Originally, Gregorian was conceived as a more pop-oriented group in the vein of Enigma. Under this concept, they recorded the 1991 album Sadisfaction, with lead vocals provided by The Sisters of Oz: Susana Espelleta (Peterson's wife at the time) and Birgit Freud. However, this was the only album in that style.
In 1998, Peterson and his team Jan-Eric Kohrs, Michael Soltau and Carsten Heusmann re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. For each album, songs were carefully chosen in addition to original songs written by Jan-Eric Kohrs, Amelia Brightman and Carsten Heussman. Twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were then hired to record the tracks.
Each Gregorian album is initially digitally tracked at Nemo Studios, Peterson's Hamburg studio. The vocalists then record their parts in a church atmosphere with dimmed lights and candles, in order to escape what Peterson referred to in a 2001 interview as the "cold and technical" studio atmosphere.
The concept proved to be successful, and the group proceeded to record several more Masters of Chant albums in the same style. Their 2004 album, The Dark Side, was a slight departure from the others, featuring a darker repertoire consistent with the title.
In 2005, The Masterpieces, a compilation album with a live DVD, was released. A fifth Masters of Chant album was released on 31 March 2006. In 2006, a festive album was also released, titled Christmas Chants. A sixth Masters of Chant album was released on 28 September 2007. In 2009 a seventh Masters of Chant album followed.
Gregorian in 2009
On 8 September 2010 the next album, titled The Dark Side of Chant, was announced to be published on 15 October 2010.
The members of the Gregorian choir group are Richard Naxton (Naxos), Johnny Clucas (Johnny), Chris Tickner (Chris T.), Richard Collier (Rich), Gerry O'Beirne (Gerry), Lawrence White (Lorro) and Rob Fardell (Rob F.).
Others who contribute to the vocals or sound of Gregorian are Sarah Brightman (under the pseudonyms Hepsibah or Sarah Hellmann), Amelia Brightman (Sarah Brightman's younger sister), Frank Peterson, and staff of Nemo Studio among others.
Wish You Were Here
Gregorian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pale?
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk-on part
In the war for a lead-role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl, year after year.
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
The song "Wish You Were Here" by Gregorian is a melancholic ballad that speaks about the struggles of trying to distinguish between heaven and hell, good and evil, and happiness and sadness. The lyrics start with a series of questions, asking the listener if they can differentiate between different experiences and emotions, such as blue skies and pale ones, green fields and cold steel rails, and a smile and a veil. The repeated question, "Do you think you can tell?" is a challenge to the listener to think introspectively about their own perceptions of the world around them.
The song then moves toward a more personal and confessional tone, as the singer reflects on their own past and the choices they've made. The lines "And did they get you to trade/Your heroes for ghosts?" suggest that the singer may have given up on their own dreams or values in exchange for something less meaningful. The metaphor of "hot ashes for trees/Hot air for a cool breeze" speaks to a sense of disappointment or disillusionment with the world. The singer also alludes to the idea that they may have sold out for a false sense of security, as seen in the phrase "And did you exchange a walk-on part/In a war for a lead-role in a cage?"
The song concludes with the chorus, which is a lament for the person the singer wishes was still present in their life. The lines "We're just two lost souls/Swimming in a fish bowl, year after year/Running over the same old ground/What have we found? The same old fears" evoke a sense of stagnation and despair. The singer longs for someone who can understand and commiserate with these feelings, and the final line "Wish you were here" is a plaintive plea for connection and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
So, so you think you can tell
Do you believe you can differentiate between contrasting states of being?
Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pale?
Can you distinguish between extreme happiness and extreme sadness, and differentiate between clear and overcast skies?
Can you tell a green field
Can you recognize a vibrant, open space of lush greenery?
From a cold steel rail?
Can you tell it apart from sterile, hard metal?
A smile from a veil?
Can you discern a genuine happy expression from one that's fake or hiding something?
Do you think you can tell?
Do you truly believe that you possess this ability?
And did they get you to trade
Were you manipulated or coerced into giving up?
Your heroes for ghosts?
Did you exchange people you admired and looked up to for empty memories of them?
Hot ashes for trees?
Did you give up something powerful and significant for something merely symbolic?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Did you take something with no substance in exchange for something refreshing and genuine?
Cold comfort for change?
Did you swap something comforting but stagnant for something risky and new?
And did you exchange a walk-on part
Did you trade a small, insignificant role for a major one?
In the war for a lead-role in a cage?
Did you swap being part of a conflict for being imprisoned?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
The singer dearly misses the person they address.
We're just two lost souls
Both speaker and addressee feel directionless and adrift.
Swimming in a fish bowl, year after year.
Both speaker and addressee feel trapped in a small, contained space without any true freedom.
Running over the same old ground.
Both speaker and addressee feel like they keep returning to the same issues and ideas, without any progress.
What have we found? The same old fears.
Both speaker and addressee feel like despite all their experiences, they haven't really uncovered anything new or different.
Wish you were here.
The singer concludes with a repeated longing for the addressee to be present.
Contributed by Noah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anderson Vieira
Lyrics
So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain?
Can you tell a green field
from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade
your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk-on part
in the war for a lead-role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
swimming in a fish bowl, year after year.
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
Rogerio Sampaio
Fico maravilhosa essa musica, traz um sentimento de paz, ouvindo em abril 2019 e para sempre!!!
Luis Pantera
Por Dios, siento escalofríos al escuchar ésta canción. Que buena interpretación de un clásico
peanuttherat
I am a massive Pink Floyd fan and...I must say this does them justice and honor! For lack of better words.
Sam Wilson
Why the hell does this sound so good
Simone Compagnucci
One of the most beautiful, deeply touching, almost eerie pieces of music I've ever heard..It just touches the heart
Rafael Vital
Conheço esta música pela versão original de Pink Floyd, mas escutei este coral na Rádio Marinha de minha cidade (Natal), e por curiosidade encontei na internet o quão bem trabalhada esta versão é.
Hans-Joachim Schmid
weell
KingOfAllAnimals
Wow, a Purely mind blowing rendition of a Pink Floyd Classic! Consider me actually VERY impressed!
Simone Compagnucci
Such a pure, almost heavenly rendition of one of Pink Floyd's greatest songs! It just sends me shivers down the spine
Lars Zoschke
one of the best songs ever, I just love it