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)
Brain Damage
Pink Floyd Lyrics
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The lunatic is on the grass
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Got to keep the loonies on the path
The lunatic is in the hall
The lunatics are in my hall
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day, the paperboy brings more
And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
The lunatic is in my head
The lunatic is in my head
You raise the blade, you make the change
You rearrange me 'til I'm sane
You lock the door and throw away the key
And there's someone in my head, but it's not me
And if the cloud bursts thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
(I can't think of anything to say really, except)
(I think it's marvelous)
The lyrics of Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage" are a metaphor for the psychological breakdowns experienced by human beings. The "lunatic" mentioned in the song represents the human psyche, and the grass represents the mind- a space where one is free to roam without any external restrictions. But the fear of losing oneself is always lurking in the corner- the fear that the loonies or the irrational thoughts dominating the mind would take over completely.
The second verse talks about the suppression of such thoughts, the way they are forced into obscurity and covered up with a guise of normalcy. By using the Paperboy, the lyrics signify the media's role in suppressing our instincts, assumptions, and intuition. The fear of losing control and the depression and anxiety that come with it are highlighted in the lines, "And if the dam breaks open many years too soon, and if there is no room upon the hill, and if your head explodes with dark forebodings too." The singer promises to meet the listener on the dark side of the moon- the shattered and isolated part of one's mind.
The third verse takes the metaphor to its conclusion. The singer admits that there are some thoughts and emotions that cannot be controlled or suppressed, that one cannot "lock the door and throw away the key." The final lines are about the acceptance of solitude and isolation that comes with suffering from such psychological breakdowns.
Line by Line Meaning
The lunatic is on the grass
The person deemed crazy is seen enjoying themselves outside in a public area.
Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs
Recalling the innocent games and happy memories of the past.
Got to keep the loonies on the path
It's important to steer the insane individuals onto a proper life course.
The lunatic is in the hall
The crazy person has made their way indoors and is causing a disturbance.
The lunatics are in my hall
Multiple mentally unstable individuals have entered and are inhabiting the same location as the singer.
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
Newspapers are concealing the faces of those declared insane from the general public.
And every day, the paperboy brings more
The amount of people labeled as crazy continues to increase and is regularly reported on in the newspaper.
And if the dam breaks open many years too soon
In the event of a catastrophic and unexpected event happening before it's due to occur...
And if there is no room upon the hill
And if there's nowhere to escape or seek refuge...
And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too
Additionally, in the case of one's own mental breaking point being reached...
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
The singer will be with the person going through a difficult time, standing by them through their suffering.
The lunatic is in my head
The 'crazy' individual resides within the mind of the singer.
You raise the blade, you make the change
Trying to fix one's own insanity can be painful, as if undergoing a literal operation.
You rearrange me 'til I'm sane
By rearranging how they see and perceive things, the singer is able to overcome their own insanity.
You lock the door and throw away the key
Once they've locked away their craziness, there's no way back in.
And there's someone in my head, but it's not me
A part of the singer doesn't feel like themselves, almost as if they're possessed by someone or something else.
And if the cloud bursts thunder in your ear
In a metaphorical sense, if something particularly distressing happens...
You shout and no one seems to hear
...the other people in your life may seem unaware or indifferent to your suffering.
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
Lastly, if the people you surround yourself with change, becoming unrecognizable and unfamiliar...
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
...the singer will be there to offer a helping hand and remain supportive no matter what. Lastly, they acknowledge that they didn't really have a particular point to make.
(I can't think of anything to say really, except)
The singer doesn't have anything else specific to add.
(I think it's marvelous)
The singer simply notes that they find the situation they've found themselves in quite impressive, in a way that's almost reminiscent of wonder or admiration.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: George Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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