What did I miss?
Ah, let me rephrase that. I should have asked, where the hell had I been? Under a rock? Head in the sand? No, actually just out of touch.
If you read my blog dated, July 10, 2024, regarding David Gilmour, then you know that I had watched his recently posted videos on YouTube. Not only that, but I’ve also listened to an in-depth interview with David, conducted by John Edington, focusing on Sid Barret, a long, lost soul of the first incarnation of Pink Floyd. It’s a sad story, and one that I won’t get into here, for I don’t want to digress.
After I listened to the interview, I also watched Rick Beato’s, What is Pink Floyd’s Greatest Song? In it he and some of his listeners (from the once Live Chat) spoke of some of their favorites, but along the way, Rick mentioned an old album they released in 1994, The Division Bell. Hmmm, I said to myself, I don’t believe I’ve ever listened to it.
Now let’s go back a few years, er, well, quite a few years, if I have to admit…
When I was fourteen and attending ninth grade at Junior High East, we were allowed to bring albums to the gym, during our lunch hour. I remember this one particular day in great detail. That’s when one of my buddies brought a copy of Meddle, and I fell hard for Pink Floyd. It was so different from anything else I listened to – it was dreamy, creative, and I was enraptured. And ever since that day, I was a Pink Floyd fan. And when Dark Side of the Moon was released in March of 1973, it was a pivotal album for me, and still is. Then along came, Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979). Then after the departure of Roger Waters, they released A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), The Division Bell (1994) and The Endless River (2014). To be honest I barely remember, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, but due to a number of circumstances, including me being in a band and deeply into alternative rock, I missed their albums released after The Wall. And yes, my husband was never a fan, so I’m sure that played a vital role.
So, earlier today I decided to listen to The Division Bell on Spotify, to see what I had missed. Dang! I wound up adding ten of the eleven songs to my newly created Pink Floyd playlist. I’m still floored by this latest discovery and truly surprised how much I loved the album. I don’t know about you, but I often only like a handful of tunes on any album, so for me this is a rarity, indeed.
Ah, one last detail… For those true astrophysicist fans out there, there’s a guest appearance on Keep Talking (track nine), by Stephen Hawking. I kid you not. I’m listening through my headphones, when I hear his voice. And I know you’ll agree; it’s one voice that can never be mistaken! After all, he’s been a guest on so many shows, including the Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory. That’s right, Stephen Hawking and Pink Floyd. Now there’s a strange combination! However, since one is spacey, and the other one into space, maybe it’s not such an odd coupling after all!
The song, sung by David Gilmour and featuring samples of Stephen Hawking’s electronic voice, was taken from a BT television advertisement. Gilmour chose to use the speech after crying to the commercial, which he described as “the most powerful piece of television advertising that I’ve ever seen in my life.”
[Intro: Stephen Hawking]
For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals
Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination
We learned to talk
[Verse 1: David Gilmour]
There’s a silence surrounding me
I can’t seem to think straight
I’ll sit in the corner and no one can bother me
I think I should speak now (Why won’t you talk to me?)
I can’t seem to speak now (You never talk to me)
My words won’t come out right (What are you thinking?)
I feel like I’m drowning (What are you feeling?)
I’m feeling weak now (Why won’t you talk to me?)
But I can’t show my weakness (You never talk to me)
I sometimes wonder (What are you thinking?)
Where do we go from here (What are you feeling?)
[Refrain: Stephen Hawking]
It doesn’t have to be like this
All we need to do is make sure we keep talking
[Instrumental Bridge]
[Verse 2: David Gilmour]
(Why won’t you talk to me?) I feel like I’m drowning
(You never talk to me) You know I can’t breathe now
(What are you thinking?) We’re going nowhere
(What are you feeling?) We’re going nowhere
(Why won’t you talk to me?)
(You never talk to me)
(What are you thinking?)
(Where do we go from here?)
[Refrain: Stephen Hawking]
It doesn’t have to be like this
All we need to do is make sure we keep talking
Just goes to show that it’s never too late to discover NEW music (and it’s new if you’ve NEVER heard it before)! Goodnight!
Thursday, July 18th – Addendum
Well, this was certainly timely. Ran across this YouTube video this morning, by someone I just began following, last week.
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