Arnold Layne

"Arnold Layne"
Song
B-side	"Candy and a Currant Bun"

"Arnold Layne" was the first single released by British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, shortly after landing a recording contract with EMI. The song was written by Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd's co-founder and original front man. Although not originally included on the band's debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, "Arnold Layne" is featured on numerous compilation albums of the band.

Pink Floyd version

The song

The song's title character is a transvestite whose primary pastime is stealing women's clothes and undergarments from washing lines. According to Roger Waters, "Arnold Layne" was actually based on a real person. Waters: "Both my mother and Syd's mother had students as lodgers because there was a girls' college up the road so there were constantly great lines of bras and knickers on our washing lines and 'Arnold' or whoever he was, had bits off our washing lines."

However, despite finding a place in the Top 20, the song's unusual transvestism theme attracted the ire of Radio London, which deemed the song was too far-removed from "normal" society for its listeners, before eventually banning it from radio airplay altogether.

Producer Norman Smith wanted the band to re-record the Joe Boyd produced song after they had signed up with EMI. While Waters and keyboardist Richard Wright were willing to do this, Barrett, on the other hand, wasn't entirely satisfied with the existing studio cut, and argued against recording another version. Attempts were made to re-record the song at the insistence of EMI (who at the time only wanted to use in-house producers) but, perhaps due to Barrett's indifference to doing so, the re-recordings never got very far and the Boyd-produced session was used.

Boyd mentioned in several interviews over the years that "Arnold Layne" regularly ran for 10 to 15 minutes in concert (with extended instrumental passages), but the band knew that it had to be shortened for use as a single. Boyd has also said it was a complex recording involving some tricky editing, recalling that the middle instrumental section with Richard Wright's organ solo was recorded as an edit piece and spliced into the song for the final mix.

The song was mixed into mono for the single. It has never been given a stereo mix though the four-track master tape still exists in the EMI tape archive.

Music videos

A black and white promotional film of "Arnold Layne" was made the same year, and featured members of Pink Floyd dressing up a mannequin before showing it around a beach in East Wittering, West Sussex. Recently, an alternative promotional film was unearthed, which featured the band goofing around on Hampstead Heath, and also in front of St Michael's Church in Highgate near to where the band were living at the time. It is the only known footage of Barrett lip synching to the song. Shot in the spring of 1967, around the time that Barrett had begun his mental deterioration, it also gives an early insight to the tensions within the band with one scene featuring Waters attacking Barrett in a supposed play fight that appears a little too real.

Track listing

A. "Arnold Layne"
B. "Candy and a Currant Bun"

All tracks written by Syd Barrett.

Personnel

• Syd Barrett - Guitar and Vocals
• Roger Waters - Bass
• Richard Wright - Organ and Backing vocals
• Nick Mason - Drums and Percussion

David Gilmour version

"Arnold Layne"
Song
B-side	"Dark Globe"

David Gilmour, during his solo tour promoting On an Island, unexpectedly added the song to the setlist near the end of the American tour on the 17 April 2006 show at the Oakland Paramount Theatre. This incarnation of the song was sung by Richard Wright and remained in the setlist until 31 May.

On 26 December 2006, two live recordings of the song, from David Gilmour's May 2006 On an Island shows at the Royal Albert Hall were released as a live single, which peaked at #19 on the UK Singles chart. One version had guest vocals by David Bowie. Both versions are featured on Gilmour's DVD/BD, Remember That Night (Bowie's version on disc 1 and Richard Wright's version as a bonus on disc 2).

Track listing

1. "Arnold Layne" (with David Bowie) 3:30
2. "Arnold Layne" (with Richard Wright) 3:23
3. "Dark Globe" 2:23

All tracks written by Syd Barrett

Personnel

David Gilmour - Electric Guitar & Backing Vocals (tracks 1-2), Acoustic Guitar & Vocals (track 3)
Richard Wright - Organ (tracks 1-2) / Lead vocals (track 2) / Backing Vocals (track 1)
Jon Carin - Keyboards / Backing vocals (tracks 1-2)
Phil Manzanera - Guitar / Backing vocals (tracks 1-2)
Steve DiStanislao - Drums (tracks 1-2)
Guy Pratt - Bass / Backing vocals (tracks 1-2)

Pink Floyd 2007 Performance

On 10 May 2007, Pink Floyd featuring David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright (minus Roger Waters, who had appeared onstage earlier in the evening, but time constraints prevented him from appearing with his former bandmates) performed one final time for what was to be Richard Wright's final live performance, at The Barbican, London for The Madcaps Last Laugh a tribute show for Syd Barrett organised by Joe Boyd. At the end of the show, they were introduced as surprise guests and they performed Arnold Layne once more with Richard Wright taking the lead vocal.