The only Waters-Gilmour collaboration Roger Waters didn’t remove from his solo setlists
Many in the current landscape might define the legacy of Pink Floyd as a unique entity spearheaded by the most unlikely pairing, Roger Waters and David Gilmour. However, while this conflict remains a defining piece to the puzzle, it doesn’t take away from the fact that, together, Waters and Gilmour managed to refine a sound so artistically intricate and yet explosive all at the same time.
Many bands in history have fallen victim to innate clashes, but Waters and Gilmour seemed to point towards a different kind of opposition where, even at their most collaborative, they failed to see eye to eye. However, this fact is neither here nor there, especially from a listener’s perspective, with the music appearing as an indicator of broader artistic grandeur suitable for any mindset imaginable.
And while the two musical figureheads often scrambled for greater control, the music itself more often than not feels like a singular entity, pulling you in with holistic nuance and energy, signalling something far-reaching and long beyond the basic parameters of individual capabilities. One of the more telling examples of this behind-the-scenes disruption versus artistic excellence is their ninth record, Wish You Were Here.
Described by almost all those involved as a torturous album where personal conflicts often got in the way of a harmonious working environment, Wish You Were Here was incidentally sonically and artistically accomplished, with concepts and themes spotlighting tragedy and disillusionment during a period of significant change in their lives and the music industry.
Navigating varying personal struggles also gave the record a more mature tone while enhancing its overarching conceptual feel, steeped in the dynamics of emotional turmoil and subtle notes of ambiguity—focusing on the often overlooked in-between space where allowing yourself to feel things like despair and longing can lead to the most satisfying kind of artistic consumption.
This is also why many Floyd fans keep returning to ‘Wish You Were Here’. Paralleling Syd Barrett’s downfall and exploring loss among the remaining members, ‘Wish You Were Here’ not only draws you in because it’s a great song, but it also signifies a deeper, more profound connection with music that not even Waters could ignore. After leaving the band, it’s the only collaboration with Gilmour he didn’t completely omit from his solo setlists.
“It still brings tears to my eyes when I sing it because it’s so important to every day of my life,” he admitted during a 1992 Jim Ladd radio interview, continuing: “Because we too often fail to make the connections that we ought to.” Clearly, the song held enough emotional resonance for Waters to disentangle it from any associations with Gilmour, leaving him able to perform it with nothing but pure adoration for what it means to him personally.
