Eclipse (Pink Floyd song)
| "Eclipse" | |
|---|---|
| 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 | 2:03 |
| Writer | Roger Waters |
| The Dark Side of the Moon track listing | |
|
Side one
Side two
|
|
"Eclipse" is the tenth[1] and final track from British progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. It was sung by Roger Waters, with harmonies by David Gilmour. After Waters left, Gilmour sang the lead when performing live.
The song is often mistakenly labelled "The Dark Side of the Moon" alongside "Brain Damage" 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 a recurring lyric in "Brain Damage" ("I'll see you on the dark side of the moon") and the title of the album.
Contents |
[edit] Composition
This song serves as the album's climax and features a loud, repetitive melody that builds up, then ends with a very quiet outro. When the main instrumentation ends at 1:30, the sound of a heartbeat from the first track, "Speak to Me", appears, which appears again in 9/8, and gradually fades to silence.
The song consists of a repeating four chord pattern: D major, D over C in the bass (a compound chord usually notated as "D/C".), B-flat major seventh ("B♭maj7" – this chord can be heard as a D minor over a B♭ bass, or "Dm/B♭", a slash chord), and A7 (with a suspended fourth resolving to the major third – notated as A7sus4 to A7). However, the arrangement adds variety. Guitarist David Gilmour recorded two tracks of rhythm guitar, playing arpeggios, one in open position, and one much higher, around the tenth fret. The lower-pitched guitar part includes the open G and E strings during the B♭maj7, resulting in an added sixth and a dissonant augmented fourth. However, these notes become consonant as they sustain through to the next chord, A7. The quartet of female background singers vary their parts, rising in volume, and echoing some of Waters' lyrics, as the piece builds in intensity. On the last repetition of the chord progression, the B♭maj7 leads directly to a climax on D major, resulting in a "brightening" effect (known as the Picardy third), as the aforementioned implication of D minor in the B♭maj7 chord shifts to the major.[2][3]
The final words sung on the song and, indeed the album The Dark Side of the Moon directs the listener, "and everything under the sun is in tune, but the sun is eclipsed by the moon." Roger Waters explained the meaning of these words as well as the entire song by asserting,
| “ | "I don't see it as a riddle. The album uses the sun and the moon as symbols; the light and the dark; the good and the bad; the life force as opposed to the death force. I think it's a very simple statement saying that all the good things life can offer are there for us to grasp, but that the influence of some dark force in our natures prevents us from seizing them. The song addresses the listener and says that if you, the listener, are affected by that force, and if that force is a worry to you, well I feel exactly the same too. The line 'I'll see you on the dark side of the moon' is me speaking to the listener, saying, 'I know you have these bad feelings and impulses because I do too, and one of the ways I can make direct contact with you is to share with you the fact that I feel bad sometimes."[4] | ” |
Paul McCartney was one of the people interviewed by Waters as part of his efforts to develop dialogue to accompany certain songs on the album. His interview was not used, but Abbey Road Studios doorman Gerry O'Driscoll's was. His full answer to the question "What is 'the dark side of the moon'?", part of which is heard in "Eclipse", was: "There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark. The only thing that makes it look light is the sun."[5][6]
[edit] Usage
On March 10, 2004, the song was used to wake the Mars probe Opportunity. It was chosen in recognition of the transit of the Martian moon Phobos.[7] This is not the first time Pink Floyd has been played in outer space; Russian cosmonauts took and played an advance copy of Delicate Sound of Thunder aboard Soyuz TM-7, making it (unofficially) the first album played in space.[8]
[edit] Alternative and live versions
- The song is featured on the Pulse CD and DVD and is sung by David Gilmour instead of Roger Waters as it was originally.
- The version heard on the compilation album Works is about 30 seconds shorter, with much of the heartbeat removed. Like "Brain Damage", the song is presented in an alternate mix.
- In the Flesh – Live also features the track which is segued out of "Brain Damage".
[edit] Radio
Most radio stations combine Brain Damage with Eclipse. However, due to licensing limitations, internet stations treat the two songs as separate tracks, and therefore are unable to combine them (much to the chagrin of many listeners). However, despite this, the majority of 2112 by the band Rush is considered a track, despite being divided into sub-tracks on the album (the track itself being over twenty minutes long).
[edit] Personnel
- Roger Waters — music, lyrics, bass guitar, lead vocals
- David Gilmour — guitar and vocals
- Richard Wright — organ and vocals
- Nick Mason — drums, percussion
with:
- Lesley Duncan — backing vocals
- Doris Troy — backing vocals
- Barry St. John — backing vocals
- Liza Strike — backing vocals
[edit] Notes
- ^ The track number depends upon the edition of the album; some releases merge the two tracks "Speak to Me" and "Breathe".
- ^ Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon 1973 Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., London, England, ISBN 0-7119-1028-6 (USA ISBN 0-8256-1078-8)
- ^ Which One's Pink? An Analysis of the Concept Albums of Roger Waters & Pink Floyd by Philip Anthony Rose. Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. Ontario, Canada. ISBN 1-896522-47-5
- ^ Dallas, Karl, Pink Floyd: Bricks in the Wall, page 107, Shapolsky Publishers/Baton Press, ISBN 0-933503-88-1, 1987.
- ^ The Making Of The Dark Side Of the Moon DVD
- ^ Inside Out. Nick Mason. First edition, p.172
- ^ "Solar System Exploration: News & Events". 2004-03-10. http://solarsystem.jpl.nasa.gov/news/display.cfm?News_ID=7759. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ^ Mark Cunningham. "Pink Floyd and Company – Pink Floyd Articles and Reviews". http://www.pinkfloyd-co.com/band/interviews/art-rev/art-sos4.html. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
|
||||||||
