Pink Floyd released “Comfortably Numb”

Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd

Writer(s): David Gilmour, Roger Waters (see lyrics here) Released: June 23, 1980 First Charted: December 9, 1988 Peak: 1 CL, 24 AR, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.6 UK, 0.73 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 645.05 video, 584.99 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: In 1977, while Pink Floyd was on tour, Roger Waters, the band’s bassist and chief songwriter, was dealing with “stomach cramps so bad that I thought I wasn’t able to go on” XFM before a show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. SF A “sleazy Philadelphia doctor” RS500 gave him a sedative for the pain. “That was the longest two hours of my life,” Waters said. “Trying to do a show when you can hardly lift your arm.” RS500 Even though he couldn’t focus, fans were so busy screaming that they didn’t care. Pink Floyd’s subsequent album, The Wall, explored the theme of alienation between the band and its audience. SF The experience shaped the song “Comfortably Numb,” which became “the album’s centerpiece.” TC The song also incorporated an experience he had as a child when he was sick with a fever. As an adult, Waters would get that feeling again on occasion and enter a state of delirium when he would feel detatched from reality. SF He said the lines, “When I was a child, I had a fever/ My hands felt just like two balloons,” were autobiographical. In the movie The Wall, “Comfortably Numb” accompanies a scene in which the rock star Pink goes into a catatonic state before a show and is drugged up to get through. It recalled the experience the band had when original member Syd Barrett was kicked out of the band in 1968 after becoming mentally ill. SF Guitarist David Gilmour wrote an instrumental demo while he was working on a solo album in 1978. It became the basis for the song, he and Waters argued over two versions of the song; Gilmour “wanted the verses to have a harder sound.” UCR They finally compromising by editing two takes together. SF Gilmour said the song was made up of the dark (represented by lines like “Hello, is there anybody in there” sung by Waters) and light (lines like “When I was a child…” sung by Gilmour). SF It was their “last real collaboration” TC and Gilmour’s contribution – specifically his second guitar solo in the song – has often appeared in polls of all-time best guitar solos, even topping the list of a 2006 list by TV music channel Planet Rock. SF In 2005, Waters and Gilmour reunited with keyboardist Richard Wright and drummer Nick Mason at Live 8. The last song they played was “Comfortably Numb.” Mason died three years later, making it the last song the foursome ever played together. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Pink Floyd TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 294. RS500 Rolling Stone (12/04). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” SF Songfacts UCR UltimateClassicRock.com (9/30/2022). “Top 100 Classic Rock Songs” WK Wikipedia XFM Mike Walsh (editor) (2010). The XFM Top 1000 Songs of All Time. Elliott & Thompson Limited: London, England. Page 315. Related Links: Last updated 4/30/2024.