Wish You Were Here (6:33)
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“Wish You Were Here” is the title track on Pink Floyd’s 1975 album Wish You Were Here. The song’s lyrics encompass writer Roger Waters’ feelings of alienation from other people. Like most of the album, it refers to former Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett and his breakdown. The main riff came to David Gilmour while playing his acoustic guitar in Abbey Road Studios. Gilmour then demonstrated the riff to Waters, who was impressed. They collaborated to complete the song, as Waters had already written some lyrics. In 2004, the song was ranked #316 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In the original album version, the song segues from “Have a Cigar” as if a radio had been tuned away from one station, through several others (including a radio play and one playing Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony), and finally to a new station where “Wish You Were Here” is beginning. Gilmour performed the intro on a twelve-string guitar, processed to sound like it was playing through an old transistor radio, and then overdubbed a fuller-sounding acoustic guitar solo. This passage was mixed to sound as though the guitarist was sitting in a room, playing along with the radio; it also contains a whine that slowly changes pitch—emulating the heterodyne between two drifting AM radio signals.
The intro riff is repeated several times and reprised when Gilmour plays further solos with scat singing accompaniment. At the end of the recorded song, the final solo crossfades with wind sound effects (reminiscent of “One of These Days” from the 1971 album Meddle), and finally segues into the second section of the multi-part suite “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”.
In the original album version, the song segues from “Have a Cigar” as if a radio had been tuned away from one station, through several others (including a radio play and one playing Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony), and finally to a new station where “Wish You Were Here” is beginning. Gilmour performed the intro on a twelve-string guitar, processed to sound like it was playing through an old transistor radio, and then overdubbed a fuller-sounding acoustic guitar solo. This passage was mixed to sound as though the guitarist was sitting in a room, playing along with the radio; it also contains a whine that slowly changes pitch—emulating the heterodyne between two drifting AM radio signals.
The intro riff is repeated several times and reprised when Gilmour plays further solos with scat singing accompaniment. At the end of the recorded song, the final solo crossfades with wind sound effects (reminiscent of “One of These Days” from the 1971 album Meddle), and finally segues into the second section of the multi-part suite “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”.
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A series of pictures which accompany <b>Pink</b> Floyd's masterpiece '<b>Wish You Were Here</b>'.
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Albums featuring this track
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Echoes
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Pulse (disc 2)
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Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd (disc 2)
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Shouts
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DarkLunae wrote:
Special.
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Buba9 wrote:
gloriously... :)
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johnny7gun wrote:
i can almost cry at will when i play this....
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ACDCfuckinrocks wrote:
Epic.
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andrija-pr wrote:
I agree With Highhopes4ever :))
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Bumek93 wrote:
Beautiful song
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Highhopes4ever wrote:
I wish THEY were here and gave us a concert....
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tinymami wrote:
One of my many favorites from this band! Classic...
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SerNick wrote:
How I wish you were here... how I wish....
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mcclellen2020 wrote:
nothin more to say but ♥ this song.
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collinb wrote:
Wonderful song by a wonderful band. Simply amazing.
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Deardeadfriend wrote:
Yeah, it is what I call perfection.
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coyote1986 wrote:
heart touching
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cirillaaa wrote:
the best song ever. masterpiece <3
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tolavik wrote:
best song
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flowerinurhand wrote:
the guitar is great.so i love it.so you think can tell (!)
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heroined wrote:
blue skies and pain.
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zodiac_4_music wrote:
great lyrics....Time and Wish You Were Here i guess are the best pink floyd lyrics...
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Gibiruei wrote:
this song is addictive =]
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David_J1973 wrote:
Syd Barret and Rick Wright - we wish you were here. RIP, my friends.
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Recent Activity
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Alina_Kalyn added Wish You Were Here to her Loved Tracks. 5 minutes ago
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vinzouille72 added Wish You Were Here to vinzouille72’s library. 11 minutes ago
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zuziafruzia96 added Wish You Were Here to the playlist .taaak. ;). 20 minutes ago
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eddypoo, melatar1989, Jefimijja and 1 other person loved Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here. 1 hour ago
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sadspat added Wish You Were Here to sadspat’s library. 3 hours ago
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