Brain Damage (song)
| "Brain Damage" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Pink Floyd from the album The Dark Side of the Moon | |
| Released | 17 March 1973 |
| Recorded | June 1972 – January 1973 |
| Genre | Progressive rock |
| Length | 3:48 |
| Writer | Roger Waters |
| The Dark Side of the Moon track listing | |
|
Side one
Side two
|
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"Brain Damage" is the ninth track from British progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon.[1][2] It was sung by Roger Waters. David Gilmour took over as lead vocalist when the band performed it live on the band's 1994 tour (as can be seen on Pulse). The band originally called this track "Lunatic" during live performances and recording sessions.
This song is often mistakenly referred to as "The Dark Side of the Moon" alongside "Eclipse" because the two run together and are commonly played together on the radio, giving the impression that they are one song. The incorrect title is derived from the recurring lyric "I'll see you on the dark side of the moon", which is the title of the album.
Contents |
[edit] Composition
When the band reconvened after the American leg of the Meddle tour, Roger Waters brought with him a prototype version of "Brain Damage" along with other songs such as "Money". He had been playing the song during the recording of the Meddle album in 1971, when it was called "The Dark Side of the Moon". Eventually this title would be used for the album itself. The song seemed to be partially inspired by their former band member Syd Barrett who had endured a mental breakdown. After road testing the new suite entitled "A Piece for Assorted Lunatics", the song was recorded in October along with "Any Colour You Like". The piece represents Waters' association with acoustic-tinged ballads, and along with "If" and "Grantchester Meadows", "Brain Damage" uses a simple melody and delivery. David Gilmour actively encouraged Waters to sing the song, even though at this time he wasn't particularly confident about his vocal abilities. In fact, the song is the only track on the album to feature Waters exclusively as lead vocalist. However, from this point onwards, he would be the main singer in the group. Richard Wright found the track overly simple, suggesting that the song was the album's "weakest link". The song was played regularly live throughout the rest of the decade, and Waters continues to play it in conjunction with "Eclipse" on every solo tour since 1984.
The song is somewhat slow, with a guitar arpeggio pattern similar to The Beatles' "Dear Prudence". It is in the key of D major and features a recurring lyrical pattern and chorus.
[edit] Themes
Roger Waters has stated that the insanity-themed lyrics are based on former Floyd frontman Syd Barrett's mental instability, with the line "I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" indicating that he felt related to Barrett in terms of mental idiosyncrasies. The line "And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes..." references Barrett's behaviour towards the end of his tenure with the band; because of his mental problems, there were more than a few occasions where Barrett would play a different song than the rest of the band in the middle of a performance. The song features a rather famous opening line, "The lunatic is on the grass...", whereby Waters is referring to areas of turf which display signs saying "Please keep off the grass" with the exaggerated implication that disobeying such signs might indicate insanity. The lyrics' tongue-in-cheek nature is further emphasised by Waters' assertion in the 2003 documentary Classic Albums: Pink Floyd – The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon that not letting people on such beautiful grass was the real insanity. Waters said that the particular patch of grass he had in mind when writing the song was to the rear of King's College, Cambridge.
The German literary scholar and media theorist Friedrich Kittler attaches great relevance to the song, referring to its lyrics as well as to its technological arrangement. For him, the three verses stage the (sound) technological evolution from mono to stereo, culminating in total, "maddening" surround sound.[3]
[edit] Alternative and live versions
- It was performed by Pink Floyd from 1972–1975 and during the 1994 post-Waters Division Bell tour.
- On the Pulse concert DVD and CD, the song is sung by David Gilmour instead of Roger Waters.
- In the Flesh – Live features the song, on which it was played along with "Eclipse", which was segued into as on the album. Roger also performed the song along with "Eclipse" during the 1987 Radio K.A.O.S. Tour.
- An alternative mix version of the song can be found on the compilation album Works.
- Was played by Roger Waters in New York at the environment-awareness concert Live Earth.
- The film Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii shows David Gilmour in the studio, apparently trying out some lead guitar riffs to add to the transition from verse to chorus. However, the recording of The Dark Side of the Moon was in fact finished, the album then in the mixing stages, so there was no chance that these guitar riffs would turn up on the record. The band staged the studio scenes in the film to show how they worked.
- The Austin Lounge Lizards perform a bluegrass version of the song on their 1991 live album Lizard Vision.
- An orchestrated version, arranged by Jaz Coleman and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Peter Scholes, appears on the 1995 instrumental album Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd.
- Bim Skala Bim perform a ska version of the song on their album Bones.
- An early version of the song was released on the 2011 Immersion Edition of The Dark Side of the Moon, part of the Why Pink Floyd...? re-release campaign by EMI.
[edit] Personnel
- Roger Waters — bass, lead vocals
- David Gilmour — guitar, backing vocals
- Richard Wright — keyboards
- Nick Mason — drums
with:
- Lesley Duncan — backing vocals
- Doris Troy — backing vocals
- Barry St. John — backing vocals
- Liza Strike — backing vocals
The uncredited manic laughter is that of Pink Floyd's then-road manager, Peter Watts.[4]
[edit] References and notes
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
- ^ Friedrich Kittler: "Der Gott der Ohren", in: id. Draculas Vermächtnis, Reclam Verlag, Leipzig 1993, p. 130-148.
- ^ Mabbett, Andy (2010). Pink Floyd - The Music and the Mystery. London: Omnibus,. pp. 160p.. ISBN 9781849383707.
[edit] Further reading
- Manning, Toby. The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd. ISBN 1-84353-575-3.
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