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re: the meaning behind Comfortably Numb lyrics
Posted on 1/7/23 at 5:57 pm to Harry Rex Vonner
Posted on 1/7/23 at 5:57 pm to Harry Rex Vonner
I think that it is a metaphor for how humans gradually get socialized into conformity over the course of a lifetime. How individuality is sacrificed for a one size fits all mentality of being just another cog in the economic, political and social machine. We become comfortably numb as the true life, adventure and freedom are beaten out of us.
4
Posted on 1/7/23 at 7:45 pm to genuineLSUtiger
Pass me the bong, dude.
Posted on 1/7/23 at 8:17 pm to genuineLSUtiger
quote:
I think that it is a metaphor for how humans gradually get socialized into conformity over the course of a lifetime. How individuality is sacrificed for a one size fits all mentality of being just another cog in the economic, political and social machine. We become comfortably numb as the true life, adventure and freedom are beaten out of us.
Pretty close to my interpretation.
The drudgery of the mundane, that life can become, even if you're a big rock star, and you've got to make yourself get up and do it again every day. Whatever it takes. People are depending on you.
Posted on 1/7/23 at 9:13 pm to genuineLSUtiger
Jesus, don’t overthink it. The wall is a metaphor. The life experiences of the main character Pink can be taken pretty much at face value. He’s a rock star. He needs to get drugged up just to go on stage. He’s been building a wall in order to cope with stress and outside pressures his whole life. He’s so messed up he doesn’t know who he is anymore. He can think back to a time when it didn’t used to be that way, but that time is long gone. A forgotten memory. Now he’s completely withdrawn, sedated, comfortably numb. Nothing can hurt him anymore because he can’t feel anymore.
Posted on 1/7/23 at 10:06 pm to Treacherous Cretin
Basically what I am saying. A metaphor for humanity at large.
Posted on 1/8/23 at 12:05 am to genuineLSUtiger
I'm fairly certain it is well documented that the song was about Syd Barret and his mental decline. And him not being with the band when they completely took off. If you listen to the song with that perspective I think it's pretty clear.
Posted on 1/8/23 at 6:27 am to WAY2GOLSU
quote:
I'm fairly certain it is well documented that the song was about Syd Barret and his mental decline. And him not being with the band when they completely took off. If you listen to the song with that perspective I think it's pretty clear.
Not Comfortably Numb. I mean, Syd is a shadow that hangs over everything they did afterwards, but they exorcised most of that, musically, with the Wish You Were Here album. Shine On You Crazy Diamond was all about Syd and most of the rest of that album at least invoked, referenced or at least was partially about Syd.
I don't think Comfortably Numb even tangentially glances at Syd, nor does much of the album in explicit ways at least.
This post was edited on 1/8/23 at 6:28 am
Posted on 1/8/23 at 6:42 am to Harry Rex Vonner
It's about him slowly growing crazy.
Posted on 1/8/23 at 1:21 pm to Ace Midnight
quote:
Not Comfortably Numb. I mean, Syd is a shadow that hangs over everything they did afterwards, but they exorcised most of that, musically, with the Wish You Were Here album. Shine On You Crazy Diamond was all about Syd and most of the rest of that album at least invoked, referenced or at least was partially about Syd.
I don't think Comfortably Numb even tangentially glances at Syd, nor does much of the album in explicit ways at least
This ^^^^^^^^^
Posted on 1/8/23 at 4:09 pm to genuineLSUtiger
This is all pretty well documented.
"The Wall is a concept album about an embittered and alienated rock star named Pink. In "Comfortably Numb", Pink is medicated by a doctor so he can perform for a show. The song was inspired by Waters' injection with a muscle relaxant to combat the effects of hepatitis during the In the Flesh Tour, while in Philadelphia."
As for "The Wall":
"During the tour, Waters began to exhibit increasingly aggressive behaviour, and would often scold disruptive audiences who lit off fireworks, and yelled and screamed during the quieter numbers.[2] In the New York shows they had to use local workers as lighting technicians due to union problems with their own crew. They had several difficulties with the workers; for example, Waters once had to beckon one of the spotlights to move higher when it only illuminated his lower legs and feet while he was singing.
The final night of the tour on 6 July at Montreal's Olympic Stadium ended with Pink Floyd performing a second encore of "Drift Away Blues" as the roadies dismantled the instruments in front of the insatiable audience who refused to let the band leave the stadium. David Gilmour sat out the final encore as he was unhappy with the band's performance that night. Snowy White played a bluesy guitar solo in Gilmour's place. A small riot at the front of the stage followed the band's eventual exit. Earlier that night, Waters spat in the face of a disruptive fan;[4] The Wall grew out of Waters' thoughts about this incident, particularly his growing awareness that stardom had alienated him from his audience.[5] "It was a funny gig," recalled guitarist Snowy White. "It was a really weird vibe… I used to just do my job. But it was interesting to look across the stage and see Roger spitting at this guy at the front… It was a very strange gig. Not very good vibes."[6] "
"In 1977, Pink Floyd played the In the Flesh Tour. Bassist and singer-songwriter Roger Waters despised the experience, feeling the audience was not listening and that many were too far away to see the band. He said: "It became a social event rather than a more controlled and ordinary relationship between musicians and an audience."[9] Some audience members set off firecrackers, leading Waters to stop playing and scold them. In July 1977, on the final date at the Montreal Olympic Stadium, a group of noisy and excited fans near the stage irritated Waters so much that he spat on one of them.[10]
Guitarist and singer-songwriter David Gilmour refused to perform a final encore and sat at the soundboard,[11] leaving the band, with backup guitarist Snowy White, to improvise a slow, sad 12-bar blues, which Waters announced to the audience as "some music to go home to".[12][13] That night, Waters spoke with producer Bob Ezrin and Ezrin's psychiatrist friend about the alienation and despair he was experiencing, and he articulated his desire to isolate himself by constructing a wall across the stage between the performers—himself, along with the rest of the band—and the audience.[14] "
"The Wall is a concept album about an embittered and alienated rock star named Pink. In "Comfortably Numb", Pink is medicated by a doctor so he can perform for a show. The song was inspired by Waters' injection with a muscle relaxant to combat the effects of hepatitis during the In the Flesh Tour, while in Philadelphia."
As for "The Wall":
"During the tour, Waters began to exhibit increasingly aggressive behaviour, and would often scold disruptive audiences who lit off fireworks, and yelled and screamed during the quieter numbers.[2] In the New York shows they had to use local workers as lighting technicians due to union problems with their own crew. They had several difficulties with the workers; for example, Waters once had to beckon one of the spotlights to move higher when it only illuminated his lower legs and feet while he was singing.
The final night of the tour on 6 July at Montreal's Olympic Stadium ended with Pink Floyd performing a second encore of "Drift Away Blues" as the roadies dismantled the instruments in front of the insatiable audience who refused to let the band leave the stadium. David Gilmour sat out the final encore as he was unhappy with the band's performance that night. Snowy White played a bluesy guitar solo in Gilmour's place. A small riot at the front of the stage followed the band's eventual exit. Earlier that night, Waters spat in the face of a disruptive fan;[4] The Wall grew out of Waters' thoughts about this incident, particularly his growing awareness that stardom had alienated him from his audience.[5] "It was a funny gig," recalled guitarist Snowy White. "It was a really weird vibe… I used to just do my job. But it was interesting to look across the stage and see Roger spitting at this guy at the front… It was a very strange gig. Not very good vibes."[6] "
"In 1977, Pink Floyd played the In the Flesh Tour. Bassist and singer-songwriter Roger Waters despised the experience, feeling the audience was not listening and that many were too far away to see the band. He said: "It became a social event rather than a more controlled and ordinary relationship between musicians and an audience."[9] Some audience members set off firecrackers, leading Waters to stop playing and scold them. In July 1977, on the final date at the Montreal Olympic Stadium, a group of noisy and excited fans near the stage irritated Waters so much that he spat on one of them.[10]
Guitarist and singer-songwriter David Gilmour refused to perform a final encore and sat at the soundboard,[11] leaving the band, with backup guitarist Snowy White, to improvise a slow, sad 12-bar blues, which Waters announced to the audience as "some music to go home to".[12][13] That night, Waters spoke with producer Bob Ezrin and Ezrin's psychiatrist friend about the alienation and despair he was experiencing, and he articulated his desire to isolate himself by constructing a wall across the stage between the performers—himself, along with the rest of the band—and the audience.[14] "
Posted on 1/8/23 at 7:13 pm to Harry Rex Vonner
Watch The Wall and everything will be made clear. The song is about the main character trying to escape back into memories of his childhood while his promoter/manager uses any means necessary to try and force him to perform.
Posted on 1/8/23 at 7:50 pm to Ace Midnight
quote:
I don't think Comfortably Numb even tangentially glances at Syd, nor does much of the album in explicit ways at least.
I've always interpreted the Wall as sort of amalgamation of a lot of people, mostly Roger himself but there are lots of touches of Syd in there as well. Nobody Home, for example, "I got elastic bands keeping my shoes on" references Syd no longer wearing shoe laces, Gohills boots are boots Syd wore, the Hendrix perm, etc. In the movie Pink shaves his body hair (who can forget the famous picture of Syd's non-existent eyebrows). Not to mention the whole story of the Wall is a rock star's decline due to mental health issues (perhaps Roger seeing Syd's decline and wondering if he is headed down that same path after the disastrous tour).
Posted on 1/10/23 at 2:33 pm to VABuckeye
quote:
And not one, but two amazing guitar solos.
I actually like the first solo better than the second, but they are both awesome.
Posted on 1/10/23 at 3:01 pm to Harry Rex Vonner
Basically, think COVID 2020 and it's that for me. Just frickin OVER IT ALL yet everyone seems to be frickin tarded and you're watching idiots propagate nonsense and you know you can't do shite about it and you have to keep functioning somehow but so tired and you want to end it all but you have a family that loves you and depends on you so essentially you sell your soul and do what the machine wants. You're comfortably numb and you hate yourself for it so you drink your dick off and eat addy
Posted on 1/10/23 at 3:09 pm to TDcline
quote:
Basically, think COVID 2020 and it's that for me. Just frickin OVER IT ALL yet everyone seems to be frickin tarded and you're watching idiots propagate nonsense and you know you can't do shite about it and you have to keep functioning somehow but so tired and you want to end it all but you have a family that loves you and depends on you so essentially you sell your soul and do what the machine wants. You're comfortably numb and you hate yourself for it so you drink your dick off and eat addy
Welp, that escalated quickly..crapload of truth though.
Posted on 1/10/23 at 3:14 pm to auggie
Lol I got big into Pink Floyd in the last few years. Animals is a criminally under appreciated album imo
Posted on 1/10/23 at 3:18 pm to LSU alum wannabe
quote:
Their original singer. Wasn’t he a polysubstance abuser? Bipolar too?
Roger "Syd" Barrett was the original singer and guitar player. Gilmour was a childhood friend as was brought in to initially backstop him on guitar and ultimately replaced him.
Mainly it was combination of very, very heavy use of LSD combined with undiagnosed schizophrenia that set him on the course to being somewhere else (still present physically, but just gone from a cognitive standpoint or at least a completely different person replaced the guy who was there before). The album, Wish You Were Here was largely what the band (and Syd) had gone through in there rise to stardom, dealing with the music business and the negatives that come with success (especially after the enormous commercial success of the previous album, The Dark Side of the Moon).
quote:
“Pin prick” definitely makes me think of heroin use.
This is a knee jerk reaction to what usually happens in rock and roll, but it does not make any sense in the context of the song. The narrator Roger's verses seem to be of a doctor or "caregiver" who is checking on Pink and injecting him with some concoction (horse tranquilizer if it mirrors Waters' real life inspirational incident, when he was dealing with a bout of hepatitis) to try to "keep you going for the show", to further the commercial interests of the band, the promoter, the venue and the record company.
This post was edited on 1/10/23 at 3:20 pm
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