In the Flesh?/In the Flesh
- This article is about the Pink Floyd song. For other uses, see In the Flesh (disambiguation).
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In the Flesh? is a song by the British progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on The Wall album in 1979.
Composition
The song is rather loud in dynamics. It is approximately 3 minutes, 20 seconds in length. The first 15 seconds of the song are quiet, and feature the melody of the song Outside the Wall. On the album, this is used to create a "cycle"; a concept which Roger Waters used in much of Pink Floyd's work during his tenure. The cycle is pointed out by Waters' voice which in the first two seconds of the album says "... we came in?" and in the last two seconds (at the end of Outside the Wall) says "isn't this where ...".
The song moves rapidly into an "explosive", loud dynamic featuring a distorted organ. This lasts for a further 1 minute, 16 seconds before the song lyrics commence. During these, the backing melody is significantly quieter than the previous opening. Following the lyrical portion, which lasts for 38 seconds, the melody returns to the explosive dynamic. During this lead-out, a number of stage directions are shouted and within the closing seconds of the piece, a dive-bomber can be heard. The final sound in the track is that of a baby crying.
Plot
As with the other songs on The Wall, In the Flesh? tells a portion of the story of Pink, the main protagonist. This first song signifies the beginning of the show (which is being narated by Pink himself). The stage directions are used to show that Pink is going to tell us the story of the building of The Wall. The Lyrics say that despite his outward appearences, things are much different "behind these cold eyes" and that if the listener (sunshine) wants to find those things out, he'll have to "claw his way through this disguise". The song also informs the listener, although not directly, that Pink's father is killed; this is done using the sound effect of the dive-bomber, indicating his death during World War II.
Live Performances
During the original tour supporting The Wall, the song would be performed onstage by a group of impostors wearing masks to make them look like the real members of Pink Floyd, playing on the lines Tell me, is something eluding you sunshine? Is this not what you expected to see?, as well as the references to a "substitute band" in the song's reprise later on.
Film Version
The beginning of the film shows Pink sitting in a locked hotel room; a crowd of people break down the door and rush in as the music suddenly gets loud. The film then cuts to various clips of rioting people that will show up later in the film. It then has a war scene where a German Ju-87 Stuka bombs a bunker, which signifies the death of Pink's father.
Ending Stage Directions
As noted above, the song ends amidst Roger Waters shouting a number of stage directions:
Lights!
Roll the sound effects!
Action!
Drop it! Drop it on 'em!
Drop it on 'em!
The live version on Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81 had slightly different stage directions:
Lights!
Roll the sound effects!
Drop it on 'em!
Drop it on 'em!
Personnel
- David Gilmour - guitars
- Nick Mason - drums
- Roger Waters - vocals, bass, synthesizer
- Richard Wright - synthesizers
- Freddie Mandell - Hammond organ
- Joe Chemay - backing vocals
- Stan Farber - backing vocals
- Jim Haas - backing vocals
- Bruce Johnston - backing vocals
- John Joyce - backing vocals
- Toni Tenille - backing vocals
References
- Fitch, Vernon. The Pink Floyd Encyclopedia (3rd edition), 2005. ISBN 1-894959-24-8