It's a leftover from their Zabriski Point sessions. The director or whomever on the film, said "it's so beautiful, but so so sad...I can't use it...its too sad".
As you enjoy so much analyzing lyrics, you should do the Animals album by them! It's only 5 songs (2 of them are 1min30 long) and very interesting It would be epic, I need your likes PF fans :)
It's not about making a soldier out of someone, it's about making someone the enemy. Regular folk like you and me, when turned into an enemy, we/they become a threat that must be eliminated. Not only in war, but in everyday life. It's the "divide and conquer" rule. In WWI it was the allied troops (mostly Belgians, French, Canadians and British) that fraternised with the Germans during a slow week around christmas 1914. There was even a football (soccer) match organised between the "enemies". Basically, both sides were tired of the fighting for no good reason and the war would certainly have ended then and there, were it not for the officers who threatened to personally execute everyone who wouldn't fight and the war continued for another three years...
@@chrisguevara Yes it's all about dividing people up, almost arbitrarily into Us and Them. "The general sat while the lines on the map moved from side to side" to me is a comment on the futility of war.
“Good-morning, good-morning!” the General said When we met him last week on our way to the line. Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead, And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine. “He's a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack. But he did for them both by his plan of attack.
Roger Waters parents were both teachers who had strong political views and being conscientious objectors so Waters father who was also a devout Christian volunteered to drive an ambulance during The Blitz. As more Nazi war crimes came to light, Waters father changed his stance and he joined the British Army and 5 months later as a Lieutenant went MIA during the Battle of Anzio when his son Roger was just 5 months old so Waters never got to know his father. Waters grandfather also died as a soldier in action but fighting in the earlier WW1 and tragically just as he never knew his father likewise his father never knew his father. This is why Waters songs are often about the folly of war and the feeling of the absence of loved ones.
Towards the final days of WW1 - a highly decorated English soldier private Henery Tandey came across an injured & unarmed German message runner in the woods . He took aim but didn’t have the heart to kill him face to face . Both men remembered & noted the date & incident in their separate books which were written after the war . The German was Adolf Hitler .
Historical correction - the Christmas Truce in WWI was in 1914 between the British and German troops, not Americans and Germans. America didn't join the war until 1917. And it wasi ordinary troops singing Christmas carols that triggered it. Other than that, a great reviw and discussion.
The 1914 Christmas truce was British & Germans. The USA joined the war in 1917. But the sentiment about soldiers & war is the same as you described. Highly recommend you watch the Sainsbury 1914 Christmas commercial. Love your reactions . Just subbed 😁 love from the UK
"Forward he cried from the rear, and the front ranks died" - the leaders, the ones in power, command the rank & file towards their death while they hide in positions of safety "from the rear." Roger Waters explores this theme deeper in a solo song called "The Bravery of Being Out Of Range." His father was killed in WW2 when he was just a baby, so he has a LOT of issues with war and "The Powers That Be" ( another solo song) that get people killed "for the want of the price of tea and a slice."
Us and Them is about the sadness of conflict. Any Colour You Like is about the illusion of choice. it refers to an apocryphal quote of Henry Ford about the Model T ford car "You can have any colour you like as long as it's black "
I was 19 years old! I remember holding my Draft letter in one hand, and my new Bourne Daughter in the outher! My wife histacialy crying! Spent the night consoling my wife and tending to Daughter! 3 days to get my life in order! 8 weeks later! On a Air plane to war! Didn't hold my daughter again for two and a half years later! That three days I believe is when I went from Boyhood to manhood! I was given a 70 present chance I would not be coming home alive! Me and my family were one of the lucky 30 % two Daughters 6 grandchildren 5 great grandchildren one on the way! But I will never forget the day I got that letter! Didn't have time to cry then, so I do now!!🇺🇸🗽
@@csb2338 Hate might be a lttle much, and i only disliked them by association...lol...if after actually listening to pink floyd you still don't like them there might just be something wrong with your ears! ha ha!
I used to hate because I taught that their songs were all like another brick in the wall , I took a huge slap in the face lol they are my number one band now
12:00 I'm no Pink Floyd expert, but I 'think' that one of the reasons Roger Waters put some of the war references in their songs was his father was killed in WW2 soon after he was born. Hence the 'dive bomber' sound in one song, explosion in another, etc. Like I said, I'm not a huge fanboi, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong..."Actually..."
Yes they would have had strong WW2 influences. Born during the war, growing up with bombed out buildings, everyone you know lost family members. Food rationing was still in effect until 1954. They were influenced by WW2 not Vietnam.
The ghosts of WW2 haunted the members of Pink Floyd, and weighed heavy on many of their contemporaries in the British rock scene. You often hear people like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, or Mick and Keef, or whoever, describe using bombed out buildings as their playground when they were kids. Some like Roger Waters even lost fathers or uncles fighting the Nazis who bombed those buildings. Black Sabbath was actually somewhat unique to the scene in that they more often wrote with Vietnam in mind. And it shows, as their attitude towards war and evil was different. They had a showy sense of fear and doom, rather than the quiet desperation of songs like Us and Them.
"Actually" ...yes! Most, if not all contemporary musicians who born in the 40's were war child. There's a sad image of Roger Waters that projects how sad was his infancy without his father on the Wall movie. At the swings scene.
Another great analysis on the lyrics. It would be great, though, to hear your thoughts on the actual musicality and melodies of the songs you review. For me, lyrics are secondary to the music itself and too many reaction channels focus on the lyrics rather than expressing the emotional response to the music itself. Us and Them is so melodically powerful. Did you feel it?
@Dominic Tétrault Yes, but keep in mind that Santa Claus comes in the springtime to decorate. Just like the garden growing under the elephant's belly. Yay.
When I was young I used to cuddle up with my girlfriend, now wife and listen to this. Great to see people as young as you going through the Pink Floyd emotions just like I did all those years ago although I'm amazed it took you so long.
Short sharp shock refers to military national service that used to be compulsory in the UK. The quote coming from someone who had done theirs and now bemoaning the lack of discipline and respect in modern youth. The song is more about ww2 where the UK did have the draft in place,rather than Vietnam which the UK wasnt involved in.
If you ever get the chance to watch the last episode of the British satirical comedy series Blackadder, it deals with events of life in the first world war trenches with humour, pathos, desperation and the whole futility of warfare. It's only half an hour or so but so funny and emotional at the same time. It always moves me to tears!!!😢🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Roger often wrote about war with it referencing WWII in which his father was killed. This loss of his father, whom he never knew, is just one of the driving catalysts of his lyrical content.
Rainbow - Light in the Black Rainbow - Gates of Babylon Dio - The last in line Dio - Rainbow in the dark Deep Purple - Child in time Deep Purple - Highway star Queen - Innuendo Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody Queen - The Show must go on And of course, more Pink Floyd!
Us and Them is about ‘Us’ the normal everyday people and ‘Them’ the powers (Governments etc). They have disagreements and send us to war and die. We don’t choose to go to war, they do. Also, it’s about all types of ‘Us and Them’. The guy that is doing well and the guy that needs help. Sympathy and empathy. Don’t take the spoken samples to literally, they wrote questions on a piece of paper and recorded peoples answers. This question was ‘When was you last violent’.
Really enjoying your analysis guys. But can I just say, there is no personal arc in Dark Side of the Moon (unlike The Wall). It`s an everyman album. Think you`re getting too specific, maintaining there is one character traversing the album. There is no narrative story as such. The songs are much more loosely linked (although they do bleed into each other track-wise). These are stand alone songs, the common thread only being the human condition. "Us and Them" isn`t just about war. It`s about the unnecessary divisions between us all. War, social divisions, ethnic strife, national barriers. How we forget our humanity for spurious reasons. Both those in charge "forward he cried from the rear" and even "ordinary men" working for the man..."out of the way, it`s a busy day" . Similarly, "Any Colour You Like" is all-encompassing. I.e. It doesn`t matter what political stripe you are (Republican/Democrat, Concservative/Socialist) or ethnic stripe you are, or even what sports team you affiliate yourself with, that differentiates you from others. We are all equal in the end, in death. For me, the message is There IS no "Us and Them"...only "Us". Incidentally, Roger Waters` recent world tour is called "The Us and Them Tour"....these 3 words pretty much sum up his whole writing cannon (both with the Floyd, and without).
@James Smith My personal take is that Any Colour You Like comes from the saying "tastes and colors". That having different tastes is also something that divides us. People regularly enter conflicts because they don't like the same things. I think this 2nd side of the album is about everything that leads people into conflicting with each other : money/possession, people grouping up to form families/cities/nations, simply having different tastes, and in "Brain Damage"'s case, thinking others are simply crazy or dumb. The message, I think, is that no one (or very few people) in our society is a true humanist. Heck, the first thing that my mother teached me when I was a baby is that there is "us and them" : I remember asking her once "mom, why don't we go see our neighbors on the other side of the street?" and she was like "Huh? Why would you want to go see the neighbors?" and I was like "I don't know". I've thought about it and I think it was just me questioning the Us (our family) and Them (all the others). We live in a crappy world because of our fear of "Them", even though they keep proving us that they're nice people and the same as us, with only minor differences for the most part.
Us and Them - The 'haves' and the have nots'. Those with money and power and those without. Forward he cried from the rear and the front rank died, the generals sat and the lines on the map moved from side-to-side - Those with the power and money play their war games while the 'ordinary men' do the fighting and the dying. For want of the price of tea and a slice (of toast) the old man died - amidst huge wealth people die of hunger. The spoken words was Roger Waters asking a series of questions, this one was about the last time you were violent and did the other person deserve it - the geezer was cruising for a bruising, if you give them a short, sharp shock (a slap), the don't do it again, good manners don't cost nothing do they - one of the Floyds roadies, Roger 'the Hat' explaining someone of disrespectful to him so he gave the guy a 'short sharp shock' to teach him some manners.
Basic concept is about division, opposing sides - up/down, left/right, us/them. We, as a society are constantly being torn apart from each other. Many folks are willing and complicit while others are ignorant and blind to what’s happening. Most everyone feels the need to categorize themselves into this box or that box. All this does is cause conflict, abrasive interactions and the unnecessary need to qualify and quantify individuals. Humans have been lead astray.
The Christmas truce occurred following the stalemate of the Race to the Sea and the First Battle of Ypres.French, German, and British soldiers(Not America)crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk,men from both sides walked into no man's land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to exchange food and souvenirs and play games of football with one another
Us And Them relates to the album, not in the sense you have been thinking, but as something that shades the reality of life. Everything on this album relates to something that makes life dark. Speak to Me is the forshadowing of all these things went you enter the world Breathe are your first steps into the world where everything is work and you never seem to rest. On The Run deals with fear of Travel, specifically of flight where one wrong move can end your life. Time is the awaited realization that life is short and death may eventually come soon. The Great Gig In The Sky is the sonic representation of death. You are not afraid until it begins to happen. You are frantically panicking until you begin to slowly let go of your life, often trying to grasp it back but ultimately falling down again to your final rest. Money paints the picture of greed and wealth that distracts from morality. Us And The deals with conflict, especially war, in the sense that everyone is human despite what is being disagreed on. Any Colour You Like, while an instrumental, demonstrates the struggle of choice, especially where there is none despite what's being told. "Any colour you like, as long as it's black". Brain Damage is inspired by Syd Barrett, founding member of Pink Floyd who was let go after going insane from Acid. It describes madness and insanity that can blind you and take control of your life. Eclipse is the ending picture that regards everything under the sun being in tune, but is darkened by the moon, meaning life is bright, but it is only darkened by Time, Work, Money, War, Madness, and Death.
OK again about halfway in but so far, this is the one you've seemed to nail the closest. Because that's exactly what it's about: The "differences" we put between us & them that lead to conflicts and war, and the "Generals" behind the scenes who manipulate "the lines on the map" that get people killed.
This started as a piano piece for the 1970 movie Zabriskie Point - it was rejected for being "beautiful, but too sad… it makes me think of church.”. So Waters wrote the lyrics as they adopted it for the band. ed2276 Me covers what those entails well.
Roger Waters explaining his thinking in the song 'Us & Them' The first verse is about war and the people on the front lines not being able to communicate with each other, because that's how the generals have made it. The second verse is about Race and civil liberties, A short sharp shock refers to the Borstal system that young offenders were often sentenced to in Britain. the last verse is about ignoring the plight of a homeless person, walking past and getting on with your day while 'For the price of a tea and a slice ( Slice of bread and butter) the old man died.
Hi there. Let me explaine my situation. I've been listening to Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and others since around 1967 while doing a degree in Philosophy, and another in Literature...It's usual to look intently at the minutia because the writing is wonderful and will expand ones mind. All of this music will expand ones conciousness, but I found that it will rush over you in mass years later in many "a ha" moments when you least expect it and probably involved in something else entirely. It's more if a feeling then individual thoughts. It's life changing.
PLEASEEE react to: Dark Tranquility - Lost to apathy or Misery's crown Avantasia - The scarecrow Sonata Arctica - Don't say a word or Black Oceans, White Pearl Sabaton - Primo Victoria And Bathory - enter the eternal fire and the lake (so you can see their both eras)
I find this song a great metaphor for any of the things that set one group of people against another by tribalism and whatever differences may exist between us and them. Whether it be in politics, war, socioeconomic differences, race, religion, ect. Trying to tell us that all these things that bring conflict between people are often not in our control or our choice in the first place.
Great vids on Pink Floyd. To me, this album is a story about the journey of life. Definitely next-level stuff musically, and were way ahead of their time. As mentioned, you need to do full album reactions on Animals, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. All of them (and this album) are masterpieces. If you want to do a single song before you get into those album reviews, I recommend the song "Echoes." It is super long but well worth it. If you are inclined to do a live version instead of the studio release, Echoes being performed live at Pompeii (from some time in the 70s) is amazing. Again, keep up the great work!!
it was so interesting to see you both discussing the lyrics , i'm sure Roger Waters would be pleased to see lyrics he wrote around 40 years ago still provoking thought .
Deep thought Vin and Sori but "Us and Them" was more about the haves and have nots in society rather than war. Well I always thought this but you certainly looked at it diifferently and I cannot disagree with you which is the joy of music and what you do. Go well my friends I love your channel
Us and Them as well as the later, On the Turning Away are, imo, two songs that point out our faults as a society for the utter lack of caring and ignoring those that need our help the most, yet over and over, we turn a blind eye to it without ever thinking we could very easily end up in the same situation at the drop of a hat.
Hello again kids,I have loved listening to you review floyd songs, I have been enjoying Us and them since it first came out, never heard a more thoughtful, insightful take on it, Pink Floyd makes us think,! As well as beautiful music, thanks 👌👍👍.
Personally the opening of this song( Us and Them) is a masterful observation of men preparing to fight but GOD knows it's not what we would choose to do..Brilliant!
DIDUKNOWDAT .URANIDIOT? I would love to hear what vin and sori and there contributors/listeners have to say about Roger Waters Political views. That’s why I think an interview would be a good idea. I still think they should react to Animals album.
Personally im obviously more of a "David Person" or whatever, so i dont agree with Waters political views. Im not anti trump but i dont like him either. Still yes they should react to Animals. I believe the most important albums to listen to are Animals, The Wall, Dark Side, Wish you Were Here TDB and AMLOR. Those would be my favorites.
If I remember rightly back in the 70s here in the UK a politician said about the youth of the time that we should put them straight into young offender type prisons if they commited a violent crime a short Sharp shock and they wouldn't do it again they were called Borstals and run by adult prison staff they didn't work before long they were full and bred more violence through over crowding
Short sharp shock treatment started with youth detention centers. Age ranges 14 to 21. As soon as you walked through the doors you got a smack in the face, that was just to begin with. A majority of the staff were pure animals. It was basically child abuse.
Check out these songs: Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust NOFX - Generation Z and You Will Lose Faith Avenged Sevenfold - Demons, Tension and Until the End Stick to Your Guns - Amber, Better Ash than Dust, the Better Days Before Me and 3 Feet from Peace
Like your discussion. Don't agree with all your conclusions, but that cool. Personally ... I joined the military at age 16 during the Vietnam war. That life-changing decision had very little to do with Vietnam. I signed up because I believe in strong defence ... someone has to do it. I certainly didn't sign up to kill people. And as soon as I realised what was really going on ... I quit (too long a story). Anyway, one other point ... the U.K wasn't involved in Vietnam ... Australia was though. And here or there, it was called conscription. You probably won't, but ... and it's relevant ... watch (what I believe) is Stanley Kubrick's best movie, 'Paths of Glory'. It is amazing. Last point ... don't forget about the music ... it is art. Cheers.
Great reaction and review, Vin and Sori. If you really enjoyed the amazing instrumental groove jam of Any Colour You Like, please react to "Echoes - live in Pompeii video". It's absolutely amazing and, yes, they are playing in the ruins of the theater.
Love Dark side , and dig your views on each track, the whole album is about the human experience and human nature, US and Them might be my favorite track...for me it’s about oppression of one group over another framed in a conflict
In case no-one else has mentioned it you might want to have a listen to 'When the Tigers Broke Free'. It was used in the film 'The Wall' and was also put on the reissue of 'The Final Cut'. It is a VERY personal song by Roger Waters about his father's part in the second world war.
Back then there was the draft as well, so not all of the military were in combat voluntarily as it is today, that's something to figure into this song as well.
Soldiers on opposite sides, who might be friends in different circumstances (we're only ordinary men… it's not what we would choose to do) are put in a situation where they must kill on behalf of the powers in control of their lives, the generals in the rear and behind them those who control the generation and distribution of wealth. The money men. The destitute man is walked over by the man who is distracted by his busy day and desire to make money. These two might also be friends if they got to know each other but circumstances put them on different sides of a battle in civilian society. The have’s and the have nots. Us and them. “With, without… it’s what the fighting’s all about” and it's still a battle controlled by those in the rear. Vin, your interpretation makes sense. But you don’t recognise that this album comes from a different culture. For one thing you miss the class perspective few in Britain or Europe would have missed. Roger Waters, who sings and co-wrote this, is what you would call a SJW. I think he would disagree with elements of your interpretation.
I really do enjoy y'alls introspection on these songs. You clearly are able to see meaning with little to no prior familiarity which is fairly impressive. You could literally do one of these on EVERY Pink Floyd album as Roger Waters is one of the great lyricists of all time. Seriously, not just "The Wall", "Dark Side", Wish You Were Here" (my favorite)...even, and many people dismiss it, but I think some of Waters' best work is on "The Final Cut", which is quite dark and depressing but has some absolute lyrical gems, check it out. But you can go as far back as "Saucerful of Secrets" and find some really interesting themes. Also, y'all should really look at "Animals" as it is a perfect Orwellian take on modern society, some would say a direct rip off of "Animal Farm" but I think more of an homage really than a rip off, but still, really great stuff there. Pink Floyd is my all-time favorite band, several tattoos, etc...and "Any Colour You Like" was the only song, or thing really, that could make me any kind of happy for a few years after my mom died and still holds a special place within me, so I'm glad you liked it. You guys rock...keep up the good work. Nice shirts.
The first comment lines she’s confused about are not lyrics. Those are the comments of crew members to questions asked by the band and then recorded and added throughout the album. They express various themes on the album. This song is about isolation and how mankind is quick to separate itself into dichotomous groups. It uses war as that metaphor, which held great meaning to them since they grew up in the shadow of WWII. The last line refers to Roger’s father who died during the war when Roger was an infant.
About that bad intel leading to 30% more resistence than expected; Look into Pinkville/Mai Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War. It was all based on bad intel, poor but unrefusable instruction, panic, pressure, and weariness for "civilian" ambushes. This was a fine recipe for ordinary men to conduct a massacre without either wanting to or even understanding exactly what was happening. I think it gives some pretty solid context to some of the lines in Us and Them.
Havinglistened toPink Floyd’s DSOTM for almost t50years, I can still remember the first time I heard the entire album laying on my bedroom floor as a sophomore in high school with headphones and 50 candles dripping wax. I envy you hearing it for the first time. Please watch Roger Water at the wall in Berlin. It will blow your mind!
There is no logical progression for lyrics in this album but there is musical progression. In the wall album youll find both story and musical continuation as each song ends and begins.
Just subscribed hoping you do all of Pink Floyd. Vin looks like he could be in movies. Sori is really beautiful. Those eyes pop right out. You are a lucky couple to have found each other. I like to watch you two receive Pink Floyd. They will give you thoughts & images you will recall each time you listen to any of their songs. I do not bother to analyze any thing. I just enjoy the works of art.
Floyds classic anti-war song at the time of the Vietnam war and the anti-war movement around the English-speaking world. This, mostly informal, movement was given a massive boost the Woodstock,poignant Floyd at their best.
Not everyone in war has signed up for it. Most countries (especially small ones) have a mandatory military service period to train civilians as reserves. So in a time of war, the lowest-rank soldiers are civilians that do not actually choose to fight but they have to.
I discovered your chanel about a week ago with your live chat for the whole album, the one with all the technical problems at the begining. Glad to see you still love Pink Floyd! Did you listen to "Atom Hearth Mother" yet? it was recorded a few years before DSOTM and it's a lot less popular and apreciated but, the more you listen to it, the more you love it, it grows on you.
"Us and Them" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Rest in peace, Richard Wright.
It's a leftover from their Zabriski Point sessions. The director or whomever on the film, said "it's so beautiful, but so so sad...I can't use it...its too sad".
As you enjoy so much analyzing lyrics, you should do the Animals album by them!
It's only 5 songs (2 of them are 1min30 long) and very interesting
It would be epic, I need your likes PF fans :)
TheAskald - 100% agreed! Great lyrics. Dark as hell but some of their best stuff.
animals is one of the most lyrically driven album of #PINKFLOYD
I love the song Dogs, its so deep
Of course the 3 other are more than 10 minutes long.
I think they're going to love The Wall too though. There's tons of great stuff to analyze there as well.
personally i dislike animals just because that it is so focused on the lyrics instead of the music. Love the lyrics though.
It's not about making a soldier out of someone, it's about making someone the enemy. Regular folk like you and me, when turned into an enemy, we/they become a threat that must be eliminated. Not only in war, but in everyday life. It's the "divide and conquer" rule.
In WWI it was the allied troops (mostly Belgians, French, Canadians and British) that fraternised with the Germans during a slow week around christmas 1914. There was even a football (soccer) match organised between the "enemies". Basically, both sides were tired of the fighting for no good reason and the war would certainly have ended then and there, were it not for the officers who threatened to personally execute everyone who wouldn't fight and the war continued for another three years...
Agreed!!! It starts with the notion of separation, hence the name of the song. From there you end up with all kinds of justifications for atrocities.
@@chrisguevara Yes it's all about dividing people up, almost arbitrarily into Us and Them. "The general sat while the lines on the map moved from side to side" to me is a comment on the futility of war.
Spot on
“Good-morning, good-morning!” the General said
When we met him last week on our way to the line.
Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead,
And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine.
“He's a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack
As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack.
But he did for them both by his plan of attack.
I don’t know that there’s ever been a band or musician better at arranging their music. They were truly masters of assembling a piece of music.
perfection
Roger Waters parents were both teachers who had strong political views and being conscientious objectors so Waters father who was also a devout Christian volunteered to drive an ambulance during The Blitz. As more Nazi war crimes came to light, Waters father changed his stance and he joined the British Army and 5 months later as a Lieutenant went MIA during the Battle of Anzio when his son Roger was just 5 months old so Waters never got to know his father. Waters grandfather also died as a soldier in action but fighting in the earlier WW1 and tragically just as he never knew his father likewise his father never knew his father. This is why Waters songs are often about the folly of war and the feeling of the absence of loved ones.
Towards the final days of WW1 - a highly decorated English soldier private Henery Tandey came across an injured & unarmed German message runner in the woods . He took aim but didn’t have the heart to kill him face to face . Both men remembered & noted the date & incident in their separate books which were written after the war . The German was Adolf Hitler .
one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded the meaning for me of this song is in the end were all the same
Us and Them is in my top 10 all time favourite Pink Floyd songs. So atmospheric yet SO powerful.
Historical correction - the Christmas Truce in WWI was in 1914 between the British and German troops, not Americans and Germans. America didn't join the war until 1917. And it wasi ordinary troops singing Christmas carols that triggered it. Other than that, a great reviw and discussion.
The 1914 Christmas truce was British & Germans. The USA joined the war in 1917.
But the sentiment about soldiers & war is the same as you described.
Highly recommend you watch the Sainsbury 1914 Christmas commercial.
Love your reactions . Just subbed 😁 love from the UK
I cry every time I hear this song
I cry every time I hear this song brings me back to a simpler time in my life
US and Them : rich or poor , young and old, black or white, different religions, country vs country, which leads to conflict between differences
written and recorded in 1972/73....and it still fits in with todays music IMO this has to be in the top 3 best ever albums
"Forward he cried from the rear, and the front ranks died" - the leaders, the ones in power, command the rank & file towards their death while they hide in positions of safety "from the rear."
Roger Waters explores this theme deeper in a solo song called "The Bravery of Being Out Of Range."
His father was killed in WW2 when he was just a baby, so he has a LOT of issues with war and "The Powers That Be" ( another solo song) that get people killed "for the want of the price of tea and a slice."
By George. ..I think he's got it!
Us and Them is about the sadness of conflict. Any Colour You Like is about the illusion of choice. it refers to an apocryphal quote of Henry Ford about the Model T ford car "You can have any colour you like as long as it's black "
I was 19 years old! I remember holding my Draft letter in one hand, and my new Bourne Daughter in the outher! My wife histacialy crying! Spent the night consoling my wife and tending to Daughter! 3 days to get my life in order! 8 weeks later! On a Air plane to war! Didn't hold my daughter again for two and a half years later! That three days I believe is when I went from Boyhood to manhood! I was given a 70 present chance I would not be coming home alive! Me and my family were one of the lucky 30 % two Daughters 6 grandchildren 5 great grandchildren one on the way! But I will never forget the day I got that letter! Didn't have time to cry then, so I do now!!🇺🇸🗽
I used to hate pink floyd...then i actually listened to them!
First time I ever hear of someone hating Pink Floyd! I didn't know it was possible
@@csb2338 Hate might be a lttle much, and i only disliked them by association...lol...if after actually listening to pink floyd you still don't like them there might just be something wrong with your ears! ha ha!
I used to hate because I taught that their songs were all like another brick in the wall , I took a huge slap in the face lol they are my number one band now
You are good with Vin And Sori just because you used the word "acSHAHlly". Kudos.
I used to not get the appeal of metal, then Vin and Sori broke it all down, and now I get metal.
This Album is one of the best ever made
Forward he cried from the rear
And the front rank died
And the general sat
And the lines on the map
Moved from side to side
12:00 I'm no Pink Floyd expert, but I 'think' that one of the reasons Roger Waters put some of the war references in their songs was his father was killed in WW2 soon after he was born. Hence the 'dive bomber' sound in one song, explosion in another, etc. Like I said, I'm not a huge fanboi, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong..."Actually..."
Yes they would have had strong WW2 influences. Born during the war, growing up with bombed out buildings, everyone you know lost family members. Food rationing was still in effect until 1954.
They were influenced by WW2 not Vietnam.
The ghosts of WW2 haunted the members of Pink Floyd, and weighed heavy on many of their contemporaries in the British rock scene. You often hear people like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, or Mick and Keef, or whoever, describe using bombed out buildings as their playground when they were kids. Some like Roger Waters even lost fathers or uncles fighting the Nazis who bombed those buildings.
Black Sabbath was actually somewhat unique to the scene in that they more often wrote with Vietnam in mind. And it shows, as their attitude towards war and evil was different. They had a showy sense of fear and doom, rather than the quiet desperation of songs like Us and Them.
"Actually" ...yes! Most, if not all contemporary musicians who born in the 40's were war child. There's a sad image of Roger Waters that projects how sad was his infancy without his father on the Wall movie. At the swings scene.
Also see the movie Tommy by the Who to see the WW2 influence on this generation of British musicians.
Another song inspired by war is "Lucky Man" by ELP.
Another great analysis on the lyrics. It would be great, though, to hear your thoughts on the actual musicality and melodies of the songs you review. For me, lyrics are secondary to the music itself and too many reaction channels focus on the lyrics rather than expressing the emotional response to the music itself. Us and Them is so melodically powerful. Did you feel it?
@Dominic Tétrault Yes, but keep in mind that Santa Claus comes in the springtime to decorate. Just like the garden growing under the elephant's belly. Yay.
I don't think I've ever seen Sori this happy and relaxed before.
As a Pink Floyd hardcore fan, I love be it :)
When I was young I used to cuddle up with my girlfriend, now wife and listen to this. Great to see people as young as you going through the Pink Floyd emotions just like I did all those years ago although I'm amazed it took you so long.
Short sharp shock refers to military national service that used to be compulsory in the UK. The quote coming from someone who had done theirs and now bemoaning the lack of discipline and respect in modern youth. The song is more about ww2 where the UK did have the draft in place,rather than Vietnam which the UK wasnt involved in.
If you ever get the chance to watch the last episode of the British satirical comedy series Blackadder, it deals with events of life in the first world war trenches with humour, pathos, desperation and the whole futility of warfare. It's only half an hour or so but so funny and emotional at the same time. It always moves me to tears!!!😢🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Roger often wrote about war with it referencing WWII in which his father was killed. This loss of his father, whom he never knew, is just one of the driving catalysts of his lyrical content.
Rainbow - Light in the Black
Rainbow - Gates of Babylon
Dio - The last in line
Dio - Rainbow in the dark
Deep Purple - Child in time
Deep Purple - Highway star
Queen - Innuendo
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen - The Show must go on
And of course, more Pink Floyd!
I've listened to Floyd thousands of times and it still excites me like nothing else!
Us and Them is about ‘Us’ the normal everyday people and ‘Them’ the powers (Governments etc). They have disagreements and send us to war and die. We don’t choose to go to war, they do.
Also, it’s about all types of ‘Us and Them’. The guy that is doing well and the guy that needs help. Sympathy and empathy. Don’t take the spoken samples to literally, they wrote questions on a piece of paper and recorded peoples answers. This question was ‘When was you last violent’.
Really enjoying your analysis guys. But can I just say, there is no personal arc in Dark Side of the Moon (unlike The Wall). It`s an everyman album. Think you`re getting too specific, maintaining there is one character traversing the album. There is no narrative story as such. The songs are much more loosely linked (although they do bleed into each other track-wise). These are stand alone songs, the common thread only being the human condition.
"Us and Them" isn`t just about war. It`s about the unnecessary divisions between us all. War, social divisions, ethnic strife, national barriers. How we forget our humanity for spurious reasons. Both those in charge "forward he cried from the rear" and even "ordinary men" working for the man..."out of the way, it`s a busy day" .
Similarly, "Any Colour You Like" is all-encompassing. I.e. It doesn`t matter what political stripe you are (Republican/Democrat, Concservative/Socialist) or ethnic stripe you are, or even what sports team you affiliate yourself with, that differentiates you from others. We are all equal in the end, in death.
For me, the message is There IS no "Us and Them"...only "Us".
Incidentally, Roger Waters` recent world tour is called "The Us and Them Tour"....these 3 words pretty much sum up his whole writing cannon (both with the Floyd, and without).
@James Smith My personal take is that Any Colour You Like comes from the saying "tastes and colors". That having different tastes is also something that divides us. People regularly enter conflicts because they don't like the same things. I think this 2nd side of the album is about everything that leads people into conflicting with each other : money/possession, people grouping up to form families/cities/nations, simply having different tastes, and in "Brain Damage"'s case, thinking others are simply crazy or dumb.
The message, I think, is that no one (or very few people) in our society is a true humanist. Heck, the first thing that my mother teached me when I was a baby is that there is "us and them" : I remember asking her once "mom, why don't we go see our neighbors on the other side of the street?" and she was like "Huh? Why would you want to go see the neighbors?" and I was like "I don't know". I've thought about it and I think it was just me questioning the Us (our family) and Them (all the others). We live in a crappy world because of our fear of "Them", even though they keep proving us that they're nice people and the same as us, with only minor differences for the most part.
Check out Home Free's cover of Dire Straights "Brothers in Arms", it will leave you speechless!
Us and Them - The 'haves' and the have nots'. Those with money and power and those without. Forward he cried from the rear and the front rank died, the generals sat and the lines on the map moved from side-to-side - Those with the power and money play their war games while the 'ordinary men' do the fighting and the dying. For want of the price of tea and a slice (of toast) the old man died - amidst huge wealth people die of hunger. The spoken words was Roger Waters asking a series of questions, this one was about the last time you were violent and did the other person deserve it - the geezer was cruising for a bruising, if you give them a short, sharp shock (a slap), the don't do it again, good manners don't cost nothing do they - one of the Floyds roadies, Roger 'the Hat' explaining someone of disrespectful to him so he gave the guy a 'short sharp shock' to teach him some manners.
Basic concept is about division, opposing sides - up/down, left/right, us/them. We, as a society are constantly being torn apart from each other. Many folks are willing and complicit while others are ignorant and blind to what’s happening. Most everyone feels the need to categorize themselves into this box or that box. All this does is cause conflict, abrasive interactions and the unnecessary need to qualify and quantify individuals. Humans have been lead astray.
The Christmas truce occurred following the stalemate of the Race to the Sea and the First Battle of Ypres.French, German, and British soldiers(Not America)crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk,men from both sides walked into no man's land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to exchange food and souvenirs and play games of football with one another
Us And Them relates to the album, not in the sense you have been thinking, but as something that shades the reality of life. Everything on this album relates to something that makes life dark.
Speak to Me is the forshadowing of all these things went you enter the world
Breathe are your first steps into the world where everything is work and you never seem to rest.
On The Run deals with fear of Travel, specifically of flight where one wrong move can end your life.
Time is the awaited realization that life is short and death may eventually come soon.
The Great Gig In The Sky is the sonic representation of death. You are not afraid until it begins to happen. You are frantically panicking until you begin to slowly let go of your life, often trying to grasp it back but ultimately falling down again to your final rest.
Money paints the picture of greed and wealth that distracts from morality.
Us And The deals with conflict, especially war, in the sense that everyone is human despite what is being disagreed on.
Any Colour You Like, while an instrumental, demonstrates the struggle of choice, especially where there is none despite what's being told. "Any colour you like, as long as it's black".
Brain Damage is inspired by Syd Barrett, founding member of Pink Floyd who was let go after going insane from Acid. It describes madness and insanity that can blind you and take control of your life.
Eclipse is the ending picture that regards everything under the sun being in tune, but is darkened by the moon, meaning life is bright, but it is only darkened by Time, Work, Money, War, Madness, and Death.
OK again about halfway in but so far, this is the one you've seemed to nail the closest.
Because that's exactly what it's about: The "differences" we put between us & them that lead to conflicts and war, and the "Generals" behind the scenes who manipulate "the lines on the map" that get people killed.
This is definitely a song that suits one who is needing to just relax, chill and quietly contemplate.
Y’all really need to see “Echoes” live at Pompeii. I think you would really dig it.
This started as a piano piece for the 1970 movie Zabriskie Point - it was rejected for being "beautiful, but too sad… it makes me think of church.”. So Waters wrote the lyrics as they adopted it for the band. ed2276 Me covers what those entails well.
Roger Waters explaining his thinking in the song 'Us & Them'
The first verse is about war and the people on the front lines not being able to communicate with each other, because that's how the generals have made it.
The second verse is about Race and civil liberties, A short sharp shock refers to the Borstal system that young offenders were often sentenced to in Britain. the last verse is about ignoring the plight of a homeless person, walking past and getting on with your day while 'For the price of a tea and a slice ( Slice of bread and butter) the old man died.
"Any Color You Like" I consider a true "model" for ANY psychedelic music!
Hi there. Let me explaine my situation. I've been listening to Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and others since around 1967 while doing a degree in Philosophy, and another in Literature...It's usual to look intently at the minutia because the writing is wonderful and will expand ones mind. All of this music will expand ones conciousness, but I found that it will rush over you in mass years later in many "a ha" moments when you least expect it and probably involved in something else entirely. It's more if a feeling then individual thoughts. It's life changing.
PLEASEEE react to:
Dark Tranquility - Lost to apathy or Misery's crown
Avantasia - The scarecrow
Sonata Arctica - Don't say a word or Black Oceans, White Pearl
Sabaton - Primo Victoria
And Bathory - enter the eternal fire and the lake (so you can see their both eras)
Reaction Pink Floyd - high hopes
Please
I find this song a great metaphor for any of the things that set one group of people against another by tribalism and whatever differences may exist between us and them. Whether it be in politics, war, socioeconomic differences, race, religion, ect. Trying to tell us that all these things that bring conflict between people are often not in our control or our choice in the first place.
Great vids on Pink Floyd. To me, this album is a story about the journey of life. Definitely next-level stuff musically, and were way ahead of their time. As mentioned, you need to do full album reactions on Animals, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. All of them (and this album) are masterpieces. If you want to do a single song before you get into those album reviews, I recommend the song "Echoes." It is super long but well worth it. If you are inclined to do a live version instead of the studio release, Echoes being performed live at Pompeii (from some time in the 70s) is amazing. Again, keep up the great work!!
We are us....them...the establishments....😊❤
Megadeth - Good Mourning/Black Friday
Megadeth - Looking Down The Cross
IMO when Megadeth was at their prime, alternatively there's Skull Beneath the Skin and The Conjuring
Looking Down The Cross is such a great song, one of their best
it was so interesting to see you both discussing the lyrics , i'm sure Roger Waters would be pleased to see lyrics he wrote around 40 years ago still provoking thought .
Thank u both for sharing, ... your commentary touched my hart 💕
PINK FLOYD - SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND!!
It's about WW2 - it was the draft. No choice.
Mr Wright, the quiet genius. RIP top man
Deep thought Vin and Sori but "Us and Them" was more about the haves and have nots in society rather than war. Well I always thought this but you certainly looked at it diifferently and I cannot disagree with you which is the joy of music and what you do. Go well my friends I love your channel
The Final Cut. in its entirety - AN ABSOLUTE MUST!
Epica - Consign to Oblivion (live at the Zenith)
Zockor Keep trying! I'm with you. LOL
they mostly reacting to paying people requests - - - so we have no chance
i requested Iron Maiden - Caught Somewhere In Time 20+ times
My friends growing up said Pink Floyd would never make it. Then I made them go see them in 74. They have never been the same since then.
Us and Them as well as the later, On the Turning Away are, imo, two songs that point out our faults as a society for the utter lack of caring and ignoring those that need our help the most, yet over and over, we turn a blind eye to it without ever thinking we could very easily end up in the same situation at the drop of a hat.
Hello again kids,I have loved listening to you review floyd songs, I have been enjoying Us and them since it first came out, never heard a more thoughtful, insightful take on it, Pink Floyd makes us think,! As well as beautiful music, thanks 👌👍👍.
You did good my friend she's a absolute dear ...beautiful both of you ..well done
You guys should watch us and them live on "Pulse." Its phenomenal.
Facts
That is probably better than the original. Of course live music is my thing but pulse with them playing Dark Side from start to finish is ourstanding.
It's great to watch the progression of it getting you!
Reaction Pink Floyd - high hopes
Please
Personally the opening of this song( Us and Them) is a masterful observation of men preparing to fight but GOD knows it's not what we would choose to do..Brilliant!
Pink Floyd - High Hopes
Bathory - One Rode To Asa Bay
Roger Waters - "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" Live!
Ayeew Tasko yes pleae
They should the hole Animals album.
Why not do a live version of Pink Floyd doing it? Roger aint that interresting to watch if its just him.
DIDUKNOWDAT .URANIDIOT? I would love to hear what vin and sori and there contributors/listeners have to say about Roger Waters Political views. That’s why I think an interview would be a good idea. I still think they should react to Animals album.
Personally im obviously more of a "David Person" or whatever, so i dont agree with Waters political views. Im not anti trump but i dont like him either. Still yes they should react to Animals. I believe the most important albums to listen to are Animals, The Wall, Dark Side, Wish you Were Here TDB and AMLOR. Those would be my favorites.
If I remember rightly back in the 70s here in the UK a politician said about the youth of the time that we should put them straight into young offender type prisons if they commited a violent crime a short Sharp shock and they wouldn't do it again they were called Borstals and run by adult prison staff they didn't work before long they were full and bred more violence through over crowding
That 'short, sharp shock' was of the Thatcher era, ten years or so after Dark Side of the Moon was released.
Short sharp shock treatment started with youth detention centers. Age ranges 14 to 21. As soon as you walked through the doors you got a smack in the face, that was just to begin with. A majority of the staff were pure animals. It was basically child abuse.
A damn tenor saxophone to open a song ! Damn I love Pink Floyd!
Please try to do Keeper of the Seven Keys of Helloween. It is a 13 minutes song, but I'm sure you´ll get interested in it.
Greatings from Brazil!!
they mostly reacting to paying people requests - - - so we have no chance
i requested Iron Maiden - Caught Somewhere In Time 20+ times
Check out these songs:
Poets of the Fall - Carnival of Rust
NOFX - Generation Z and You Will Lose Faith
Avenged Sevenfold - Demons, Tension and Until the End
Stick to Your Guns - Amber, Better Ash than Dust, the Better Days Before Me and 3 Feet from Peace
Like your discussion. Don't agree with all your conclusions, but that cool. Personally ... I joined the military at age 16 during the Vietnam war. That life-changing decision had very little to do with Vietnam. I signed up because I believe in strong defence ... someone has to do it. I certainly didn't sign up to kill people. And as soon as I realised what was really going on ... I quit (too long a story). Anyway, one other point ... the U.K wasn't involved in Vietnam ... Australia was though. And here or there, it was called conscription. You probably won't, but ... and it's relevant ... watch (what I believe) is Stanley Kubrick's best movie, 'Paths of Glory'. It is amazing. Last point ... don't forget about the music ... it is art. Cheers.
Great reaction and review, Vin and Sori. If you really enjoyed the amazing instrumental groove jam of Any Colour You Like, please react to "Echoes - live in Pompeii video". It's absolutely amazing and, yes, they are playing in the ruins of the theater.
Love Dark side , and dig your views on each track, the whole album is about the human experience and human nature, US and Them might be my favorite track...for me it’s about oppression of one group over another framed in a conflict
In case no-one else has mentioned it you might want to have a listen to 'When the Tigers Broke Free'. It was used in the film 'The Wall' and was also put on the reissue of 'The Final Cut'. It is a VERY personal song by Roger Waters about his father's part in the second world war.
Back then there was the draft as well, so not all of the military were in combat voluntarily as it is today, that's something to figure into this song as well.
Soldiers on opposite sides, who might be friends in different circumstances (we're only ordinary men… it's not what we would choose to do) are put in a situation where they must kill on behalf of the powers in control of their lives, the generals in the rear and behind them those who control the generation and distribution of wealth. The money men.
The destitute man is walked over by the man who is distracted by his busy day and desire to make money. These two might also be friends if they got to know each other but circumstances put them on different sides of a battle in civilian society. The have’s and the have nots. Us and them. “With, without… it’s what the fighting’s all about” and it's still a battle controlled by those in the rear.
Vin, your interpretation makes sense. But you don’t recognise that this album comes from a different culture. For one thing you miss the class perspective few in Britain or Europe would have missed. Roger Waters, who sings and co-wrote this, is what you would call a SJW. I think he would disagree with elements of your interpretation.
I really do enjoy y'alls introspection on these songs. You clearly are able to see meaning with little to no prior familiarity which is fairly impressive. You could literally do one of these on EVERY Pink Floyd album as Roger Waters is one of the great lyricists of all time. Seriously, not just "The Wall", "Dark Side", Wish You Were Here" (my favorite)...even, and many people dismiss it, but I think some of Waters' best work is on "The Final Cut", which is quite dark and depressing but has some absolute lyrical gems, check it out. But you can go as far back as "Saucerful of Secrets" and find some really interesting themes. Also, y'all should really look at "Animals" as it is a perfect Orwellian take on modern society, some would say a direct rip off of "Animal Farm" but I think more of an homage really than a rip off, but still, really great stuff there. Pink Floyd is my all-time favorite band, several tattoos, etc...and "Any Colour You Like" was the only song, or thing really, that could make me any kind of happy for a few years after my mom died and still holds a special place within me, so I'm glad you liked it. You guys rock...keep up the good work. Nice shirts.
I like that "Colour" is spelt properly..
English mother 😉
Ha ha, you spelled "color" and "spelled" wrong! :D
@VinAnd Sori Yes indeed.. But i bet you're relieved they never sang about Aluminium :)
@Porfle Popnecker Like the song says, ANY color you like..
Nightwish - The Greatest Show On Earth (live @ Tempere)
The first comment lines she’s confused about are not lyrics. Those are the comments of crew members to questions asked by the band and then recorded and added throughout the album. They express various themes on the album. This song is about isolation and how mankind is quick to separate itself into dichotomous groups. It uses war as that metaphor, which held great meaning to them since they grew up in the shadow of WWII. The last line refers to Roger’s father who died during the war when Roger was an infant.
have you ever been in a fight?
that's what you need beautiful music and love=heaven
About that bad intel leading to 30% more resistence than expected; Look into Pinkville/Mai Lai Massacre in the Vietnam War. It was all based on bad intel, poor but unrefusable instruction, panic, pressure, and weariness for "civilian" ambushes. This was a fine recipe for ordinary men to conduct a massacre without either wanting to or even understanding exactly what was happening. I think it gives some pretty solid context to some of the lines in Us and Them.
This song is amazing!!
The amazing sounds are the universe talk about ahead of their time
Havinglistened toPink Floyd’s DSOTM for almost t50years, I can still remember the first time I heard the entire album laying on my bedroom floor as a sophomore in high school with headphones and 50 candles dripping wax. I envy you hearing it for the first time. Please watch Roger Water at the wall in Berlin. It will blow your mind!
WWI / WWII pain of war ( mostly WWI mindless conflict ) - a real Anglia / Britania song - Anglia on my mind .- a tea and a slice
I did 2 tours in nam 67-69 and I'm still there,you never leave
Love this couple. How they react and look each other
Pink Floyd Animals, start with “Dogs” you’ll appreciate the lyrics. Do “Dogs, Pigs, and Sheep” and you got a Patron:) Appreciate your stuff!
Any Colour you like is the funkiest, intensly jazziest piece I've ever heard. Yet it's writen by a groupe of blokes from the UK.
There is no logical progression for lyrics in this album but there is musical progression.
In the wall album youll find both story and musical continuation as each song ends and begins.
The best slow dance / make out song, ever!
It wast the Americans it was the British and the Germans in the First World War
Please Wish you were here full album. Your reviews are the absolute best
Just subscribed hoping you do all of Pink Floyd. Vin looks like he could be in movies. Sori is really beautiful. Those eyes pop right out. You are a lucky couple to have found each other. I like to watch you two receive Pink Floyd. They will give you thoughts & images you will recall each time you listen to any of their songs. I do not bother to analyze any thing. I just enjoy the works of art.
You may know which band I suggest. So I just hope on some thumbs up😊
Floyds classic anti-war song at the time of the Vietnam war and the anti-war movement around the English-speaking world. This, mostly informal, movement was given a massive boost the Woodstock,poignant Floyd at their best.
Not everyone in war has signed up for it. Most countries (especially small ones) have a mandatory military service period to train civilians as reserves. So in a time of war, the lowest-rank soldiers are civilians that do not actually choose to fight but they have to.
It was the British not America in the Christmas truce
I discovered your chanel about a week ago with your live chat for the whole album, the one with all the technical problems at the begining. Glad to see you still love Pink Floyd!
Did you listen to "Atom Hearth Mother" yet? it was recorded a few years before DSOTM and it's a lot less popular and apreciated but, the more you listen to it, the more you love it, it grows on you.