Us and Them
| Us and Them | |
|---|---|
| Pink Floyd | |
| publication | 1973 |
| length | 7:51 (album) 3:15 (single) |
| Genre (s) | Rock music , progressive rock |
| text | Roger Waters |
| music | Richard Wright |
| album | The Dark Side of the Moon |
Us and Them is a piece by the British progressive rock band Pink Floyd . It appeared on the 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon . The music was written by Richard Wright , the lyrics are by Roger Waters . The song is mainly sung by David Gilmour . At 7 minutes and 51 seconds, the track is the longest on the album. It is the sixth track on the album; it is faded from the previous title Money and flows smoothly into the successor and instrumental title Any Color You Like . Us and Them was - shortened - released as the second single from the album.
composition
Us and Them is a quiet piece. The chorus is louder than the verses. The song contains two saxophone solos at the beginning and at the end. Richard Wright begins the piece with harmonies on his Hammond organ , then converts it into a piano chord and a piano solo.
Us and Them was originally written by Richard Wright on the piano under the title The Violent Sequence for the soundtrack of the film Zabriskie Point . In this demo version it was an instrumental piece consisting of piano and bass. Director Michelangelo Antonioni turned down the piece for the film because it didn't sound like Careful with That Ax, Eugene , the kind of music he wanted to use. The melody was then used again in the recordings of The Dark Side of the Moon , with Roger Waters then added the corresponding text.
Spoken texts
Before the second saxophone solo you can hear a voice (band roadie Roger “The Hat” Manifold) saying the following:
"Well I mean, they're gonna kill ya, so like, if you give 'em a quick sh ... short, sharp shock, they don't do it again. Dig it? I mean he got off light, 'cause I coulda given' im a thrashin 'but I only hit him once. It's only the difference between right and wrong innit? I mean good manners don't cost nothing, do they, eh? "
"Well, you know, they'll kill you, so if you give them a brief hard shock, they don't try again. Do you understand? You know, he got off quite well, because I could have done him properly, but I only met him once. It's all about the difference between right and wrong, isn't it? You know, good manners don't cost anything, right? "
Musician
- David Gilmour - guitar , vocals
- Roger Waters - electric bass
- Richard Wright - organ , piano , vocals
- Nick Mason - drums , percussion
- Dick Parry - saxophone
- Lesley Duncan - vocals
- Doris Troy - vocals
- Barry St. John - vocals
- Liza Strike - vocals
Web links
German translation of the text on Bruder-Franziskus.de
Individual evidence
- ^ Andy Mabbett, "Us and Them," The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd , Omnibus Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-7119-4301-8
- ^ Matthew Longfellow, "Pink Floyd: The Making of Dark Side of the Moon" (1997) , documentary