Gilmour was born in Cambridge, England. His father, Douglas Gilmour, was a senior lecturer in zoology at the University of Cambridge and his mother, Sylvia (née Wilson), was a teacher and film editor who raised her family at Grantchester Meadows, later immortalised by a Roger Waters song on Pink Floyd's Ummagumma. Gilmour and his siblings were encouraged by their parents in their musical abilities. Gilmour has a younger brother, Peter, who has been a guitarist for a slightly longer time than Gilmour. Gilmour attended The Perse School on Hills Road, Cambridge, which he "didn't enjoy" but where he met future Pink Floyd guitarist and vocalist Syd Barrett, along with bassist and vocalist Roger Waters who attended Cambridgeshire High School for Boys, also situated on Hills Road. In 1954, Gilmour bought his first single, Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock". At age 13, Gilmour was given his first guitar, a Tatay, by his neighbour, Gilmour started learning how to play using a book and record set by Pete Seeger.
In September 1962, he studied modern languages to A-Level and, along with Syd Barrett, went to Cambridge Technical College. Despite not finishing the languages course, Gilmour would eventually become a fluent French speaker. Gilmour and Barrett spent their lunchtime practising guitar together, Barrett would often refer to Gilmour as "Fred". They were not yet bandmates, however, and Gilmour started playing in the band Jokers Wild in 1962, which Gilmour left in 1967.
Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in 1968, when he was asked to replace former front man and guitarist Syd Barrett. Barrett was becoming increasingly difficult to work with (due to his deteriorating mental state), so Gilmour stepped in to fill the void. Gilmour's contributions helped to define what would become known as the "Pink Floyd" sound. With Roger Waters, Gilmour co-wrote many of Pink Floyd's classic songs, including "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"(Itself about Syd), "Wish You Were Here" (about Roger's father) , "Time", "Dogs", "Echoes", "Comfortably Numb", and "Run Like Hell". When Waters left the band in 1984 to pursue a solo career, Gilmour took over Pink Floyd as leader, and they released two more albums, A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), and The Division Bell (1994). Both albums performed very well, proving that the Pink Floyd name was stronger than any individual member. On July 2, 2005, David Gilmour and Roger Waters briefly set aside their differences and performed as Pink Floyd for one final performance at Live 8. The reunion was the most talked about event of the day, and sales of Pink Floyd's back catalogue shot through the roof. Rumours of a full scale tour began to surface shortly after the show, with both Gilmour and Waters being offered millions of dollars, but it wasn't meant to be. Neither Waters nor Gilmour showed much enthusiasm to work together again, with Gilmour being quoted as saying that he would rather spend his time pursuing his solo career.
Much to everyone's surprise, Gilmour and Waters reunited once again on July 11, 2010 for a charity performance for "The Hoping Foundation," an organization that supports Palestinian refugee kids. At Ronnie Scott's club in London, the duo performed four songs together: "To Know Him is to Love Him" (a cover of the old Teddy Bear's song), "Wish You Were Here," "Comfortably Numb," and finally (after a special request) "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2." Once again, just like after the Live 8 Reunion, speculation began regarding future reunions. No official Pink Floyd reunion has yet been set, but Gilmour did promise that he would join Roger Waters for one show on his 2010-11 "The Wall" tour, performing "Comfortably Numb." The show that Gilmour is set to play is being kept a secret to surprise fans and (most likely) to prevent scalpers from selling tickets at outrageous prices.
The door now seems slightly ajar that David Gilmour and Roger Waters may possibly work with each other again, either as a duo, or as Pink Floyd once again. On Roger Waters's facebook page, he wrote: "We (played together), and it was fucking great! End of story. Or possibly beginning."
As a solo artist, David Gilmour has released 3 studio albums; David Gilmour (1978), About Face (1984), and On an Island (2006). In September 2008, he released his first live album Live In Gdansk , a recording of a concert he and his band performed in Gdansk Shipyard during his 2006 On An Island tour. In addition, he has two live DVDs - 2002's mostly acoustic "In Concert" and 2007's Remember That Night.
In 2015 he released his forth studio album: Rattle That Lock followed by a live album Live at Pompeii in 2017 which was recored on 7th and 8th July 2016 at his two gigs in Pompeii.
Short and Sweet
David Gilmour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seeking to justify the part you play
And hide, fearing it incomplete, to try
To make it any more or less than short and sweet
But short, short is from you to me, as close
As we are wont to try to make it be
We're caught watching the dark in the sky, who knows?
And you, you are a fantasy, a view
From where you'd like to think the world should see
Be true and you will likely find a few
Building a vision new and justice to our time
And we, we, the immoral men, we dare
Naked and fearless in the elements
And free, carefree of tempting fate, aware
And holding off the moral nightmare at the gates
And sweet, sweet as a mountain stream, we'll look
Toward a new day breaking in the east
We'll meet as every future dream unfolds
And surely quality that is the very least
The lyrics to David Gilmour's song Short And Sweet have a reflective tone, urging the listener to contemplate the quality of their life. It begins with a question that many individuals ask themselves at some point, “what is the quality of life?” The following line advises the listener to not try to justify their existence or hide behind self-doubt but to accept life for what it is. The line “to make it any more or less than short and sweet” implies that the beauty of life lies in its simplicity, and it should be embraced as it is.
The chorus speaks of the unimportance of time and distance when it comes to relationships. The line “short, short is from you to me” could be interpreted as time and distance being irrelevant when it comes to the connection between two people. The following line “We're caught watching the dark in the sky, who knows?” – means that there are uncertainties in life, and sometimes we just have to let go of things we cannot control.
The second verse is about being authentic and true to oneself, not projecting a facade to the world. “Be true and you will likely find a few building a vision new and justice to our time” depicts the idea that only by accepting themselves and making an effort to change the world around them, can people work together to create a better future. The final stanza speaks of the freedom of being unapologetically oneself, in harmony with nature and unafraid of the unknown, and of shared hope for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
You ask what is the quality of life?
You're questioning what defines a good life.
Seeking to justify the part you play
You're trying to make sense of your role in life.
And hide, fearing it incomplete, to try
You're afraid to take action for fear of failure.
To make it any more or less than short and sweet
You believe that life is simple and should be enjoyed as it is.
But short, short is from you to me, as close
The distance between us is small, despite our attempts to make it seem otherwise.
As we are wont to try to make it be
We often try to make things more complicated than they are.
We're caught watching the dark in the sky, who knows?
We're often left in confusion, unsure of what's to come.
Helpless as time itself to hold the time of day
We can't control time or what happens in our lives.
And you, you are a fantasy, a view
You have an idealized version of yourself in mind.
From where you'd like to think the world should see
You think that the world should see you the way you see yourself.
Be true and you will likely find a few
If you're honest with yourself, you'll find others who share your values.
Building a vision new and justice to our time
You and those who share your values can work together to make a positive change in the world.
And we, we, the immoral men, we dare
Those of us who have made mistakes are willing to take risks.
Naked and fearless in the elements
We are willing to face challenges head-on without fear.
And free, carefree of tempting fate, aware
We are free to live life without fear of consequences, yet mindful of our actions.
And holding off the moral nightmare at the gates
We strive to make the right choices and avoid negative consequences.
And sweet, sweet as a mountain stream, we'll look
Life can be as refreshing and peaceful as a mountain stream.
Toward a new day breaking in the east
We can look forward to a bright future with optimism.
We'll meet as every future dream unfolds
As we continue on our journey, new dreams and opportunities will present themselves.
And surely quality that is the very least
We can at least strive for a high quality of life and make the most of what we have.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVE GILMOUR, ROY HARPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LightQuarterly
Years ago I bought this album new. Later I bought a Fender Bronco and after that an American stratocaster in 1980.
Of all the tunes that remain in my practice routine from this album, this is the only tune I remember so much.
These days I enjoy practice through a Squier-classic-vibe-60s-jazzmaster-electric-guitar and Fender-mustang-micro-headphone-amp which really hrlp me nail the sound down more.
Grateful for the influence of your musicianship.
Cheers
@craigkaschan4822
This is a brilliant album not a bad song on it. Love David Gilmours solo work as much as I love Floyd. Happy birthday Dave 🇦🇺🍰🎼
@riccardomusiu510
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DAVID!! 🎸🎸🎸🎂 THE BEST OF THE BEST ✌😉❤
@brenthastings8482
This song really helped me get through cancer treatment..
Successfully
@johnroberts838
So many Brilliant Tracks, I Love this Album, as a young Guitarist David Gilmour made such a huge impact on my playing, he still does, his sense of Melody and Shades of Dark and Light, a Truly Gifted Musician!
Take care Mr Gilmour ♥️👍.
Melbourne, Australia.
@shelleyharris9349
Short and sweet 🎂. Hmm. Another classic Indeed 💋🎤🪶😎✝️☮️🎼😇🤓🌙♈🎵🎶🧵🧭🌎
@carlosdelossantosbarcelo6840
Thank you David!!! for your music, spirit and Pink Floyd 😊💫
@lulurodriguez133
This is my all time favorite David Gilmour song! I don't know how or why, but it makes me smile and cry at the same time. Thank You David :)~
@soundchaser1097
Roy Harper cowrite this song.
David plays this on Roy Harper Album Unknown Soldier.
Brilliant track, from my favourit D.G
@rayla1780
I had song suddenly pop into mind -- not sure which one. This was first guess. Good guess either way!
@frankpyanoe9420
Excellent road trip song!