LP Review: Pink Floyd – The Wall

Andrew Roy · July 18 2017

The pinnacle of Pink Floyd’s music, this double length album tells the tale of a disillusioned rockstar isolating himself from society.

Formed in London during the 60s, Pink Floyd was a British psychedelic rock band made up of talented musicians who were keen to experiment. A lot of their work carried deep meaning and was quite different to anything that had been done before or since. Their live performances were far ahead of their time, full of spectacular effects such as light shows, projections and even giant inflatables. Pink Floyd are judged by many as the trailblazers of the rock world.

The initial inspiration for The Wall was drawn from Roger Waters becoming disillusioned and distanced from the band’s fans. During the tour for their album Animals, Roger became increasingly disappointed for fans to call for the older songs and to miss the deeper meaning, in favour of just having having a good time. At one gig he was driven to the point where he spat into a fan’s face. This, as well as Roger Waters’ father’s death in the war and the downfall of Syd Barrett from the group due to drugs and mental illness, were what the fictional rockstar character of Pink in The Wall was based on. Roger Waters led the production of the album and it became Pink Floyd’s most ambitious project.

This album is the very definition of a concept album. With each song merging into the next, it plays continuously and it is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Its deep lyrics cover a wide variety of themes and it is emotionally moving and quite dark in places. With the very metaphorical lyrics, at points bordering poetry, there are many possible interpretations of the album. Because of the nature of this album, the only logical way to review it is track by track. I hope with this review I can give an insight into some of the meaning that may be missed and what I believe makes this album so good.

The 1982 film adaptation of the album is also very good and definitely worth a watch. The screenplay, written by Roger Waters himself, perfectly complements the music with a mix of live action and abstract cartoons. It completes the experience and gives the music more impact, demonstrating the meaning of the album further. Despite this, I would strongly advise to listen to the whole album at least once first to get an appreciation for the music. All the songs were re-recorded for the film too, making the music still feel fresh even if you have listened to the album countless times (like myself!).

The Wall has a very dramatic opening with “In the Flesh?”; guitars, a heavy bass, an organ and drums make up this spectacular song. Here the scene is set at a point where Pink’s metaphorical wall is complete. Pink is performing at a concert, his lyrics directed to the audience but also the listener. The lyrics can be interpreted as foreshadowing the story to come, which is presented in a series of flashbacks, “If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes / You’ll just have to claw your way through this disguise.” The way this song begins the album in the midst of the action is brilliant and really grabs the listener’s attention. In “The Thin Ice”, about the beginnings of Pink’s life, David Gilmour sings to Pink (mainly sung by Roger Waters) as his mother with a soothing synthesizer in the background. This song warns of the harsh reality of the world that lies just beneath the apparent calm surface. The contrast of the reassuring first half of this song to the thunderous drums and electric guitar is an excellent metaphor for the extremes in life. 

“Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 1”, the first in a trio of songs, brings in the concept of the metaphorical wall that Pink is building around himself and his reasons for this. This tense track demonstrates the anger Pink feels towards his father’s death in the war and the resulting impact to his childhood. The title of next track, “The Happiest Days Of Our Lives”, can be taken to be a sarcastic reference to the saying everyone’s childhood is the happiest days of their lives. Here Pink briefly describes his miserable experiences with the education system as a child. The song is also a social commentary of the oppressive teaching that was prevalent in England during the 50s, which Roger Waters experienced firsthand.The themes of teachers ridding students of their individuality continue with the iconic guitar riff of “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2”. This track’s beat has a disco vibe to it but it is restrained, like a child at a school. The chorus repetition by children excellently underlines the conformity that school puts into them; as they rise up against their education, they chant in complete unison. Although this song could be taken as a complete rebellion to the education system, it is more a message that society doesn’t need the soul robbing teaching that Waters received.

The slower and contrasting song “Mother” describes Pink’s overprotective mother through a dialogue between Pink and his mother. After the previous monologues from Pink, this approach allows the listener to infer how Pink’s mother could lead him to feeling more isolated through David Gilmour's melodic and evasive answers to Waters’ (as Pink) questions. The last line, “Mother, did it need to be so high?”, can be interpreted as a reference to the wall Pink has built around himself (from the perspective of Pink in the future looking back). “Goodbye Blue Sky” recounts the world’s loss of innocence after two world wars despite the promise of a “brave, new world” during the industrial revolution. The song also can be interpreted as describing Pink growing up after his torment. In an interview not long after the album’s release, Waters described the transition; “it’s remembering one’s childhood and then getting ready to set off into the rest of one’s life.” In the haunting track “Empty Spaces”, an adult Pink, either addressing himself or his wife, wonders how to complete the wall. The fast “Young Lust” introduces a sudden change in pace. This song is about how Pink, now a rockstar, throws himself into a self-indulgent life of sex, drugs and rock and roll after a childhood of oppression. Waters described the song as a parody of the typical rock and roll music at the time, in the 70s. At the end of the song, Pink discovers (or just assumes due to a lack of communication) his wife is cheating on him when a switchboard operator tells him a man is answering her phone.

“One Of My Turns” begins with a monologue from a groupie Pink has invited into his hotel room, while Pink is watching TV in a trance like state. During the first half of the lyrics Pink mentally addresses his wife to the sound of a slow synth, seeming to blame his wife’s adultery as inevitable decay of the relationship rather than any of his own actions. It is quickly apparent how unstable Pink has become as he turns on the groupie and begins to wreck his room in rage during one of his “bad days”. The contrast between the peaceful first half and the chaotic second works really well here, much like in “The Thin Ice”. The calm after the storm, “Don’t Leave Me Now” presents a conflicted Pink. In the lyrics aimed towards his wife, he pleads at points while threatening abuse at others. “Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 3” is the turning point for Pink. To the blaring guitar riff, Pink damningly blames the combination of events that have happened to him as having driven him to complete his wall. In his 1979 interview with Tommy Vance, Waters described the song as Pink “convincing himself really that his isolation is a desirable thing.” In “Goodbye Cruel World” Pink says his final farewell before completely isolating himself. Unlike the previous songs merging into each other, the sudden silence at the end of this song reflects Pink’s withdrawal.

        

There’s a glimmer of hope for Pink as he seems to realise his mistake in “Hey You”. However Waters sings, from a narrating perspective,“The wall was too high, as you can see. / No matter how he tried, he could not break free.” It’s at this point the worms are introduced which were described by Waters in his 1979 interview when he said, “[the worms] were my symbolic representation of decay.” With the low synth, chorus of voices and acoustic guitar “Is There Anybody Out There” is a very haunting track. This perfectly creates the atmospheric effect of the loneliness Pink now feels, utterly trapped in his own world. Attempting to fill the void, Pink lists the things he has left in “Nobody Home”. The title of the song could be taken literally to reference that fact that he can no longer get in contact with his wife or mother. Alternatively, it could reference that Pink has become aware to the depressing truth that he is beginning to lose his mind. The next track, “Vera”, references the famous singer Vera Lynn and her optimistic war-time song “We’ll Meet Again”. Trying to hold onto reality, Pink thinks back to the misled hope he had for his father returning from the war.

The chorus led “Bring The Boys Back Home” serves as a reminder of the loss of Pink Floyd’s father and many others that unfortunately didn’t make it back home from the war. After this track is “Comfortably Numb”. One of the hits from the album, this song’s lyrics form an ethereal dialogue between a doctor (sung by Waters) and Pink (sung by Gilmour here) as Pink’s drug induced state is discovered by his manager. Like the majority of the album, this song is metaphor filled. My favourite lyrics being, “When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse / Out of the corner of my eye. / I turned to look but it was gone / I cannot put my finger on it now / The child is grown, the dream is gone.” My interpretation of these lyrics is that the fleeting glimpse Pink had was a glimpse of a normal, innocent childhood. One that may have led him away from the path that took him to building his wall in the first place. What follows Waters’ final utterance “I have become comfortably numb” I can only describe as the most epic guitar solo I have come across. The pacing feels perfect; every note feels very deliberately placed as Gilmour lingers on them. The almost two minute solo builds to a climax before beautifully fading out.

In “The Show Must Go On” Pink reveals his vulnerability. On the surface it seems he is questioning whether, now revived by the doctor’s drugs, if he’ll be able to carry out his performance. However the “the show” could also be interpreted to refer to the whole of Pink’s life, which would suggest Pink is contemplating suicide. A very different Pink is revealed in his hallucination of the concert that is “In The Flesh”. The first half of the song is very much like the first track of the album with the same title, except the question mark. However the second half of the song sounds more akin to a Nazi rally than a rock concert. From his continued isolation, Pink’s intolerance of the world has led him to take the extreme persona of a fascist dictator. As well as providing a social commentary of how hate groups can form through segregation, Waters is also critical of the devout following of some fans. As with any celebrity, there is always followers that look up to them as a god. Here the argument is presented whether, through his isolation, the rockstar-turned-dictator is to be blamed or the fans who blindly follow?

In the second song of Pink’s fantasy, “Run Like Hell”, Pink is no longer seeing himself as a victim of life but instead threatens all those who oppose him. Mob rule is hinted at with Pink’s fans hunting minorities. The dramatic “Waiting For The Worms” shows the full extent of Pink’s insanity as he calls for ethnic cleansing. If “In The Flesh” can be compared to Hitler’s rallies and “Run Like Hell” likened to Kristallnacht, “Waiting For The Worms” is the preparation of the Holocaust. However, as the mob chanting rises to a crescendo at the end of the song, Pink screams for the madness to stop. The next track, “Stop”, represents the moment of clarity that Pink has as he becomes aware of the depths he has fallen to and recognises the fact that he may be responsible for the state he has got himself in.

The theatrical finale, “The Trial”, represents the internal struggle in Pink’s mind as he judges himself. Each of the main characters that were a brick in his wall come forward as how Pink sees them; his teacher, followed by his wife and finally his mother. Accompanied by a deafening guitar, the judge, who represents Pink’s conscience, declares the verdict. Finally, to chants of “Tear down the wall!”, Pink is brought back to the light. “Outside The Wall”, the last song of the album, brings the conclusion of the story. Waters softly sings about how it is up to artists to bring down people’s personal walls. At the very end a faint voice says “Isn’t this where...”, the sentence is completed at the very start of the album, “...we came in?” This represents the story told by The Wall is one that is repeated constantly and it is up to us to avoid building a wall of our own.

Some may say The Wall is bloated and while I do admit the story could probably be condensed, I would argue the slow pacing the album has is what makes it so good. Expertly crafted from start to finish, there never is really a dull moment in its one hour and twenty minutes runtime. With so much story and so many themes explored through the music, I believe this work is still a significant example of just how much meaning can be expressed through the medium. While no album is perfect, the journey Pink Floyd takes you on with The Wall can’t be far short of it.