David Gilmour’s favourite songs of all time
Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour has lived an action-packed life, including many exhilarating highs. However, numerous plentiful excruciating lows have followed alongside those moments of joy. Whether toasting a win or licking his wounds after a defeat, Gilmour can always rely on music to provide an appropriate soundtrack.
From a young age, it became clear to Gilmour that music was his calling, and he planned to dedicate his life to pursuing the art form. He never imagined he would become an essential part of one of the most commercially successful groups of all time. In fact, Gilmour would have likely settled for performing in pubs and clubs with friends on the weekend if fame had evaded him.
Thankfully, his talent received the recognition it deserved upon joining Pink Floyd. While he wasn’t a founding member of the pioneering rock group, Gilmour arrived as their knight in shining armour, answering their cries when the band needed somebody the most.
Tragically, Syd Barrett’s mental health had fallen off the deep end, and he was no longer capable of contributing to the group, which eventually led to his dismissal. As a direct result, Gilmour’s role in the band gradually grew in importance, and soon enough, he became indispensable.
Before joining the set-up with Pink Floyd, though, Gilmour established a name for himself locally in the Cambridgeshire area with Jokers Wild. Following that band’s break-up, he toured Europe with two other members from the group as a trio, but success evaded him. While they didn’t go on to become a household name, Gilmour remembers those days fondly, as he recalled during an appearance on BBC Radio 2 ‘s ‘Tracks Of My Years’. Looking back with misty eyes upon his early creative exploits, Gilmour explained how The Beach Boys’ hit ‘God Only Knows’ reminds him of that transformative time.
Gilmour recalled: “I love The Beach Boys. My early band in Cambridge when I was a teenager did a lot of Beach Boys songs, but I didn’t want to play one of the too surfy ones”.
He added: “I just love the place that Brian Wilson got to as he got out of all the surfing music, and some of these things are just sublime. ‘God Only Knows‘ is one of the best things he ever did”.
Another act that lit up Gilmour’s existence during this period was The Jimi Hendrix Experience, with whom he had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders in the London music scene during the 1960s. Every artist of that era has a story about witnessing Jimi Hendrix perform for the first time and being blown away by his brilliance. Gilmour, who selected Hendrix’s song ‘The Wind Cries Mary’, also has his own tale about the guitar hero, which took place at The Blazes Club in South Kensington, recalling, “Myself and the whole place there had their jaws hanging open at this guy”.
The Pink Floyd star then explained that he spent the following day aimlessly walking around record stores in London, attempting to discover Hendrix’s material. However, much to his bemusement, the otherworldly talent was yet to release any music officially but within a few months everybody knew his name.
Staying on trend with the 1960s, Gilmour discussed his love of The Beatles, including ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’. Explaining his decision, Gilmour said: “I was an absolute mad Beatles fan, and ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ is John Lennon’s first moment of being influenced by Bob Dylan, I think. It’s just one example, and you could choose hundreds of things by The Beatles, couldn’t you.”
Elsewhere, Gilmour highlighted the impact of Nina Simone’s work on him, specifically picking out her version of ‘I Put A Spell On You’. “Well, Nina Simone is one of the true great originals,” he exclaimed. “That recording of the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins is just magic, the brilliant sax solo. I heard it when I was living in Paris in 1966 or 1967, and it’s just magic. She was a wild woman, that one.”
It would also have been sacrilegious if Gilmour hadn’t discussed Kate Bush, who he discovered when she was a teenager and helped to secure a record deal. While Gilmour played down his impact on her career, he named her song ‘The Man With A Child In His Eyes’ as an all-time favourite.
Notably, Gilmour named this list of songs in 2006, which makes it almost 20 years old. Therefore, it’s likely that many new tracks have entered his list of favourites over that time, but that doesn’t downplay the significant roles played by this collection in Gilmour’s life.
