What God Wants, Part I

"What God Wants, Part I"
Song

"What God Wants, Part I" is the first song in a series of songs written and released by former Pink Floyd bassist, Roger Waters on his third solo album, Amused to Death. "What God Wants" is separated into three parts, much like Pink Floyd's earlier work with "Another Brick in the Wall". Though the song is in three parts, "What God Wants Pt. 1", was the only one to be released as a single. The song features the guitar playing of Jeff Beck. This part in particular deals with the contradictory duality and hypocrisy perceived by Waters in dogmatic religion and its power over man. The following parts, along with the other songs on the album, deal with worship not only in religion but also in regard to materialism and consumption. All together, its viewpoint is on the power of simplistic conformity; how people adhere to something, not entirely by volition, but out of submission.

Video

A video was released, featuring gorillas watching TV, CGI and stop motion animation of a frog skeleton picking at a piece of cheese on a mouse trap, only to be subdued by electrical wiring and fused with the cheese to create a small television set. The video was directed by Tony Kaye and produced by Sarah Whistler. Animation for the video was contracted out several studios, including Pacific Data Images (CG) and Will Vinton Studios (stop-motion). Crew-members for Pacific Data Images include Raman Hui, the stop-motion animation artists included Chuck Duke, Scott Nordlund, Webster Colcord, and Schell Hickel.

On July 21, 2015, Waters and Rolling Stone premiered a remastered version of the original video, featuring updated computer graphics and an all-new transfer of the original 35mm footage of Waters in the studio with guitarist Jeff Beck. The video is being presented exclusively through Rolling Stone by VEVO and Sony Music.

Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 refused to play the single as it was too much of a "touchy" song to be played with such frequency, which angered Waters.