Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an ea… Read Full Bio ↴Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows. They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time.

Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals), and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals). Under Barrett's leadership, they released two charting singles and the successful debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined in December 1967; Barrett left in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health. Waters became the primary lyricist and thematic leader, devising the concepts behind the band's peak success with the albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979). The musical film based on The Wall, Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982), won two BAFTA Awards. Pink Floyd also composed several film scores.

Following personal tensions, Wright left Pink Floyd in 1979, followed by Waters in 1985. Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd, rejoined later by Wright. They produced two more albums—A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) and The Division Bell (1994)—and toured in support of both before entering a long hiatus. In 2005, all but Barrett reunited for a one-off performance at the global awareness event Live 8. Barrett died in 2006, and Wright in 2008. The last Pink Floyd studio album, The Endless River (2014), was based on unreleased material from the Division Bell recording sessions. In 2022, Gilmour and Mason reformed Pink Floyd to release the song "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" in protest of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

By 2013, Pink Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and these albums and Wish You Were Here are among the best-selling albums of all time. Four Pink Floyd albums topped the US Billboard 200, and five topped the UK Album Chart. Pink Floyd's hit singles include "See Emily Play" (1967), "Money" (1973), "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" (1979), "Not Now John" (1983), "On the Turning Away" (1987) and "High Hopes" (1994). They were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008, Pink Floyd were awarded the Polar Music Prize in Sweden for their contribution to modern music.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd

Studio albums
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
A Saucerful of Secrets (1968)
More (1969)
Ummagumma (1969)
Atom Heart Mother (1970)
Meddle (1971)
Obscured by Clouds (1972)
The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
Wish You Were Here (1975)
Animals (1977)
The Wall (1979)
The Final Cut (1983)
A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
The Division Bell (1994)
The Endless River (2014)

The Happy Days Of Our Lives
Pink Floyd Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You! Yes, you! Stand still laddy

When we grew up and went to school
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
But in the town it was well known
When they got home at night, their fat and

Psychopathic wives would thrash them
Within inches of their lives

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Pink Floyd’s song, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, draws attention to the experiences of children in school and the teachers who could be cruel to them. The opening lines of the song, “You! Yes, you! Stand still laddy,” portrays an authoritative tone, with the voice issuing commands for the listener to stand still. This message reinforces the harsh treatment that many children experienced, with teachers demanding obedience and conformity in their classrooms.

The rest of the song speaks to the many ways that children were hurt by their teachers, including ridicule and derision. The lyrics describe how teachers exposed the weaknesses of their students, even those that the students carefully tried to hide. Despite the cruelty of the classroom, the song suggests that there might have been a level of satisfaction or even revenge for some of the tormentors. The final line, “When they got home at night, their fat and psychopathic wives would thrash them within inches of their lives,” suggests that even those with power could find themselves on the receiving end of violence.

The Happiest Days of Our Lives is a powerful critique of the educational system and the abuses of power that can occur within it. The lyrics suggest that the classroom is a place where children can be victimized and traumatized, and they serve as a warning against the dangers of unchecked authority.

Line by Line Meaning

You! Yes, you! Stand still laddy
Attention seeking by authority

When we grew up and went to school
Reflecting on school days

There were certain teachers who would
A tale of specific individuals

Hurt the children any way they could
Malicious actions under authority

By pouring their derision
Infliction of emotional pain

Upon anything we did
Criticizing every action taken

Exposing every weakness
Highlighting flaws and vulnerabilities

However carefully hidden by the kids
Despite attempts to conceal shortcomings

But in the town it was well known
Community awareness of wrongdoing

When they got home at night, their fat and
Irony in the abusers' misery

Psychopathic wives would thrash them
Abusers face retribution at home