Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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- Опубліковано 1 гру 2023
- #Pinkfloyd #rogerwaters #comfortablynumb
Pink finds comfort in numbness when it comes to selfish motives for getting him on his feet again or, probably, getting him out of his wall-comfort zone. This is the one instance where the wall proves to be efficient: numbness, and how comfortable that can be!
Here’s the link to the original song by Pink Floyd:
• Comfortably Numb
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Pink Floyd
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If you're watching this and enjoyed Amy's unparalleled reaction and comments, trust me - you don't want to miss the already posted follow-up video "Why does Comfortably Numb Feel So Transcendental?" This is where this amazing channel really shines. Have you ever heard a ten minute verbal explanation of WHY David Gilmour's amazing guitar solo is so - well, amazing? No, nobody has. Until now. I can't explain, you have to hear it!
This is the first reaction I have watched here and actually had to pause it to comment right after Gilmour's 1st solo. She had a different look and some comments!! In my opinion, David Gilmour has always been one of the greatest at using guitar, not just as an instrument filling in, but the melody/sounds/notes having depth, feeling, connection, etc. that reflects what is going on contextually in the song/album & movie in this case. There could have been more verse/lyric/dialogue to describe what is going on but I feel that Gilmour did that and not a word spoken. Not many instrumentalists can do it, but the great ones can and that's why they are great! I will have to check out the follow up and some more of her reactions.
Now please watch and listen to the much longer and visually stimulating "Pulse" live concert.
to the song is a lament for lost innocence and becoming numd is his way to ease the pain
It's very nice to hear informed opinion on classic 'pop' pieces like this.
Obviously, this song has a lot of emotional power for some reason, and it's fascinating to me why that is. Why some pieces of music have such a powerful emotional impact.
One aspect of it for me would be when the guitarist is in that 'alpha wave' flow state, and manages to convey that to the listener. Some of Dire Straits' live performances are off the charts in this respect - 'Alchemy' and 'Wembley Arena 1985' plus a few others caught on film.
The friction and angst between Gilmour and Waters seems to have resulted in something greater than the sum of its parts, for as long as it was able to last.
Are you going to show Amy the movie?
THANK YOU for not committing the cardinal sin of interrupting a David Gilmour guitar solo!!!
I had anxiety. I am pleased.
Hilarious! I was so tense "DON'T DO IT LET IT GO". Loved the commentary!
I couldn't move.
"The child has grown, the dream has gone" - crushes me every time I hear that line
Me too. The meaning of the lyrics are haunting.
Me too. I'm not sure if it's the words themself or the way they're delivered or the context. (Probably a combination of these elements.) But, yeah that moment is compelling.
To me it speaks to loss of innocence. That moment in our lives when we know we will never look at the world the same way.
He no longer has the fire of youth, he isn't feeling the passion because he's numb. He's going through the motions because it's his comfortable routine. He has lost the dream.
That's a tough one. And that plaintive "this is not how I am!"
And of course from elsewhere in the album.. "mother, did it have to be so high?"
"that last solo section..." *clears throat and smiles*
Yeah, I hear you.
I’m autistic and I always loved this song and felt it described what it was like to have internal conversations with yourself that you would never bother explaining to someone else, because they literally can not understand if they are neurotypical. I wasn’t diagnosed until after I had raised an autistic son to adulthood. I didn’t (honestly) recognize in myself the same things I saw him struggle with, but I knew what was bothering him, even though he was non-verbal. I knew the lights were too bright, the noise was too loud, the colors too much. I never made him hide himself. I was trained to be able to mask exceptionally well by a family that I knew had treated another family member with autism so poorly he committed suicide. I faked. All the milestones, all the grades, the husband, the kids. And then when I had raised my kids and done my work, I had a complete breakdown. Now, I an no longer Comfortably Numb. But the song now just brings me a sweet memory almost.
Wow, that was really interesting. Thanks for taking the time to share those thoughts. It brought to me another dimension for this song. I have loved it since I first heard it in '79 at the age of 15.
Thanks for sharing your toughts. When you described the "faking" of those moments of your life that's exactly how many of us feel in those situations, the way society expect us to react or express ourselves.
Wow. That paragraph tells me more than most books. What a struggle. Amazing, and congrats (I think?).
As someone who didn't and don't "fit-in". As a youth when this music came out, I viewed this song as the world in which I live in. All the games my peers would play are just numb to me. Now at 50+ I feel it was the government's plan to make us all numb. They will sell you the drugs to make you feel that way.
I feel bad for the kids with ASD today who are in the system, they are treated with the drugs that make them "manageable" for society. aka numb.
Yes. Exactly
The last solo was the perfornance he went on to play. Wow. I never thought of that. That's brilliant.
Same here.
Agree. Never thought of that either.This album, & particularly this song brings new meanings every time I hear it.
I've listened to this song thousands of times over the past 40 or so years, and that idea never occurred to me. Why is the the solo so different than the verse-chorus-verse-chorus section that came before? Is it a guitar solo just for the sake of a guitar solo (honestly most of them are that way)? But no, this makes total sense.
I never thought of that either - very cool! The way it fades out too - as if the show must continue to go on forever.
Interpreting the song on its own, I can understand how that conclusion could be made. In context with the album though, the next song (1min 38sec) is 'The Show Must Go On' followed by 'In The Flesh' where Pink gives his performance.
There's a funny story about this song. Waters and Gilmour had a huge argument about how the bass should sound on this track. Waters wanted it more mellow while Gilmour wanted it harsher, more precise. So Waters got his way during the first verse, and Gilmour in the second. If you listen, you'll hear that the bass lets the notes ring out in the first verse, while in the second the bass is more staccato. Also, if you think that last solo sounded like a concert, wait until you hear the live version. Best guitar solo of all time, in my opinion.
I think I just noticed that bass sound difference for the first time during this listen! That is so interesting to learn. Especially as the bass is our link to the distinctively Pink Floyd chord progression in this song.
Indeed. Gilmour expanded that final guitar solo into something that will go down in history. But there was nothing "numb" about it!
Most bassists I know don't enjoy playing this
The live version from the Pulse show is SOOOOO much better, you can clearly hear that the bass player used a FIVE-string bass, fitting since the verse is in B minor. I love the rumble of that low B-string, especially at the very end, where he jumps up an octave, then slooowly sides down to that open B-string :)
Agreed.
Who’s not talking about the part where she didn’t pause during the concert solo? That’s a true musician.
First heard this aged 18 and kept listening to it for a long, long time. I was in a very bad way and using far too much alcohol to numb the pain. Thought I was crazy but turned out I’m autistic. This song, and The Wall itself, resonated deeply and contextualised my experience. I’m now 61 and the song still has such an awesome beauty.
Same age as you. Scotch and Comfortably Numb got me through some heartbreak years ago.
Might you think Pink Floyd were knowledgeable, to some degree, about MUSIC THERAPY?
One of the most brilliant pieces of music recorded in my lifetime...and one of the greatest lyrics: " When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone I can not put my finger on it now, the child has grown; the dream is gone." I tear up every time I hear this track.
I can’t even read the lyrics without bawling.
If you are for more bawling, go for High Hopes.
What makes this song truly wonderful is that it is the perfect marriage of Roger’s musical pessimism and David’s musical optimism.
It's like the Lennon/McCartney dynamic in songs like "We Can Work It Out" and "Getting Better."
@@makeadifference4all agreed
That's a really good observation .
This statement is about as accurate as it gets👍
Interesting then that David describes PF music as "English melancholy".
What a pleasure to see somebody, not only being able to read music, but can understand how a song is put together, can point out the layers and isolate instruments to demonstrate their impacts thorugh out songs. A rare delight on UA-cam. I think i'm in love. :)
"It makes us hurt, and it makes us feel good all at the same time..." I think that is such a powerful testament to this piece, and I think you have captured part of the meaning in that statement.
David Gilmour’s guitar solo at the end of comfortably numb always brings a tear to my eye. It’s so beautiful and so perfect for this song.
The two solos are considered some of the best rock solos. The first one is major, the second is minor. I personally enjoy the 2nd better than the first, but they're both amazing.
No, they aren't. But they're very well known.
@@katiefincher2433They are considered some of the best solos of all time for good reason. I’d take a Gilmour solo any day over just about anyone else. Very few people are as emotional on the guitar as him.
@@katiefincher2433If they replaced "best" with "some of the most famous" rock solos? Would that meet your level of specificity? I'll add that Guitar World actually rates it at #3 (#4 ranked by their readers) of the top 50 Greatest Solos. so they aren't exactly stating this from out of nowhere.
Now, I completely disagree with most of that list. Let's be fair, any greatest list containing John Mayer should be looked at with a huge level of suspicion.
But it's not the only list that rates it that highly. It lands at #4 in the top 20 ranked by Insider Magazine, #4 in the top 100 from Ultimate Guitar and I could go on.... It lands at #1 on Guitar Players Magazine top 20 list. Guitar Mag is the longest running Guitar Mag in the world, not that it's age means anything but still.
@@katiefincher2433the solos were voted the best guitar solos of all time by Fender players
@@katiefincher2433You could not be more wrong.
Amy, I hope at some point you will treat yourself to a full, un-interrupted listen to this entire work from beginning to end, following the music and the lyrics as you do. You'll find the tragic story of the mental breakdown of a rock star named "Pink". The story is based on Syd Barrett, the former frontman for the group, who struggled with the pressures of stardom and other life traumas. The "wall" in the story is a creation of the main character's mind that isolates him from the world but traps him in his own madness.
Actually, the story is far more autobiographical for Roger than based on Sid. Even the breakdown is based in part on Roger getting enraged by the fans being more interested in partying than experiencing the music. The father lost in WW2, the abusive schoolmaster, the isolation from loved ones... all Roger.
@@BrunoEwok yep, agree. Just giving a quick glimpse into the story without a huge dissertation.
Yes the wall is meant ti be listened to in its entirety . You lose something if you don't.
It's something that reaches us as being human and relatable to the lives if humans from wars betrayal and self worth as we find life's burdens to not let them defines us but to make us better in such a epic story .
It's an important work past being a story about pink but to each of us relating to life and how it hits us and how we deal with it .
Beyond "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", I think *every* song Mr. Waters wrote (and at least some of Mr. Gilmour's songs) after Syd's illness is, if not *about* Syd, in some way references the world from a perspective of what happened to Syd in addition to whatever other influences led to a given song/album and I think unless one keeps Syd in mind while listening to any of Mr. Waters' songs, one is missing a part of that song. "Comfortably Numb" more so than others. The experiences that led to being comfortably numb may be taken from Mr. Waters experiences, but the process of dealing with being numb is all from watching it happen to Syd, imo. It is as if dealing with what happened to Syd became part of Mr. Waters musical DNA. It is a tribute that is both beautiful and tragic at the same time.
@@kobayashiMaroo It seems like that, but it turns out that The Wall is way, way, waaaaayyy more about Roger than Syd. And then I don't know anything form The Final Cut or Animals that is about Syd.
88k views! In such a short period of time. I am 59 years old. Pink Floyd has been with me since I was around 12. Pink Floyd is such an important band for so many reasons. They were SO far ahead of their time. The band is such an essential part of so many lives! So many things have to come together in the universe to achieve this kind of musical excellence. Despite the turbulence between Roger and David, the band has a legacy very few could match. I hope you felt that shiver in your spine when he started the second solo. It's not just you, millions of us have. It is my wish that Roger or David would stop by for a cup of tea. That would be a dream come true. Thank you for allowing us to journey with you. You are truly a blessing.
The live version of this song at Pulse is unbelievable. It has left many speechless, myself included.
Agree. The Pulse version is incredible
Please react to it!
Absolutely!! - Amy, I know you've covered the superb album version here, but as others have mentioned - the 1994 Pulse version is *incredible*, well worth a reaction on it's own (in fact, you're missing out if you don't, honestly!), and you will be blown away by the extended solo (and pretty much studio quality of the audio) in that version - it's ASTOUNDINGLY good, emotional, and well, just trust us, you owe it yourself to experience it too, given you love this version anyway!... 😉
I actually prefer the Live in Pompeii version. They’re all good but you can feel & hear his soul in the Pompeii version.
Not for me. I think nothing can top The Delicate Sound version.
The solo to me expresses the essential tragedy for all of us, as pointed to in the preceding lyric about loss of childhood innocence/connection with spirit/the light: 'When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse...I cannot put my finger on it now, the child is grown, the dream is gone'.
💯
It's interesting that that line stands out to so many people. The idea that we understood something as a child that we can't quite remember, and a tragic sense of loss that it's gone.
@@ggghhhbbnjjjbb2330 Very well said. ☮️💕
@@ggghhhbbnjjjbb2330 A memory of before we're taught/conditioned how to think.
This album is a masterpiece! Everyone agreed? Yes or of course?
Sure, but it's probably my fifth favorite album by the band.
I still maintain it's the last great album of the classic rock era.
A self indulgent Roger Waters project to showcase how chuffin’ great he thinks he is. I’ll forgive him that because it gave David Gilmour the conditions to develop and play one of the great rock and roll guitar solos; reaching its apotheosis on Pulse.
@@tomhanna8508yeah...like the best songs have him heavy.
Young lost, hey you, comfortably numb, another brick in the wall, run like hell...
No. Animals and Meddle definitely
I was stuck overseas in the military (USAF) during "peacetime" (early 1980s), and I spent many hours in my dorm room listening to this album through headphones. It amazes me to think I now live in a world where a first listen by a classical musician is teaching me new things to hear. I am blessed by you and many others who share their insight with the "common" people.
Germany?
Navy here....same experience. Rush, Yes and Pink Floyd......I was saturated
USAF/RAF Upper Hayford and RAF Lakenheath. And had a visit with a British mathematician genius and his gifted friends who broke out their electric guitars and started playing various Pink Floyd songs. “I don’t think we’re in Kansas any more, Toto.”
A lot of praise for this song has to go to Michael Kamen in the US, who added the string sections to the song, once it had been recorded.
Well said. Kamen was one of the great orchestrators of our time, he had such a fine skill of weaving orchestral arrangements into rock music. It's little surprise that he went on to become a leading film score composer in his own right.
He did a lot of great work. Also on the Final Cut
yep, he got it..
Exactly! Waters and Gilmour were not in the studio (or even the country!) where Kamen created this astonishing mix. The fifth (sixth?) Floyd.
It’s hard to make a song both poignant and peaceful simultaneously.
David Gilmour at his absolute best here! 🎸
The music was composed by Dave Gilmour, the lyrics were written by Roger Waters, based on his experience of being injected with tranquilizers before a performance in 1977
A song like this for the very first time must be felt all in once, without interruptions.
Yes, listen to the whole song at once as it is intended ,so one gets the rythem and flow of the song.
she's good however, she's driving me mad with the stop start.
@@bosmeck Hands hovered menacingly during the solo to end all solos.This stuff is medicinal and DG needs a knighthood for it's creation.although like Bowie,i doubt he would stoop solo.See what i did ?
i'm begging people who feel this way to please, PLEASE stop watching reaction videos. they're clearly not for you.
She rarely reviews a song without listening to it in private 1st. Plus the video gets pulled down for copyright if she doesn't pause it.
The best Floyd compositions are about loss, angst , alienation, nostalgia, loss of youth and idealism, and sadness . Gilmour is such a BLUESY guitarist with massive note bending. Many rate the ending solo ( Live O2 concert and others ) one of the greatest guitar solos of all time . I concur totally.
I also agree. This song is just stellar. One of the many who rate the ending solo as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time is singer/song-writer Noel Gallagher. Comfortably Numb is the song Noel wishes he had written. My all-time top five songs sometimes changes slightly, but this is ALWAYS one of them.
How you can hear a song for the first time and break it down so quickly is very impressive.
The main thing is to be thankful for the breakdown regardless of how many time it has been heard before.
She's a very sober kind of person,
not romantic at all.
Personality trait
Indeed
Indeed
Because she is …..good
I always felt the line “there’ll be no more aaaargghh, but you may feel a little sick” uses a brilliant replacement for the word pain. It’s so clear in the delivery that that is the intended word
The "concert" you describe at the end of the song is the high. In its essence, this song is about addiction. 2 stages, high and withdrawal, with a tiny glimpse of the person in between. In the beginning he is miserable and cant be bothered. He gets his fix, then zones out again. In the movie, he is literally in a limo on his way to the concert. I loved your take and connecting this song to Hey You is spot on! Cheers
So many folk waiting on Amy's reaction to this one 😊
It was one of the best collaborations between Roger and David. Could not have been possible as a solo effort. It's one of the tunes that defines why the Floyd were so great.
It is the epitome of 1970's drug fulled enlightenment. We have a guy helpless on the floor unable to move or act, yet his consciousness comes flooding out which is so dramatically embodied in time n space by the guitar solo. It is so powerful because that is the human condition, yet so few people actually know. A vast consciousness trapped in a small shell of illusion.
That's my take on it, and Amy and everyone else will have their own personal take. That's the beauty of music 🏵
The scene with the cigarette is a true story: Roger witnessed it while they first touring in US with Syd, this was Syd, "black holes in his eyes", watching the void, an untouched burned cigarette in his hand.
And yes, what made Floyd the greatest band in Space Time, is when Roger and David (and Nick and Rick) were giving their best TOGETHER... The lyrics, the concept, the music, the rhythm, they made masterpieces. Even them weren't able to surpass later on their "Division" (bells) part...
@@garryiglesias4074 Syd was such a inspiration for the band. Yes, on the surface a sad messed up guy. But there is no questioning his short lived genius, as there's no ignoring his fragility and inability to cope in this world.
Unity within great band is unfortunately so short lived as the individual egos start to impose themselves.
@@andrewdyrda8012 Yes, but I'm still happy to have the best 4 albums in space time from them... (Plus the ones before and Syd's work)...
Syd story is sad, but at the same time, I think he has reached his status because a lot of people can relate to him. Somehow we are not "strong" enough to leave this "disgusting world"... We cope with it, but he became what sometimes we could have become: delusioned.. A broken kid whose grown and his dreams are gone...
Syd was loving art, painting, and "child stories". His music and lyrics were paradoxically very mature and childish. They were able to wake the kid still inside us. And also all the desillusions we have when getting old, realizing that the "real world" is just about money and business and fame... He must hade a lot of "flies" around him, sucking his life to reach a status "Hey I'm a friend of Syd"... You don't need to be a worldwide superstar to start to have this experience... Local celebrity, having some charisma inside a group of people, and you start to have a court of people using you in the hope to get some light from you. I'd bet that was ONE of the Syd's disgust with the "real life". (I'd say Kurt Cobain might have felt the same way, and maybe Chris Cornell too...)
(Edit: fixed some of the French-brain errors I've noticed).
@@garryiglesias4074The "problem" true artists have is their sensitivity to the true reality which underpins all so called reality. Seems if they hit those realisations at too early an age they may have trouble coping with them. Enjoy the music they have left. All of it need to be listen beyond face value, it resonates at a far deeper level 🏵
@@andrewdyrda8012"They reached the secret too soon" (Waters is a hell of a writer...)
This song contains two of the best guitar solos ever. Both by master Gilmour. Enough said.
Yeah they are great, but nothing reach Time (/Money/Any colour you like)... Because they were there BEFORE... (Time is my favorite one)...
And of course Shine One, and and, the heavy riffs on Dogs...
@@garryiglesias4074On the tuning away( live at the delicate sound of thunder tour) and the second albeit shorter by comparison solo in hey you merit a listen also. 🥴
@@marcelliott1111 I'm less of a fanboy after The Wall (/The Final Cut is already too much of a "Roger" solo album)... I love when they worked together, and without Roger, the level of concepts and lyrics is clearly weaker... Dave is an excellent musician, but required Roger to sublime his musicianship with ambitious and deep concepts and lyrics. And Roger's lyrics were better "decorated" (or had better staging), with the rest of the band around.
But yes, I have A momentary Lapse of reason (the first PF CD someone offered me, knowing I loved my father's DSOTM vinyl...)... And the sound is good, and I surprise myself singing On The Turning away sometimes... But TBH I rarely listen to the album anymore... Whereas I'm still heavily listening to the whole stuff until The Wall regularly after almost 40 years of binging them (And Syd's solo work).
I know many others will recommend that you watch the live Pulse Concert performance of this song. The pace begins a bit slower, but the emotional intensity of the song is unbelievable. Many say it is the best performance of the best rock guitar solo ever. IMO. It is the closest you will ever come to experiencing Pink Floyd in concert.
The song tells a story…but the second solo adds all of the emotional highs and lows that capture it perfectly
I hope to HECK that, as part of your reaction and/or research, , you watched or WILL watch, the Pulse live performance of this piece. It is breathtaking, and the guitar solo by David Gilmore is one of the best guitar solos I’ve heard in my life…..over 65 years of listening to music, and I can truly say that. I know you did these reactions months ago and are releasing them over time, but if you have not yet seen The Pulse performance, for the love of Gawd, PLEASE react to it here on UA-cam as a special treat for us all. Many of us have been waiting for months for this song…..and the live is an experience you should not miss. Trust me on this.
I agree 100%
*Gilmour
I agree with Geoffrey! I saw the play it live at The Rose Bowl in ‘94 and it was a magnificent experience. Watching the video brings back that wonderful feeling. We would love to see you react to it.
And if you watch the Pulse live please do a video of it
I agree!
Most appropriate thumbnail
I don’t know why UA-cam’s algorithm gave me this, but I absolutely glad that it did. Thank you!
I am absolutely blown away by your beautiful synopsis of this. As someone who loves Mozart, Sibelius, Khatchaturian to Pink Floyd, Beatles, Led Zeppelin and everything in between including Jazz, it just demonstrates the power, depth and beauty of music transcends the human experience.
yes it does
@@user-yt7go3ki9h 👍👍👍
This song is legendary and timeless
Hope you enjoy it Amy!
Based on your profile picture, a good comment would be, "Young fool. Only now, at the end, do you understand."
@@Sindraug25 😂
It's the worst song on the album.
@@katiefincher2433 lol no
@@katiefincher2433of course you’re wrong but it would have been smarter to start your sentence saying every song on the album is great but…😊
Richard Wrights ethereal keyboard playing is god-tier on this track.
It's not Wright here, but Michael Kamen(who by the way arranged strings ).
@@romualdandrzejczak4093Floyd nazi!!!
I love two moments: when she seems to report similar difficulties before a performance, also at a clasical level. The other is her smile when she says "but the music is beautiful, it's really beautiful". Really love this analysis
Something that often goes unnoticed is how the bass notes sustain and only change with the kick drum, apart from a few moments where the interplay between the two is sublime. Waters and Mason clearly rehearsed this over and over. The London Philharmonic Orchestra almost goes unnoticed despite the fact the band are just adding to the basis they present. Masterful.
It was actually watching other people’s reaction videos to Comfortably Numb, and then on to other Pink Floyd songs, that led me to this channel in the first place! So I’ve come full circle (although I must add that none of the other “reactors” even attempt to connect with the heart and soul of the songs in the way Amy does!)
Something about Pink Floyd’s music in particular makes watching people initial reactions very entertaining, seeing the emotions it invokes, that led many of us to be Floyd fans in the first place.
Really looking forward to this one, and I know I’m not the only one.
If this is your first time watching Amy reacting, stay here and watch her analysis.
And of course, go back in her chanel and enjoy.
What would we be without Pink Floyd ?
Maybe, some [still] bleeding hearts and artists...
@@garryiglesias4074, indeed, where WOULD we be without them? The epitome of superb.
@@garryiglesias4074 Bring Pink Floyd back home (2x) - Don't leave the children on their own, oh, no - Bring the Pink Floyd back home.
@@thepragmatic6383We would, zig zag our way, through the boredom and pain, occasionally glancing up through the rain...
I cant even classify this song.
Its just... a warp of sadness, tragedy and beauty.
Being able to listen to it for the first time.... such envy.
There is noone outside the wall.He is in his own mind.
You were dead right in your interpretation of the end. This song in the Pulse concert is simply magical. “The great gig in the sky” in Venice is also amazing.
This song makes me feel like I am literally being drugged and serotonin is flowing out in my brain. It is about being sedated, meanwhile it completely sedates you as a listener. How can music do this- It is pure wonder and beauty. Thank you for your insightful and brilliant reviews Amy!
It is dreamy. I remember listening to Pink Floyd play this on a warm May evening, under a gibbous moon in Madison Wisconsin in the late 1980s, and the sound just filled up the sky. The audience was respectfully quiet and attentive during the entire song; it was just too beautiful to interrupt.
I love this comment. This is exactly how I would describe it and how I feel.
There’s never been, and I doubt there ever will be, anyone that can emote through the guitar like David Gilmour.
Not only Roger's experience, to various degrees it's also very much about Syd's struggles with the show business, and of the rest of the band as well. (See: Cymbaline, Welcome to the Machine. That feeling has always been there for the five of them). Rick Wright was going through a particularly difficult time too during the creation of The Wall. You could say that Nick and David were the two less personally impacted by public exposure, but nevertheless the experience of their dear childhood friend Syd Barrett was something that impacted all of the band. Mr. Pink is not Roger Waters exclusively, it's a superposition of different psychological states of the band, of which Roger was of course a driving force. You couldn't have gotten David Gilmour's share of brilliance integrated so well otherwise.
Not to "varying degrees". A literal retelling of an actual isolated incident Roger had in '77. Nothing to guess at here.
You never fail to amaze me with how quickly and perfectly you interpret everything you listen to but never more amazed than with this review of Comfortably Numb. 👏👏
@@amadormediero3978 That was probably for Amy, right?
@@BuccWylde I have an opinion, you have a right to believe something else, and to express your opinion elsewhere. Thank you.
@@vruz My point wasn't to share an "opinion" nor criticize Amy's analysis. I'm merely stating that you, nor anyone else don't have to theorize as to the meaning of the lyrics to this song. The song is a LITERAL retelling of an actual incident Roger went through prior to a concert at the Spectrum Arena in Philadelphia back in '77, years before the film was ever made.
This is been one of my favorite songs for the last 20 years and you just made me appreciate it twice as much! Thank you so much for the series!
One of my favorites for 40+ years. I bought the vinyl when it came out. 😁
Simply Pink Floyd at their best.
to me:
"When I was a child
I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb"
is writing brilliance x2
For me too, these lyrics are so deep and meaningful......
Put your headphones on, start the album and listen all the way through. This is the best headphone album ever made.
Agreed,it has so many layers to the music,you can listen to it time and again and hear a different strain running faintly in the background ,I have absolutely no musical talent but I love isolating little pieces and ignoring the heavier and louder parts ,it was such a pleasure to here someone talk about this work and enunciate some of the feelings I get from comfortably numb
@@francisward9609 Don't be so sure you don't have musical talent. Of all the different art forms out there music is one of the hardest to cultivate. There is a high bar of entry for becoming a musician, and for some reason people think you're supposed to naturally be good at it and it's not true. Using your hands to manipulate strings or keys to create melodies isn't a natural thing to do and it takes a lot of work. A lot of us who are musicians wouldn't be here if we had given up so if at some point in your life you decide you want to pick up a musical instrument and learn it isn't too late.
Hmm... dark side disagrees
The difference between the beginning, and the tonal and texture difference of the second part is depicting two sides of a conversation. This is the best analyzation of this song that I have ever heard. She is hitting all the points dead on.
No, it's not a celebration, "I have become comfortably numb" is a bold declaration of how one is feeling to those who are not really paying attention.
David Gilmour’s live performance of this song is absolutely incredible. I highly recommend anyone watch it.
The Pink Floyd version on the 2005 Live Eight show in London is the best of all. David, Roger, Nick, and Rick playing together for the very last time, and they gave their best.
Watch the Roger waters at the 02 that one by far best one done
I like how her eyebrows raise every time. There's an interesting chord change.
In a radio interview around 1980 with Jim Ladd from KLOS in Los Angeles, Waters said part of the song is about the time he got hepatitis but didn't know it. Pink Floyd had to do a show that night in Philadelphia, and the doctor Roger saw gave him a sedative to help the pain, thinking it was a stomach disorder. At the show, Roger's hands were numb "like two toy balloons." He was unable to focus, but also realized the fans didn't care because they were so busy screaming, hence "comfortably" numb. He said most of The Wall is about alienation between the audience and band.
Exploring further, Mojo asked Waters about the line, "That'll keep you going through the show," referring to getting medicated before going on-stage. He explained: "That comes from a specific show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia (June 29, 1977). I had stomach cramps so bad that I thought I wasn't able to go on. A doctor backstage gave me a shot of something that I swear to God would have killed a f---ing elephant. I did the whole show hardly able to raise my hand above my knee. He said it was a muscular relaxant. But it rendered me almost insensible. It was so bad that at the end of the show, the audience was baying for more. I couldn't do it. They did the encore about me."
The Wall is a concept album telling the story of Pink, a rock star who shuts himself off from the outside world by building up a figurative wall. It's a double album, with "Comfortably Numb" the last song on Side 3. By this time, Pink is a hot mess, but he has a show to perform and a doctor is trying to shoot him up with something to get him on stage.
Roger Waters is the voice of the doctor, who asks in the opening line, "Hello, is there anybody in there?" Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour takes the voice of Pink, trying to make sense of it all ("Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying"). The doctor injects him ("just a little pinprick") and Pink goes comfortably numb.
The next song on the album is "The Show Must Go On," where Pink musters the energy to take the stage.
Also Roger did have a bout of scarlet fever as a child which is an experience he draws on in this song. Having also had scarlet fever at the age of 9 I totally get it.
And THIS is what an understanding of Classical music gives you. This is the whole point. You hear things in the music that the rest of us just like without knowing why. My wife has this ability - and gift. It's really fun to listen to Amy break these down. It's even more fun to watch her face as she's hearing the lyrics and recognition dawns. Then to go back and explore musically what they are doing to arrive at that point is just fantastic! Thank you for sharing your gift with us.
On a separate note, I remember a couple of occasions having a fever dream like he describes. It was awful.
@@jasonlouis697 Bury, Lewis,
Great job Amy! You’re the best
this is fake, the Wall came out in 1980, maybe we can have a watch along with her and the movie
Roger Waters explained that part of the inspiration for this song was him coming down with food poisoning right before Pink Floyd was to begin performing in concert (I believe it was in Canada) and he was given an injection of some type so he was able to perform, which resulted in him being - for the most part - a performing zombie in front of an enormous crowd, and being "comfortably numb". The scene for "Comfortably Numb" in the "The Wall" motion picture follows this same idea, that "the show must go on" so "Pink" was given a shot of something so that he was able to perform on stage. Amy, you really do such a superb job and I hope you are enjoying your new musical travels, I know I enjoy watching you make the journey.
And the feeling he had resembled having a high fever when he was a kid and it reminded him of that.
Without this context, I always thought it was about taking heroin, and the high, numbness and disassociation with reality.
@@canman4058he got a shot of heroin befor the show😉
@@canman4058that is more or less what the song is about in the context of what the character of Pink is doing, it's simply not the real life inspiration. It is of my belief that Pink is a mix of Roger and Syd. Pink like many others, especially rock stars, copes with his depression and traum using substances. He overdoses and almost succumbs entirely until his stereotypical sleazy manager gets him injections to sober him just enough to perform and kick him back out onto stage like they need him to. He likens the feeling of overdosing to having a near fatal fever as a child, being light and warm and almost ethereal. He once again, has become numb to the world, and feels comfortable despite the circumstances, peacefully fading away. The present day memories harkening back to childhood ones also lends a hand to the other aspect of the song; remembering things from a more simple and innocent time of childhood but not being able to quite remember them right or put your finger on what it was or how to explain. Childhood was but a shimmer before it disappears forever and the end continues to approach. Pink in the moment probably assumes he's dying and it is also symbolic of him shutting himself behind the wall. The joy of what was is now gone forever, never to be reclaimed
Waters has confirmed that the character 'Pink' in The Wall is based on both himself and former band leader Syd Barrett who required lots of coaxing to get onto stage as he descended into mental illness not helped by psyschadelic drug consumption. One day, on the way to a gig, they just decided it was easier not to pick him up.
Now please react to the live concert at "the Pulse concert". Much longer and much deeper. Watch and listen.
I can say the sun on your face and being a mom looks good on you .your such a kind genuine person giving views in ways I've never thought of sometimes.
I hope you are in a very happy place in your life and find God's comfort and happiness. Life goes by so fast take all the time you can for you along the way . Play that harp for us more that's my favorite part of the channel .God bless
That last solo at the end always brings a tear to my eye. He came so close to seeing the answer the first time it happened when he was a child, but it was gone faster than the blink of an eye, and then this time I feel like he was close to grasping it before the doctor came with his injection to bring him out of it. Then his music comes and it gives me that feeling of tragic loss and impending doom. And then at the very end, as the guitar is fading out, repeating that same chord over and over, as if he's destined to repeat the same cycle of becoming comfortably numb, but never quite realising the answer what his condition is or its cause or how he can stop it from happening again.
I've been looking forward to this since you started your journey through The Wall. 💖
I'm waiting for the final conclusions, and the start with the next Pink Floyd album 😉
Your understanding of the tonal change to represent a less than altruistic meaning behind the "help" is so amazing. Your ability to see the how the musical changes represent different perspective or 'voices' is so refreshing to see someone get it.
How can it be 2024 and someone never heard this song before...
The "hmmmf" you gave at the end of the song was priceless...the perfect contrast everyone gets when they hear the great music with tragic lyrics for the first time with this song.
I have never felt so connected to a piece of music as this track, it still gives me the chills many decades later... The trial will be very interesting !
Wow. Dug into it, tore it up and down, and described exactly what the whole thing was all about, in a way that I never had. Thank you.
"Makes us hurt and feel good at the same time." - She really 'gets'' Pink Floyd.
Glad you liked it, such an iconic song for Floyd fans new and old(er). 👏
In the context of the movie, it's a doctor trying to make the rock star, who is high as a kite, to be in condition to perform the show. It's recurring reality in show business, and not only rock: Broadway and jazz performers have also gone through this.
The two magnificent solos reflect that: the peace and extasy that he experiences with the drug, putting him comfortably numb, in the first solo. The second shows all the pain and agony supressed by the drug.
"Time to go..."
"Are you feeling ok?"
"It's a man answering the phone..."
It’s so wonderful to see how a professional musician and voice trainer can analyze contemporary pieces and glean meaning from abstract lyrics.
Pink Floyd has been my favorite group and style of music since my first introduction back in my military days as a young man. The mix of orchestral backing, Rock riffs, and psychedelic lyrics impart a deep mood and showcase the British style of quiet desperation in their themed albums.
You referred to the line about a childhood fever and the delirium of turning to see something that isn’t there. The lyrics revolve around the drug induced state of the performer, where his senses are missing or numb. Visual artifacts of peripheral movements can even occur from heavy coffee consumption. Even I have turned to see some insect or nightmarish thing that vanished, before cutting back on by beverage of choice.
Back in those early military days, I and a young black Airman were quietly awaiting the return of the jets we worked on. I asked what music he was listening to on his headset and Walkman. I thought he could introduce me to some R&B I might enjoy. He shocked me by saying “Pink Floyd.” I asked what he liked about it. He liked the same thing I did: dark themes and introspections. An unfiltered look at human frailty and the precarious nature of our sanity. I always stop everything to listen when their music is featured, so thank you for the insights.
I just can't believe this is the first time you've ever heard this song.
One of the finest guitar solos of all time from David Gilmore, little is more.
Even after all these years, I still tear up a bit on that second solo...
It shows you have a soul...
Heard this song hundreds of times but it amazes me what a musician can pick up in just a single listen.
Thank you so much. I’ve seen many reactions to this, but you truly opened my eyes to the discourse and the emotions of the track. I’ve watched many of your observations and this just reinforces why I do watch.🥰
If you want to really loose yourself in this song, watch it in the live Pulse Concert from 1994, the solo is longer and stage show is mesmerising.
Absolutely!
The pulse version is an absolute epic.
The best version by far
@@murdoch691truth!
Been looking forward to this and The Trial, my favorite track on the album.
Also for me, the favorite piece on my favorite album of my favorite band !
Mine is Outside the Wall, especially from the Live Album.
Thank you for playing the original, as amazing as Gilmores live version is you have to start with the album version. Many people mistake this song as some mental patient checking out, but you would only understand if you live with great physical pain and have taken every narcotic and street drug just to be able to live your life like everyone else. Severe constant pain is so hard to concentrate, read, watch a movie, everything seems impossible because you can't concentrate without very powerful drugs that only work for a few hours and then you need more and more for the same relief. I remember fondly the first times I found relief after years of pain, crying myself to sleep after exhaustion and finding opioids like Oxycontin it was truly amazing! I had both of my hips replaced at 23 years old from Rheumatoid Arthritis then both knees replaced at 33. Now my back is ravaged and I'm in a wheelchair with Diabetes. I can relate to this song tremendously like when Gilmore says ''I can ease your pain, get you on your feet again...ok, i need some information first, just the basic facts, can you show me where it hurts... just a little pinprick, there'll be no more Ou'll but you may feel a little sick!''
Gilmore is a Rock God to me, he wrote this song. I don't like Roger Waters he is a very jealous person of his bandmates, especially of David Gilmore who came along when Pink Floyd was folding, saved the band, wrote all the great albums and brought huge success and millions of dollars. Waters thanked him by driving him out of the band and sued him. I think Waters was jealous of anyone that looked better than him, got more attention, or could write better or play better. His band was folding when Gilmore was brought in and turned everything around with his songwriting, guitar playing, and his beautiful voice. The fans loved Gilmore and Waters felt like an outcast in the band he created cause Gilmore was so talented, the lead singer, the lead guitarist, and the primary writer that was loved by the fans! Gilmores guitar solo here is routinely voted The Best in rock history!
I had two back surgeries the same day this past Dec. Was in a wheelchair before ER. Got up walking next day and day two after I demanded to be taken off all pain pills. I wanted to be used to the pain before I left the hospital. Not 30 days after I leave when the bottles run out. Week three off Tylenol. Nurses an Drs couldn't believe it. They asked how i could do that. Life I said... Never take pain pills. They are not medicine. Medication fixes you, not delay the fix
I just have to say Amy, you seemed very unimpressed with thee most incredible, most emotional guitar solo in music history. Never before has every emotion been more perfectly captured in a guitar. It’s perfection.
I see the same thing. For one thing, how does one fractionalize listening and be able to grasp the feel of the piece? Will Wilde does a harmonic instrumental of this and the tragic emotionalism of the guitar solo is heartrending. She seems totally unfamiliar with the blues, as well. Also, there are no violins or French horns in this song at all. it's done by synthesizer.
Your spot on. Because one doesn't merely listen to Pink Floyd. One EXPERIENCES Pink Floyd.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time - I'm emotional every time I listen to it. After all of these years listening to this song, I'm thrilled to watch how you were able to catch nuances that I absorbed but didn't give enough attention to.
Thank you so much ❤
Ditto , I got a lump in my throat from the opening chord 😢
yeah, I had heard the song was a tribute to painkillers, so it describes the experience of being treated by a doctor with the medication.
This song IS a painkiller and soul soother !
It’s great how you listen to someone react to this song that is so musically trained I have met people in the past that were brilliant musicians, and could not really enjoy music because they over analyzed every note. I’ve always loved this song since I was a child, but as I’ve gotten older and suffered so much pain, sometimes all you can do is sedate yourself for a moment of feeling comfortably numb and your mind tends to wander to a peaceful time in your life when the worst pain was nothing more than a little pin prick
A song of this magnitude has many meanings, each can interpret to how one is feeling at the time of listening , like reading a book you vision your own perspective. Joyous
Thank you for not interrupting the second solo. I’m sitting here in tears once again and I love it.
Would LOVE to see Amy react to the live Pulse, 1994 performance of this song. It’s absolute perfection. I cannot watch it without being moved to tears.
Absolutely love the violin work that starts with "There is no pain, you are receding..."
The way you explain the layers of the music and the lyrics and the way they come together brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.
Good reaction. This is not just one of the best Pink Floyd songs, it's one of the best songs ever, with two of the best guitar solos ever recorded. And what makes them work so well together is that they're indeed very different: the first solo is sweet, melancholic, because it's played on top of the chords of the part sung by Gilmour. The second solo is angry, much harder, indeed as part of a show, of the world that oppresses the comfortably numb guy, and it is played on top of the chords sung by Waters, the bit coming from outside the wall. Everything is so perfectly placed in this incredible song.
They say, in Heaven, that final solo riff goes on forever
I've heard or read somewhere that one of the bandmates struggled with mental illness and addiction...ultimately a losing battle. That said, I associate a lot of their songs with that in mind. Wish You Were Here comes to mind as an example.
Yup. Syd Barrett. They mostly dealt with him leaving the band due to a losing battle with mental illness, on the Dark Side of the Moon - a concept album just like this one.
That said, probably the most beautiful tribute to Syd is the song 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond' from Wish You Were Here.
That was the Syd Barrett. Perhaps the speculation about too many LSD trips is what you’re referring too.
continuity yes definitely in pink floyd within and even outside in another album. .............. the endless river
Roger Waters used a real event when he had to take medication to be able to play in a show and used it as a metaphor for exactly what you understood from the song. Great job!
He talks about hands like balloons, so I wonder if he's had an allergic reaction or 'bad trip' or possibly what doctors call a 'drug reaction' from some experimentation. Bee stings and other things can cause anaphylactic shock and as it progresses, compared to the initial distress, one might feel 'comfortably numb'. Adrenalin (maybe the pin-prick) almost magically brings one back from the fever and shock. Been there, done that.
think it was more of a lament than a celebration on announcing he is comfortably numb.
It's a very sad fact to realize that you have become comfortably numb.....😢
Please watch the pulse live version then come back listen to this again. If you end up closing your eyes and get emotional the song has reached your inner soul! I have seen this concert 4 times it still makes me emotional.
The comment about the finally solo being the concert... the call and response of what sounds like a lash against the roar of authentic desire to be heard.... I have thought some of the same thoughts you mentioned, but after dozens of hearings... not just one. Your insight shows you comprehend the heart of the art.... Pink Floyd isn't the first to get it out there, but you caught it. Thanks
I'm very glad: truly, you are the first reactor who pointed one to the very characteristics why I love this song: that the waves are reflected in the rippling wave effect in the strings. Thanks very much, I've been waiting so long for someone to notice that! It had to take the view of a classical musician.
All the best with you reactions from the Netherlands!
That "this is the concert" interpretation of the second solo (outro) is something I'd never heard before or thought of in all the years I've been listening to the album... and I bought it days after the release. I think that's a brilliant take. Thank you.
It could be "the concert", but I see it as the metamorphosis from victim Pink to the fascist Pink as depicted in the film. How terrible that is.
Goosebumps every time!
Amy explanations are just wonderful, I love her reactions.