Pink Floyd was one of the most innovative British rock bands of the 1970’s. Pink Floyd gained international recognition for the dark vision of its music, which emphasized bleak songs of alienation, loneliness, repression, and insanity.
Pink Floyd was formed in 1965 and consisted of Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett (Jan. 6, 1946-July 7, 2006) as songwriter and guitarist, Richard “Rick” Wright (July 28, 1945-Sept. 15, 2008) on keyboards, (George) Roger Waters (Sept. 9, 1944-…) on bass, and Nicholas Berkeley “Nick” Mason (Jan. 27, 1945-…) on drums. Barrett named the band after American blues singers Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. In 1968, Barrett left the band and was replaced by David Jon Gilmour (March 6, 1944-…).
Pink Floyd was one of the first bands to experiment with “concept” albums that dealt with continuing themes rather than unrelated songs. The band was also at the forefront of sound technology, injecting striking electronic effects, unusual orchestrations, and choirs into their music. The band achieved widespread popularity with its album The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), which consisted of songs composed by Roger Waters. The album included the hit songs “Money,” “Time,” and “Brain Damage.” It remained on the American chart of hit albums for more than 14 years, a record. The album Wish You Were Here (1975) included the hit “Welcome to the Machine.”
Perhaps the band’s most ambitious recording was the album The Wall (1979). Like its earlier work, this concept album took a gloomy view of modern society and its destructive effects on the individual. The album included the songs “Is There Anybody Out There?,” “Nobody Home,” “Run Like Hell,” and “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II).” The band performed The Wall in live concerts, creating one of the most elaborate productions in rock music history.
Pink Floyd disbanded in 1983. Gilmour, Wright, and Mason re-formed the group in 1987 and toured through 1990 and again in 1994. Members of the band also recorded albums under their own names. In 1996, the band was elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In April 2022, the group reunited to release the single “Hey Hey, Rise Up!” in support of the people of Ukraine after Russia invaded the country earlier that year. The song features sampled vocals by the Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the band BoomBox. Sampling involves incorporating sounds or music from other recordings into one’s own work. Proceeds from the song were donated to humanitarian relief in Ukraine.
