Comfortably Numb
|
|
| Comfortably Numb | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl single by Pink Floyd | ||
| From the album The Wall | ||
| Released | November 30 1979. | |
| Recorded | 1979 | |
| Genre | Classic Rock | |
| Length | 6 min, 26 s (6 min, 53 s on Echoes) | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Producers | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | |
| The Wall (Disk 2) track listing | ||
| Bring the Boys Back Home (05) | Comfortably Numb (06) | The Show Must Go On (07) |
"Comfortably Numb" is a song from the album The Wall by Pink Floyd. It is one of only a handful of songs on the album co-written by David Gilmour, who supplied the tune, and Roger Waters, who supplied the lyrics — most are by Waters alone —and it features two guitar solos by Gilmour. The song is a particular favourite with the band's fans.
The lyrics refer to The Wall's protagonist Pink, finally burned out and passed out in his hotel room, being drugged to make him able to perform. The verses, sung by Waters, are the words of the doctor treating Pink, while the chorus, sung by Gilmour, is Pink's hazy vision and thoughts.
Waters and Gilmour disagreed about how to record the song. In the end, Gilmour's preferred opening to the song and the final solo were used on the album. The final solo, revered by fans and air-guitarists worldwide as one of Gilmour's best, is recognized by critics as an archetypical rock guitar solo. An extended version can be found on the live album P-U-L-S-E [1994], including a more epic version of the (some would say) 'mind blowing' guitar solo.
In 2004, a dance-oriented cover of the song was released by Scissor Sisters on Polydor. Although the cover (sung entirely in falsetto) has irked some Floyd fans, David Gilmour has expressed a liking for the group. Waters is also known to have contacted the band to congratulate them on the version.
Quotes
"We [Gilmour and Waters] argued over Comfortably Numb like mad. Really had a big fight, went on for ages."
—David Gilmour, Rock Compact Disc magazine, September 1992
External links
- Lyrics (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pink-floyd/108779.html)