The Story of Syd Barrett

In 1975, Pink Floyd released the album Wish You Were Here. A conceptual album written all by Roger Waters, its about feelings of alienation, remembering former member Syd Barrett, as well as a critique of the music business. The album is definitely one of their more interesting ones to me at least. Fun fact: The cover was shot at the Warner Bros studio complex in California.

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is just one big tribute, split into two halves (Waters' idea), to Barrett. It's a song that shows how fond Waters (and most possibly the rest of the band) felt about him. He is recalled in many lines like "Remember when you were young? You shone like the sun." During the recording of "Crazy Diamond" a fat and bald man entered the studio, presumed to be an EMI staff member. Eventually, the band recognized him as Barrett, their former member. Some of the former band mates were reduced to tears as he sat in on the recording and did not understand its relevance to him. Supposedly, Barrett's conversation was not entirely sensible. He left later without saying good bye and never saw any of the band members again before his death in 2006.

Wish You Were Here album cover

 "Diamond" moves seamlessly into "Welcome To The Machine" which starts with a door opening, the symbol of the musical discovery and progress, and ends with a party, symbolizing the greed of the industry and lack of real contact with people. "Have A Cigar," the song from which this blog is named, further breaks down the music business filled with fatcats with such lines of "we call it riding the gravy train," and "the band is just fantastic, that is really what I think/oh by the way, which one is Pink?" which the band was asked on more than one occasion. The song ends with a radio being tuned to various stations and eventually settles on a station that starts playing "Wish You Were Here."


The title track was recording and produced to sound like it was coming from a radio (the radio part was recorded from the one in David Gilmour's car). It contains lyrics both referring to Barrett's condition as well as the dichotomy that Waters felt within him - an idealist and yet also a domineering personality. To me, it's a song about missing someone whether there is a physical or emotional distance. Also, I think that the line of the "two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" is certainly a unique line. I can listen to this song on repeat for hours. The title track is then followed by the reprise of "Crazy Diamond," and it's just as spectacular as the first half.


If you haven't listened to this album yet, listen to it in its entirety. It's beautiful. It's not the most coherent of concept albums as it hits many points, but it's a beautiful album. Waters knows how to write a good set of lyrics and the band does an excellent job making the music work and make sense.