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Louder than Words (Pink Floyd song)

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"Louder than Words (song)" redirects here. For the song by David Guetta, see Louder than Words (David Guetta song).

"Louder than Words"
Song

"Louder than Words" is a song written by David Gilmour and Polly Samson. The song, featuring lyrics written by Samson to accompany a composition by Gilmour, was originally recorded by British rock band Pink Floyd for their fifteenth studio album, The Endless River, where it appears as the closing track on the album. The track, which had its roots in the 1993 sessions for the band's previous studio album, The Division Bell, features a posthumous appearance by former keyboardist and founding member of Pink Floyd, Richard Wright, and an appearance by electronic string quartet Escala. "Louder than Words" is the only song on the album with vocals, sung by lead vocalist Gilmour.[2]

The track was released to US mainstream rock radio on 14 October 2014, serving as the first release in promotion of The Endless River.

Composition

The music accompanying the song, composed by David Gilmour, has been described by various music critics and writers, including Exclaim! writer Josiah Hughes as a "A slow-burning, melodramatic track complete with plenty of intense guitar and synth work"[3] and by Clash writer Robin Murray as a "sparse, trippy track, one which is heavy on guitar led atmosphere and ominous electronic production".[4] The lyrics, written by Gilmour's wife, Polly Samson, depicts "stately depiction of undying love, a tribute to Richard Wright and the importance of overcoming petty differences".[5] Gilmour spoke about the song with The Guardian, stating:[6]

Well, Rick is gone. This is the last thing that'll be out from us. I'm pretty certain there will not be any follow up to this. And Polly, my wife, thought that would be a very good lyrical idea to go out on. A way of describing the symbiosis that we have. Or had… I didn't necessarily always give [Wright] his proper due. People have very different attitudes to the way they work and we can become very judgmental and think someone is not quite pulling his weight enough, without realising that theirs is a different weight to pull.

Reception

"Louder than Words" has received generally positive reviews from music critics. Tom Breihan of Spin Media music webzine Stereogum wrote positively of the song, stating that "the song is a lovely piece of work, a slow prog-rock elegy with an gospel choir and some classic Floyd guitar".[7] Brad Bershad of Zumic also gave the song a positive review. "Gilmour's guitar parts are stellar, although perhaps softer than the classic jagged tone of the '70s records.", he said. "Time has softened The Floyd a bit, but this is still a beautiful song. The autobiographical lyrics, referring to the power behind Pink Floyd's music and infighting are excellent." The song reached number 1 on Polish Radio 3 Chart on 24 October.[8][9]

Track listing

US promotional single
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Louder than Words" (radio edit)David Gilmour, Polly SamsonGilmour, Martin Glover, Andy Jackson, Phil Manzanera4:40

Personnel

Adapted from The Endless River liner notes.[10]

Charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[11] 89
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[12] 38
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[13] 29

Release history

Region Date Radio format Label Catalogue no.
United States 14 October 2014 Mainstream rock radio Columbia Records unknown[14]

References

  1. ^ http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-review-pink-floyd-endless-river-review-20141111-story.html
  2. ^ "About". Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  3. ^ Hughes, Josiah (9 October 2014). "Pink Floyd "Louder Than Words"". Exclaim!. 1059434 Ontario Inc. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  4. ^ Murray, Robin (10 October 2014). "Pink Floyd Reveal New Track 'Louder Than Words'". Clash. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  5. ^ Morris, Andy (9 October 2014). "Pink Floyd unveil new song 'Louder Than Words'". Gigwise. Giant Digital. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  6. ^ The Guardian music staff (9 October 2014). "Pink Floyd's The Endless River: 'This is the last thing out from us'". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  7. ^ Breihan, Tom (9 October 2014). "Pink Floyd – "Louder Than Words"". Stereogum. Spin Media. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  8. ^ http://lp3.polskieradio.pl/
  9. ^ Bershad, Brad (9 October 2014). ""Louder Than Words" – Pink Floyd [SoundCloud Audio Stream, Lyrics + BBC Radio Interview]". Zumic. Zumic. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  10. ^ The Endless River (liner notes). Pink Floyd. Parlophone. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ "Pink Floyd – Louder Than Words" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Pink Floyd – Louder Than Words" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  14. ^ All Access staff (7 October 2014). "Future Releases on Rock Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
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