Apples and Oranges (song)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2007) |
| "Apples and Oranges" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Paint Box" |
"Apples and Oranges" (released 1967) is the third U.K. single by Pink Floyd and the final one written by Syd Barrett. The B-side was "Paint Box" written by Richard Wright. The song is about a girl whom the narrator meets at the supermarket. It is one of a handful of songs by the Pink Floyd which deal directly with love.
The Pink Floyd, along with Barrett, mimed the song on their first US televised performance on American Bandstand. After Barrett was replaced by David Gilmour, the band recorded a promotional film in Belgium in a fruit market with Waters lip synching.
This was the group's first single that failed to break into the U.K. charts, and their U.S. label Tower Records issued a U.S.-only single instead: "Flaming" b/w "The Gnome" (Tower 378.) The failure of "Apples and Oranges" has been cited as one of the major causes of Syd Barrett's increasing mental instability during 1967.[citation needed] Waters blamed the single's sales performance on Norman Smith: "'Apples and Oranges' was destroyed by the production. It's a fucking good song."[1]
Both sides of the single were mixed for stereo, but Columbia elected to release it in mono since stereo singles were not a standard in the U.K. at that time. Therefore the mono and stereo versions are identical (when heard in mono), but "Apples and Oranges" in particular has been regarded as sounding muddy in mono, probably because it was mixed to sound best in stereo, without regard to how reduction to mono would sound. The stereo mix of "Paintbox" first appeared on the Relics compilation (1971), and both tracks appeared in stereo on the Masters of Rock compilation (1974). The other four early U.K. singles were mixed for mono originally, and some ("Arnold Layne", "See Emily Play", "It Would Be So Nice", and "Point Me at the Sky") only exist in mono or false stereo, while others ("Julia Dream" and possibly "Careful With That Axe, Eugene") were remixed for stereo at a later time, for inclusion on Relics. Even though mono and stereo versions of the tracks for this single are essentially the same, both masters are included in the 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition release of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.[2]
Quotes
- "It's a happy song, and it's got a touch of Christmas. It's about a girl who I saw just walking round town, in Richmond." – Syd Barrett[3]
Personnel
- Syd Barrett - Guitar and Vocals
- Richard Wright - Keyboard and Backing vocals
- Roger Waters - Bass and Backing vocals
- Nick Mason - Drums and Percussion
