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)
a) Speak To Me
Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Been over the edge for yonks
Been working me buns off for bands
I've always been mad, I know I've been mad
Like the most of us, very hard to explain why you're mad
Even if you're not mad
The opening lines of the song "Speak to Me" by Pink Floyd demonstrate the lyricist's personal struggles with mental health issues. The lyrics indicate a long-standing state of madness, which suggests an ongoing struggle with mental illness. The use of the word "fucking" also emphasizes a level of intensity and frustration that one feels when dealing with such issues. The lyricist has been proverbially "over the edge" for a long time, indicating a loss of control or the feeling of being at the end of one's rope. Still, the lyricist has been "working me buns off for bands," which suggests that despite their struggles with mental health, they are still fighting their way through life.
The following lines suggest that the lyricist knows they have been "mad" for a long time, and this madness is hard to explain. The use of "the most of us" suggests that mental health issues are common and that it is challenging to articulate or understand them. The use of the word "mad" instead of "crazy" or "insane" also suggests the societal stigma surrounding mental health issues in the past. Overall, "Speak to Me" conveys a deep sense of pain and confusion regarding mental health and the way society views it.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years
I have been insane for a very long time, without any specific time frame.
Been over the edge for yonks
I have reached a state of insanity for a long time.
Been working me buns off for bands
I have been working hard for musical groups.
I've always been mad, I know I've been mad
I have always been insane and I am aware of that.
Like the most of us, very hard to explain why you're mad
Like many people, it is difficult to explain the reason behind my insane state of mind.
Even if you're not mad
Even if you are not insane.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Waters Mason
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@awesomeness24158
Breathe, breathe in the air
Don't be afraid to care
Leave but don't leave me
Look around and choose your own ground
For long you live and high you fly
And smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
And all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be
Run, rabbit, run
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one
For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race toward an early grave.
@ksnab
I just can't get over that sensation during the transition from the scream to ecstasy. Genius
@ljude01
I was introduced to pink floyd in my teens and have loved this band ever since. Reflective, meloncholic, at times haunting. The music pulls you inside yourself to heal.
@mloon1313
yes it does eloquent
@theclos16
Couldnt have said it better myself,i've heard some people say its depressing but i always tell them its quite the opposite, they're not hearing it right.
@michaelcumpton5795
I was 8 when I heard this album
@arcangelosalzano5679
Che stupendo di album e che bei tempi.... grazie pink floyd
@ayozapz7607
y’all still here
@SilverFang2789
You don't just listen to Dark Side of the Moon, you experience it
@Ange12783
You don’t just listen to any Pink Floyd, it’s a full mind/body/soul experience 🙏💕
@gabenight7
I remember falling asleep to this when I was young. I always referred to it as the island song.