Credit: Far Out / Anton Corbjin

The definitive list of David Gilmour’s Pink Floyd songs

Mon 17 February 2025 18:00, UK

The tales of musical greatness forged from the shadows of bitter inter-band feuds are well told. Be it the romantic cross-pollination of Fleetwood Mac or the physically fraught bickering of the Eagles, it’s commonplace for classic rock bands to cover up their inner hatred with songwriting greatness. Pink Floyd were no different, with David Gilmour and Roger Waters representing vastly different personal and creative values yet coming together harmoniously to create an accomplished record like Dark Side of the Moon.

Their collaboration was harmonious on that record, but their stylistic differences can be easily noticed in their remaining discography. Their 1979 expansive epic The Wall was clearly Waters’ brainchild, with its caustic sonic composition tackling political issues through a dystopian landscape. While more delicate tracks like ‘Wish You Were Here’ and ‘Breathe’ are vintage Gilmour, leaning on ambience and atmosphere to background the more expansive ideas his guitar playing could express.

Although a late arrival to the band, Gilmour’s influence on their sonic journey was indelible. He has since established a fan base dedicated to his songwriting style. To merely sit and listen to Gilmour shred the iconic ‘Comfortably Numb’ solo has become somewhat of a stoner-rock right of passage, opening a gateway of exploration to their wider discography for oncoming fans.

While they were both creative in their own right, Waters had what many fans would consider a more contemplative narrative style that perhaps had more nuance, while Gilmour’s songwriting was rooted in a more traditional sense of musicality. A massive oversight, of course, because while Gilmour’s songwriting takes on less of a creative expanse, it’s rooted in a deep sense of universality that, when expressed on his accomplished guitar playing, has always been an incredible creative recipe.

What is David Gilmour’s best Pink Floyd song?

Perhaps fitting for their feud is ‘Comfortably Numb’s popularity as a Pink Floyd song. Slid into the second disc of Roger Waters’ double album epic The Wall, it’s a stomping prog-rock track that rose from the ashes of another argument between the band’s two figureheads.

The track was born in the recording sessions for Gilmour’s self-titled debut solo album in 1978, a project that was allowed to run parallel to Pink Floyd’s commitments because all band members were signed to solo deals as part of their contracts. But in the universe’s final attempt to unite Gilmour and Waters’ relationship, the song found its way into the band’s studio space, where Waters’ lyrics elevated the track into certified transcendence.

Speaking with Absolute Radio in 2011, Waters recounted the final argument that gave us Pink Floyd’s sonic parting gift: “Dave and I, when we were in the South of France where we did most of the recording for The Wall, we had quite a serious disagreement about the recording of ‘Comfortably Numb’.”

He continued, “It’s probably one story where his memory and my memory are almost exactly the same. It was that we had made a rhythm track and I loved it and he thought it wasn’t precise enough rhythmically so re-cut the drum track and said, ‘That’s better’, so I went, ‘No it’s not, I hate that.”

The track’s co-producer shed more light on the feud, explaining Gilmour’s take was more “stripped-down and harder” while Waters’ was “the grander technicolour, orchestral version”. Ezrin recalled: “That turned into a real arm wrestle… But at least this time, there were only two sides to the argument. Dave on one side; Roger and I on the other.”

Forged in the fire of their argument is a song many fans consider their opus. Despite the conflict, it showcases all of the band’s beautiful edges, and nuggets of genius exist in all of its drama, from Waters’ grandiosity all the way to Gilmour’s instrumental prowess.