The classic Pink Floyd song Roger Waters said brings “tears to my eyes”
Music like their music, Pink Floyd seems a unique, intricate entity. Artistic appeal aside, it also saw the convergence of two figures who seem inherently conflicting—David Gilmour and Roger Waters. Through the wilderness of two ostensibly opposite characters, an impossible transcendent sound emerged, one defined by its own delicacy that demanded to be heard, seen, and felt.
Whatever varying opinions there are about Pink Floyd in the contemporary age, and no matter how much their legacy beckons to be tainted by the clashes of its two figureheads, there’s no denying that much of the music pulls you in. After all, sonic greatness aside, there’s also a deeper appeal to their music that stems from its conceptual themes and inexplicable ability to appeal to a multitude of moods.
However, an undeniable simplicity also belies the broader, immersive atmosphere that somehow, more often than not, feels inherently personal. After all, despite the qualms and conflicts, Pink Floyd, behind closed doors, were all about creating artistic grandeur, signalling a singular entity that went beyond the specifics of their individualistic capabilities.
As a result, the band might have been a deeply fractured operation, but many of the songs pulled from real human experiences and emotions, enabling a timelessness that few have ever come close to imitating. This is also why, despite the wealth of material that proved Pink Floyd’s artistic proficiency and technical precision, many find themselves constantly coming back to one tune in particular.
With bands like Pink Floyd, it’s easy to disregard or criticise the hits because, in the eyes of fans, many other overlooked gems do the talking in more ways than the hits will ever capture. However, with ‘Wish You Were Here’, Waters and Gilmour seemed to strike gold, not only sonically but in their ability (and inability) to create magic together when they least expected it.
Loosely connected to Syd Barrett’s downfall and broadly exploring loss and existentialism, ‘Wish You Were Here’ not only became a Pink Floyd staple because of its musical greatness—it’s a great tune even for those unfamiliar with its backstory—but because it’s rife with unexpected layering and intricate depth in ways that’s only detectable with a close, unwavering ear.
At the same time, it appeals to the sorrow in all of us, hooking its thorns into every heart that has ever felt at a loss while navigating grief and longing. When Waters left the band, he embarked on a period with many collaborations with Gilmour completely omitted from his solo setlists. However, ‘Wish You Were Here’ was the exception, namely because of how much it meant to him, even if he found it difficult to perform live.
“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.” While this sentimentality could have stemmed from Water’s reflections on Barrett, it’s also anyone’s guess whether it also made him ruminate on his own flaws or the struggles within the band.
Either way, the song remains a deeply ingrained classic, pulling at heartstrings while feeling like a manifestation of everywhere and nowhere. Perhaps that’s also what makes Waters feel inexplicably overwhelmed while performing it, as if it appears as a swirling cocktail of lost feelings and memories; the ones we scramble to hold on to, even when we know they will bring us grave pain and suffering.
