The band Pink Floyd made its world debut in 1965. Since then, its songs have become quite possibly the most influential in the music world. If you want to listen to their songs, but aren’t sure where to start, fear not. Here are the ten best Pink Floyd songs.
10. “Hey You” from "The Wall"
Coming off the band’s 1979 album, "The Wall“, “Hey You” falls right in the middle of the queue with the album having 26 songs total.
9. “Money” from "The Dark Side of the Moon"
The sixth song from the band’s 1973 album, “Money” is surely not lacking in the sound effects department. The song starts out with the sound of a cash register and a few “kuh-ching” noises to really sell the whole “money” theme. “Money” by Pink Floyd is a great song to get a feel for the funky sound effects and noises the band utilizes in a majority of their songs.
8. “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” from "The Wall"
Though on the shorter end, clocking in at only a minute and 50 seconds, “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” actually goes hand and hand with number seven on this list, “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2”. The ending of “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” blends seamlessly into the beginning of “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2”. This song has a beat you can’t help but dance to.
7. “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” from "The Wall"
Blending in seamlessly from “The Happiest Days of Our Lives,” in “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2," the lead singer sings about education and teachers. Some of the lines are “We don’t need no education,” and “Hey, teacher! Leave us kids alone!” This song does a great job of reminding us that we really are just another brick in the wall.
6. “The Great Gig in the Sky” from "The Dark Side of the Moon"
This song has very minimal lyrics. The lyrics that do exist will for sure make you think. They are: “I am not frightened of dying / Any time will do, I don’t mind / Why should I be frightened of dying? / There’s no reason for it, you’ve gotta go sometime.” Dark? Maybe. But could it soothe your never-ending existential dread? Perhaps.
5. “Brain Damage” from "The Dark Side of the Moon"
This song, from its 1973 album, "The Dark Side of the Moon" really makes you feel… weird, to say the least, but in a good way. The lyrics even pay homage to the album itself; they are as follows: “And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too / I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon.
4. “Time” from "The Dark Side of the Moon"
“Time” is the fourth song in the band’s 1973 album, "The Dark Side of the Moon." The cool thing about this song is that the first 2 minutes and 18 seconds of the 6-minute and 48-second song don’t even have any lyrics, it’s just an accompaniment of instruments, bells, and whistles. And earbud users be warned: It’s loud. The lyrics that absolutely just pull at my heartstrings are as follows: “And then one day you find, ten years have got behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.” These are lyrics that can be construed in a number of ways, one of them being: All of a sudden you wake up one day and realize ten years of your life have gone by and you’ve done nothing significant with it, because you missed the memo, or as stated in the song, “the starting gun.”
3. “Comfortably Numb” from "The Wall"
What does it mean to be comfortably numb? When one is feeling numb you wouldn’t really associate that feeling with being comfortable, but maybe you do. Maybe when you’re comfortably numb, you feel at peace. One of the lyrics in the song is: “There is no pain, you are receding.” Maybe feeling absolutely nothing can be comforting in a way.
2. “Us and Them” from "The Dark Side of the Moon"
“Us and Them” is arguably one of the best songs the band has ever produced. It starts out slow and calm–to an extent, but by the 2:50 mark, you’re really just going to want to sing along. This song would also be great to play for those main character moments. The saxophone in this song too–you won’t want to miss it.
1. “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pts. 1-5)” from "Wish You Were Here"
Being the only song on this list from the band’s 1975 album "Wish You Were Here," it truly is something special. Despite being 13-minutes and 30-seconds long, there aren’t any lyrics until the 8-minute and 40-mark. This song also contains the notorious Pink Floyd laughter sound effect that any true Pink Floyd fan would recognize. Shine on.
Now with that great gig in the sky, and being comfortably numb as just another brick in the wall, go listen to some Pink Floyd, and shine on you crazy diamond.
