we shall rise up,
And then we’ll make the bugger’s eyes water.”

This shows, at least to me, that Waters is referring mainly to certain Christians showing blind faith and feeling morally superior. The edited Psalm shows that the Sheep plan to rise up as their God has made them strong. They decide to kill the other animals, perhaps due to their “moral insuperiority”. 

"Bleating and babbling I fell on his neck with a scream.
Wave upon wave of demented avengers 
March cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.”

This is one of my all-time favorite song lyrics as it flows so well. In addition, demented avengers is the perfect way to describe the scene that I see in my head when I listen to this part of the song. Incredibly, after they overpower the other animals, they return to their homes and “do as [they’re] told”! They maintain the idea that they really are morally superior, even after causing the death of others.

"Animals" is a very politically charged album that once again showcases the magic of Pink Floyd with its metaphorical lyrics and mesmerizing music. It offers a view of capitalism that is both eye-opening and familiar at the same time, but the real reason the album shines is the music, which is an absolute joy to listen to.

MY RATINGS:

Music: 9.5/10

Concepts: 9.5/10

Story: N/A

OVERALL: 9.5/10

The Dark Side of the Moon: As a Matter of Fact, It's All Dark

What can be said about this album that hasn’t already been said? It has consistently over the years charted again and again. It is the best rock album of all time, the greatest concept album of all time, and in my opinion, one of the greatest pieces of art of all time. In my attempt to analyze the deepest of albums, I will delve into each track, looking for meaning, symbolism, and anything else that I can possibly find. Let’s start from the first track (or tracks)

Speak To Me/Breathe: The opening track to this rock masterpiece begins with a heartbeat, along with some other samples that you will hear throughout the album. The heartbeat represents a child being born, the start of new life in the world, and as the heartbeat and sounds get louder, we hear a man’s voice: “I’ve been mad for fucking years…”. An odd placement for this quote? Not at all. The first thing this child is exposed to in the world is madness, but that is not, of course, all it experiences. There is a whole world of experiences in life. Once the baby is born, we enter the Breathe section of the track, in which the child is given his first advice: “breathe, breathe in the air. Don’t be afraid to care.” We could all use this advice sometimes when we need to slow down and take a break, and when we think that caring is not appropriate: the advice giver (presumably the parents) believe it is always alright to care about things. The song also mentions “Racing towards an early grave”. This becomes a theme throughout the album, as Gilmour, Waters, and the rest of the band challenge us by saying: slow down! Take in what life has to give you, you are racing towards you’re own death. Enter On The Run.

On The Run: On The Run is a set of about 7 synthesizer notes played over and over again with different filters and waveforms for 2-3 minutes. During this time we hear sounds of a man running, and a woman on the loudspeaker listing the names of flight destinations such as Rome and Cairo. The man is late for his flight. He is running for this flight, but we do not find out if he makes it or not. But then we hear the plane. With quotes during the song such as “Live for today, gone tomorrow, that’s me…” we hear the plane go down, but the quoted man is not crying, rather laughing. This is strange, but not really. At this point the man believes he can do two things: either laugh, or cry. He chooses to laugh, and then the plane crashes, after which we hear the sound of running footsteps: The man was running for a plane that would have killed him, but he missed the flight. I love the irony here.

Time:Time is one of the greatest rock songs, nay, greatest pieces of music in history. Maybe because it is so Timeless, but in any case, time is a lament on the passing of time, an ode to the never ceasing never stopping trudging of time, and how it races by you. “No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun…” laments the fact that so much of one’s life is wasted waiting for life to begin, when in reality life is ever-present. So Pink Floyd sees a balance between RUSHING around all the time and doing nothing. There must be some balance between the two ends of the spectrum. Time ends with a reprise of Breathe in which people attend a funeral, whispering :”softly spoken magic spells”. These are presumably prayers at the funeral, the idea of which Waters is perhaps mocking. Time comes, goes, and then there is Death.

The Great Gig in the Sky: The female vocalist, Clare Torry, was told she had to sing a song about Death without any lyrics. This masterpiece was the result of her and Pink Floyd’s working. The idea of death to the band was so incredible, so absolute, there were no words that did it justice, so they just omitted all the words altogether. Brilliant, really. The song is an ode to Death, and at the beginning, we hear the only words in the song “I am not afraid to die, anytime will do, I don’t mind. Why should I be afraid to die? No reason for it, you’ve gotta go sometime…” This quote is profoundly unafraid, and although violent, the song ends with a sense of peace at last, a sort of quiet coming to terms with the circumstances. This is the end of Side One, if you were listening on Vinyl.

Please flip the record (or tape) over to Side Two.

Money: Ah, money, what makes the world go round. Waters and company portray it as the “root of all evil today”. Money is what makes things happen, it is what makes the world go round, it drives people mad and kills them. but more than that, it is a false prophet. The Bible mentions that man cannot serve both God and Money. That is what Pink Floyd is basically saying: you cannot live both for enlightenment and for personal profit: you must choose.

Us And Them:A great song, but what does it mean? Think war: There are two sides: us and them. The good guys, the bad guys, whatever. But it also refers to human nature. The war represents the human nature of conflict, and how we are quick to send others into trouble while avoiding our own, as the general who cries “Forward!” In the song witnesses the entire front rank die. Human nature, therefore, can be quite cruel.

Any Colour You Like:This is a musical interlude, with no lyrics or quotations, but the title alone suggests to me that there are many different people in the world, and these people help make life what it is: different and interesting every day. Any Colour You Like refers, to me, to making life any thing you want it to be. The title is a reference to Henry Ford’s quote about the Model T, saying a customer could have it any color he wanted so long as it was black. What Gilmour and crew is saying is that people have the illusion of choice, that the colour you choose is irrelevent: everything is black in the end.

Brain Damage:This song is all about insanity. It represents the sector of humans that do suffer from insanity. This song is perhaps a tribute to Syd Barrett, who began the band back in the 60’s. Syd Barrett eventually went insane, perhaps from all the drugs he took, perhaps from other reasons, but this song which mentions “if the band you’re in starts playing different tunes, I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon” They want to see Syd again, but it’ll be on the dark side of the moon.

Eclipse:The final track on the album is my favorite. It brings the entire album together. It lists all of the things that make life, well, life. It is a summation of all that you touch, see, beg, borrow, steal, etc. But the meaning of the album, shrouded in mystery to this point, is finally revealed: It is about going insane! All of the tracks of the album are things that contribute to human insanity! Money, Time, Death, Feverish Hurrying, Brain Damage, War, The Illusion of Choice, everything from Birth to Death leads us to insanity, meaning that the Dark Side of the Moon is actually referring to the insane mind, as it becomes cold and dark, as people creep into your brain that are not really there. It is all about going insane. The final quote of the album: “There is no Dark Side of the Moon really, as a matter of fact it’s all dark.” This is so profound. The Dark Side of the Moon is the ENTIRE Moon. Every human being experiences the "Eclipse" of the brain. “The Sun is Eclipsed by the Moon” Even though everything under the sun is in tune, the sun is eclipsed by the moon, bringing out the insanity in all of us eventually. It is inevitable. An incredible, incredible album. One for the ages

My Ratings: 

Music: 10/10

Story: N/A

Concepts: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

The greatest album in music history