David Gilmour names the most “perfect pop song” ever made
There are very few artists who are universally adored. It doesn’t matter who you are, whether this be Paul McCartney or Kendrick Lamar; there will always be people who don’t connect to your art. However, certain songs are exceptions to the rule and are impossible to dislike. One person’s opinion that matters more than most is Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, who believes in knowing the perfect pop song.
Due to the subjective nature of music, one man’s idea of perfection is another man’s depiction of hell. However, when Gilmour speaks, music fans need to listen intently because he does not use the word “perfect” lightly but instead says it with authority. Perfect songs may only arise once in a generation. They need to have a timeless appeal that audiences continue to find alluring long after the artist made it and connect on an emotional level with people.
For Gilmour, the one song that fits the bill is ‘Waterloo Sunset‘ by The Kinks, the de-facto anthem for London town. While, on the surface, the track is about the English capital on a delectable summer’s day, it’s about whatever the listener’s idyllic version of utopia is. For many, this is indeed the sunset overlooking the Thames, but the beauty of ‘Waterloo Sunset’ arises from Ray Davies’ songwriting that delightfully intermingles the universal and the personal.
On many occasions throughout his career, Gilmour has delved into detail about his love of The Kinks and, specifically, his favourite song from the band. Gilmour first discussed his love of the British classic during an appearance on the BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs in 2003. Guests on the radio show are invited to name the eight songs they’d like with them if they were stranded on a desert island. Naturally, ‘Waterloo Sunset’ was one of his choices. Explaining why he wanted ‘Waterloo Sunset’ for accompaniment, Gilmour clarified how the song would remind him of home while “on a lovely warm beach, to listen to this in ‘somewhere else’ sunset, and missing London would be a wonderful moment.”
Years later, during a Q&A session with fans in 2007, Gilmour was asked about the one song he wishes he’d written. Again, ‘Waterloo Sunset’ escaped his mouth with the guitarist stating: “There is so many, that’s very hard to answer. I think for me, about the perfect pop song is ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by The Kinks. I’d love to have written that. Absolutely great. Guitar-wise, maybe ‘Albatross’ by Fleetwood Mac“.
Gilmour isn’t the only member of British music royalty who wishes they wrote ‘Waterloo Sunset’. Damon Albarn also named the song when posed with the same question. “‘Waterloo Sunset’ by Ray Davies [The Kinks]. Without a shadow of a doubt. It’s the most perfect song I could ever hope to write, with my sort of voice,” the Blur frontman told Record Mart & Buyer. Paul Weller is another icon who never gets bored of listening to the 1960s classic. In the documentary World Through My Window, he said, “Aside from the lyrics and imagery, just that melody is fantastic to me. “It just gets me here (points to his heart) every time I hear it, and God knows I’ve heard or played it. Countless times.”
Ray Davies, the songwriter behind the track, has always been reserved about the story behind the song, and strangely, this has enhanced the legacy of ‘Waterloo Sunset’. As Gilmour says, it’s a perfect track; therefore, Davies has never needed to manufacture an elaborate story in order to sell ‘Waterloo Sunset’. Instead, the pureness of the track is the only thing that matters, which has embedded it into the hearts of millions who agree with Gilmour’s consensus.
