Speak to Me
| "Speak to Me" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Pink Floyd from the album The Dark Side of the Moon | |
| Published | World Copyrights Ltd. |
| Released | 1 March 1973 |
| Recorded | June 1972 – January 1973 |
| Genre | Musique Concrete , avant-garde |
| Length | 1:07 |
| Label | Harvest |
| Writer(s) | Nick Mason |
| Producer(s) | Pink Floyd |
"Speak to Me" is the first track[nb 1] on British progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon, on which it forms an overture.[1][2] Nick Mason receives a rare solo writing credit for the track; Roger Waters subsequently claimed this was a "gift" to Mason, one which Waters came to regret after his acrimonious departure from the band.[3][4] A live version is included on Pulse.
Composition
The song itself is a sound collage, which features no lyrics (although it contains parts of the conversation tapes that Pink Floyd recorded, as well a short snippet of Clare Torry's vocal performance on "The Great Gig in the Sky"), and consists of a series of sound effects. It leads into the first performance piece on the album, "Breathe". As a result, they are usually played together on the radio, and most later re-releases merge the two songs together.[5]
Sound effects
Noticeable sound and instrument effects include:
- Heartbeat; this can also be heard at the end of "Eclipse"[2]
- Clock ticking, also heard in "Time"
- Manic laughter of Peter Watts, also heard in "Brain Damage"[2]
- Cash register, also heard in "Money"
- Helicopter noise, also heard in "On the Run"
- Clare Torry's scream, also heard in "The Great Gig in the Sky"[2]
- Backwards piano chord, which leads into "Breathe"
Spoken parts
| “ | I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years. I've been over the edge for yonks, been working me buns off for bands. Crikey... | ” |
| “ | I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us are. It's very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad. | ” |
Personnel
- Nick Mason – percussion, tape effects; tape loops
- Roger Waters – tape effects; tape loops
- Richard Wright – reversed piano
References
- Footnotes
- Citations
- ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- 1 2 3 4 Mabbett, Andy (2010). Pink Floyd - The Music and the Mystery. London: Omnibus. pp. 160p. ISBN 978-1-84938-370-7.
- ↑ "Dark Side of the Moon — Text from interview with Roger Waters". Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ↑ http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/pink-floyd-dark-side-40-years-later-40-205227757.html
- ↑ Andy Mabbett (September 28, 2010). Pink Floyd- The music and the mystery: The Music and the Mystery. Omnibus Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-85712-418-0.