The The Kübler-Ross model - courtesy of Pink Floyd

[Pollux]

I didn listen to Pink Floyd while gwoing up. I was a "hard-on" for NWBHM. If you dont know what that means you are either to young, or to old.
Well, anyway, my older brother wouldnt let me of his hook that easly, so we had "listening-sessions", when I was like 6-7 years old. He come in to my room and said; come here, you need to hear, and learn to appreciate this. So, besides from the part of normal school during daytime, I often ended up with my brother in my bedroom, being schooled" about music.


Well, these days I'm incredibly greatful for that. Bands  like ELO, Supertramp, Focus, Alan Parson Project, Sparks, Simple Minds, Queen, Tom Petty, Ultravox, Manfred Mann, Flash in The Pan, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, and numerous other bands - he "scholled me" on.


But I remember when he played Pink Floyd - A great Gig In The Sky, and he said it was; a song about dying - in a sort of way. I didn't know what the man was saying in the intro of the song, at that point, but later on I of course know what he said. But it didnt really resonate with me hearing this song. I mean the wailing-aria is flawless - just awesome.

But years later, when I was started to listening to Pink Floyd again, and knew that they were trying to portray the stages of acceptance of death in this song (with the wailing aria). I really "got it". And now when I listen through it I can hear it "for real".


The singer Clare Torry was called into the Pink Floyd to add some vocals on this last song they had. They had no lyrics to it, so they didn't really know what to do with it. But they knew they have to have this song on the album. So they asked her to go into the recording-booth and just "pour your heart out". She didn't know what the fuck they meant. She hadn't heard a tune of the song before getting there. So she asked; isn't there any kind of lyrics?".
Roger Waters leaned over in the recording room, activated his microphone, and said; NO.

She thought; WTF?..what do they want me to do? So they started the recording and the music started, and she started to ad lib with words like Baby, baby,  I Love You, etc. The music stopped, Roger waters voice came in her headphones; NO, we dont want that"
Well, WTF DO you want. she thought, but said; "- What do you want??...what is it about?"
"-It is the realisation of dying - and the process of it"

So she had to "sing" about dying, to music, without guide-lines.
So she thought; well, what would I sing if I knew I would were having a death sentence?


So, in ONE take, she "sang" (wailed) this;





And when you listen through it it sounds like she does a compressed version of the whole  Kübler-Ross model
There is the intro of:
- Denial
- Anger
- Barganing
- Depression
..and then - Acceptance.

All comprised in one aria.
I really like Clare Torry's original version of it - and she sang this in ONE setting - no retakes.
But regardless that I want to show this version, when Pink Floyd had 3 different singers who share each part of it. It's from their live-show in Venice - Italy.


Fuckin breathtaking;






An marvelious rendition - but regardelss: Clare Torry's version that she did, by herself, in one taking an aria for around 4 minutes - is exceptional.


PS: The intro words of the original song is a short recording of none of the janitors in the Abbey Road-studio where Ping Floyd recorded this album. They thought they could use some sort of "talking-intro" to this song. So they took a tape-recorder and walked around the building and asking all the people working there about life, if they were afraid of dying. And they ended up using this original recording from one of the janitors there, and he says;

"- And I am not frightened of dying. Any time will do, I don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying? There's no reason for it – you've got to go sometime...."

PS: Disregard my bad grammar & spelling.

Fuckin breathtaking;

I love that album, it is transcendent. 

I wonder what the recipe for opening up the veil actually requires? Still, I frequently hear words that come from songwriters that I don’t think come from their conscious minds.

Where would we be without music? 

[Pollux]

I love that album, it is transcendent. 

I wonder what the recipe for opening up the veil actually requires? Still, I frequently hear words that come from songwriters that I don’t think come from their conscious minds.

Where would we be without music? 

Ooh, its magical...

Yeah, inspiration from music is elusive. Many of the best musical pieces, they say, are made in the borderline of sleep/dream and "awakeness" (not all of course) but I think it was Mozart who said that when he lacked inspiration he had his afternoon naps, and tried to "catch" that part when he was slipping in and out of a dream, and "catch" the music he heard there, and put it to paper....He sai
d he made his best music this way.
I think it was Mozart?!?!.... Well anyway.... :

Many composers/songwriters say that; when they dont "think about it" (and try force their creativity), is when the best tunes come to them....

Ooh, its magical...

Yeah, inspiration from music is elusive. Many of the best musical pieces, they say, are made in the borderline of sleep/dream and "awakeness" (not all of course) but I think it was Mozart who said that when he lacked inspiration he had his afternoon naps, and tried to "catch" that part when he was slipping in and out of a dream, and "catch" the music he heard there, and put it to paper....He sai
d he made his best music this way.
I think it was Mozart?!?!.... Well anyway.... :

Many composers/songwriters say that; when they dont "think about it" (and try force their creativity), is when the best tunes come to them....

Paul McCartney is one that springs to mind. I think it was ‘Yesterday’ that he wrote immediately after he woke up after dreaming it. He tells of other examples.

Thanks for this Pollux.  Floyd are my favourites and this dark but profound album is one of their best.  Maybe one day I'll be on stage playing guitar in the great gig in the sky, who knows?  What an awesome thought!!!