Pink Floyd

Released: October 2, 1970

Songwriter: Roger Waters

Producer: Norman Smith Pink Floyd

[Verse 1]
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I were a train, I'd be late
And if I were a good man
I'd talk with you more often than I do

[Verse 2]
If I were asleep, I could dream
If I were afraid, I could hide
If I go insane
Please don't put your wires in my brain

[Verse 3]
If I were the moon, I'd be cool
If I were a rule, I would bend
If I were a good man
I'd understand the spaces between friends

[Verse 4]
If I were alone, I would cry
And if I were with you, I'd be home and dry
And if I go insane
Will you still let me join in with the game?

[Verse 5]
If I were a swan, I'd be gone
If I were a train, I'd be late again
If I were a good man
I'd talk with you more often than I do

Pink Floyd was a British rock band who managed to carve a path for progressive and psychedelic music in a way that was uniquely fascinating at the time and has remained equally momentous in the modern age. The name “Pink Floyd” came from two blues musicians that founding member Syd Barrett idolized—Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

The band was formed in 1965 London by Barrett (guitars, vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Roger Waters (bass), and Richard Wright (keyboards). Sometime after releasing their debut album, 1967’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the group saw the addition of a second singer-guitarist, David Gilmour. This acted largely as a means of replacing Barrett, who was forced to leave in 1968 for mental health reasons, resulting in Waters taking over as the main vocalist.

The band broke into the mainstream with 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon, an album that became one of the best-selling and most influential records in music history. Their follow-up efforts, 1975’s Wish You Were Here and 1977’s Animals, also sold well. However, the band started to see some in-fighting while making their next album, a rock opera about how Waters felt frustrated and detached from his audience. Waters seemingly became extremely controlling, firing Wright over disputes about touring and his contributions to the album. The result, 1979’s The Wall, became the best-selling double album of all time. It spawned iconic songs such as the #1 hit, “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2,” and the melodic “Comfortably Numb.”

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