Speak to Me
"Speak to Me" is the first track[nb 1] on British progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon, on which it forms an overture.[1][2] Nick Mason receives a rare solo writing credit for the track, though recollections differ as to the reasons for this. Mason states that he created the track himself, whereas Richard Wright and Roger Waters stated the credit was a "gift" to Mason to give him some publishing income (subsequently regretted by the latter, following his acrimonious departure from the band).[3][4][5] A live version is included on Pulse.
| "Speak to Me" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Pink Floyd | |
| from the album The Dark Side of the Moon | |
| Published | World Copyrights Ltd. |
| Released | 1 March 1973 |
| Recorded | June 1972 – January 1973 |
| Genre | Sound collage, avant-garde |
| Length |
|
| Label | Harvest |
| Songwriter(s) | Nick Mason |
| Producer(s) | Pink Floyd |
Composition
The song itself is a sound collage, which features no lyrics (although it contains parts of the conversation tapes that Pink Floyd recorded, as well a short snippet of Clare Torry's vocal performance on "The Great Gig in the Sky"), and consists of a series of sound effects. It leads into the first performance piece on the album, "Breathe". As a result, they are usually played together on the radio, and most later re-releases merge the two songs.[6]
Sound effects
Noticeable sound and instrument effects include:
- Heartbeat; this can also be heard at the end of "Eclipse"[2]
- Clock ticking, also heard in "Time"
- Manic laughter of Peter Watts, also heard in "Brain Damage"[2]
- Cash register, also heard in "Money"
- Helicopter noise, also heard in "On the Run"
- Clare Torry's scream, also heard in "The Great Gig in the Sky"[2]
- Backwards piano chord, which leads into "Breathe"
Spoken parts
I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years. I've been over the edge for yonks, been working with bands so long. I think 'Crikey'.
I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us have. Very hard to explain why you're mad, even if you're not mad.
Personnel
- Nick Mason – percussion, tape effects; tape loops
- Roger Waters – tape effects; tape loops
- Richard Wright – reversed piano
References
- Footnotes
- Some CD pressings merge "Speak to Me" and "Breathe".
- Citations
- Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- Mabbett, Andy (2010). Pink Floyd - The Music and the Mystery. London: Omnibus. pp. 160p. ISBN 978-1-84938-370-7.
- "Dark Side of the Moon — Text from interview with Roger Waters". Archived from the original on 2012-12-07. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/pink-floyd-dark-side-40-years-later-40-205227757.html
- "Lost In Space - Uncut Magazine, 2003". - "It was an assembly that I did with existing music. You could say there’s no original material there, or you could say it’s an entirely original assembly." - Mason; "Nick gets credited on “Speak To Me”, when, in fact, that was just us giving him some publishing" - Wright
- Andy Mabbett (September 28, 2010). Pink Floyd- The music and the mystery: The Music and the Mystery. Omnibus Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-85712-418-0.