Pink Floyd "Comfortably Numb" REACTION & ANALYSIS by Vocal Coach / Opera Singer

[@TheCharismaticVoice]

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[@patr10t762]

Please consider Polina Gagarina kakushka. The Battle for Sevastopol ost version is a visual wonder of story telling. Consider sampling it with the music muted before you commit. If too rough find a concert version. Like me Russian is not in your wheelhouse but the dynamics of the singing transends language.

[@tdv1973]

Personnel of PF "P•U•L•S•E" *Pink Floyd* David Gilmour - lead vocals, guitars, lap steel guitar, talk box Richard Wright - keyboards, backing vocals, *lead vocals on "Time" and "Comfortably Numb"* (verses) Nick Mason - drums, gong, roto-toms *Additional personnel* Guy Pratt - bass guitar, backing vocals, *lead vocals on "Comfortably Numb"* (verses) and "Run Like Hell" Jon Carin - keyboards, programming, backing vocals, *lead vocals on "Comfortably Numb"* (verses) Sam Brown - backing vocals, first lead vocalist on "The Great Gig in the Sky" Durga McBroom - backing vocals, second lead vocalist on "The Great Gig in the Sky" Claudia Fontaine - backing vocals, third lead vocalist on "The Great Gig in the Sky" Tim Renwick - guitars, backing vocals Dick Parry - saxophones Gary Wallis - percussion, additional drums (played and programmed)

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

Hiyas! Small question, which headphone are you using, and are you happy with it? Guessing Sennheiser, but the type? Toodles 👋😎

[@randall517]

Thanks for doing Pink Floyd. Gilmour, Mason, and Wright are the original members here. Gilmour replaced Syd Barret back in 69ish and Roger Waters left in the early 80's. You should check out their album Animals. By far my favorite. The only way to truly get Floyd is to listen to full albums. They were masters of creating a listening expierence.

[@mitchfleming274]

I suggest you watch "The Wall" the movie.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

DO NOT pause in the middle of a David Gilmour guitar solo! Especially this one!

[@t5kcannon1]

Exactly. It is blasphemy to do so.

[@christianpagan1288]

That solo takes you through the universe and back!

[@t5kcannon1]

@@christianpagan1288 Yes, it is an extraordinary piece of music. Every time I listen to it, I appreciate it that much more.

[@randywissler9923]

Quite honestly, the greatest solo ever!!

[@silgen]

It's like interrupting God when he's laying down the ten commandments.

[@torqingheads]

As David Gilmour's wife said about him, 'David struggles to express himself emotionally with words, but put a guitar in his hands and he makes you feel everything'.

[@rienkhoek4169]

She actually said that? Awesome!

[@caseyphudson]

He also happens to be one of the greatest rock singers of all time.

[@ripleyfuriosa5701]

Wow, that makes PF's song "Keep Talking" all the more poignant

[@DonaldTurk-lr5cq]

Pink Floyd has been one of my biggest influence to playing guitar the lead solo is a very good level to play to

[@michaeltudyk8660]

Same with me honestly, but the only emotion I feel is sucks at guitar.

[@Nanemec]

David Gilmour's guitar solo in this song is one of mankinds greatest achievements and the most legendary musical brilliance of all time

[@NisseOhlsen]

It is. And Wolfgang Mozart would approve.

[@andrewjaman4697]

Agreed. Hallowed ground.

[@stevepalmer3465]

It's an average solo at best. The solo in Another Brick in the Wall is far better as well as hundreds of solos from hundreds of other guitarists.

[@Nanemec]

@@stevepalmer3465 See, this is where people get it wrong. It's not always about technical skill, and it's not the difficulty level.. He let's the guitar sing, it's emotional. Written perfectly and commanded by the player.

[@NickyHendriks]

@@Nanemec this. Technically the solo isn't that spectacular, it's the ride it is taking you on, the emotions that are hidden within and the chills on your back. I can listen to this song over and over and the solo hits me hard each and every time. It's what the solo does to people that makes it one of the best solos out there. Comfortably Numb isn't my favorite Pink Floyd song, but the solo definitely is

[@mikewebb1514]

Listen to the entire album in sequence. It tells a complete story. "The Wall" is a Rock Opera where each song contributes a chapter to the whole of the concept album.

[@chrishirst2717]

There's also a movie based on the album that's worth a watch.

[@savolainen9987]

This is the only time this far when I think The Charismatic Voice missed it, just because she did not experience the whole thing as a whole. This cannot be experienced in pieces.

[@rhymerez]

I made a comment on this as well. When they said in the end that they expected the vocals to come back I had to reply. They do, it's just the next song in the movie. Comfortably Numb is among the best songs made, standing on it's own. That it is part of a much longer story makes it the best ever. And then Roger Waters re-invented it in 2022.

[@michellemeeks2733]

And weirdly the movie had such an impact on me, I watched several times and inherently act out each song without the movie playing even years later. I just know the scene. lol It impresses SOME people.

[@michellemeeks2733]

@@chrishirst2717 lol Watched it so many times in my teens and 20's. Today i can still act out a scene based on the song! It's a story for sure.

[@MrG-wk6jw]

David Gilmours guitar solo in this is probably the most iconic guitar solos ever recorded,

[@poynt100]

(2nd solo)It has to be the greatest guitar solo EVER!!

[@CharlyDS]

It resonates with me everytime, it's really something so emotional.

[@archinorval294]

best solo in the history of rock... hmmm... lets listen to it

[@randypeters366]

Only Elizabeth could ruin it

[@44BluesFan]

I disagree. There's no "probably" about it. ;)

[@nickwf1commdept2]

Syd and Roger were long gone by this time. The verse harmonies are by Rick Wright (keyboards), Jon Carin (keyboards) and Guy Pratt (bass). The rest is David Gilmour with Sam Brown, Durga McBroom and Claudia Fontaine.

[@BenjWarrant]

Sam did a fantastic job on _Great gig in the sky._ Always carried a torch for her singing but that was a new high for her.

[@MichaelLloyd]

My preferred version of the band

[@jimiray68]

I saw them on the Momentary Lapse tour right after Roger left. It was an incredible concert, but I don't think that a proper analysis should be done with live Pink Floyd. Their experimental sound was curated in the studio, and I mean this with the utmost respect to the band, but live Pink Floyd does not equal studio Pink Floyd

[@brendaerickson678]

I agree because they pull a lot of ordinary sounds and incorporate them into their music which is so cool. I guess for concerts they could use recordings of those sounds just the same as in studio. However, perhaps timing may be slightly off live.

[@pizzaboy399]

And you need Roger since he was on the studio recording obviously. Rick has a nice voice too. But not who you think of first when talking Floyd vocals.

[@monitor4208]

Pink Floyd! Finaly! I can feel: Great gig in the Sky is getting closer…

[@DieyoungDiefast]

That'll be an interesting reaction. Have to be the version on DSotM with Clare Torry.

[@joedanis2889]

The first reaction videos that I watched were Great Gig videos. They were hilarious.. I have never seen a voice coach react to that song, and I think it would be interesting. To see the look of confusion on reactors faces during that song would be entertaining.

[@davidembrey4248]

Great Gig in the Sky will blow her mind.

[@tord9707]

Bot thumbs up for Great gig with Claire

[@Suddsy.]

The original singer or the three girls live in the Pulse tour video

[@MichaelLabriola-f8s]

As teens we sat in circles with our girl friends and listened to Floyd with dimmed lights so no one could see our tears! Their genius overwhelmed us. We found ourselves in their music.❤😢

[@pashby3]

similarly, but with (Heads) after party - "And disciplinary remains mercifully" "Yes and um, I’m with you, Derek, this star nonsense" "Yes, yes" "Now which is it?" "I am sure of it" One person would shout out "Put the Music Back ON!!! " a few chords later= So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell? Blue skies from pain?

[@rjjm88]

"It feels like it's distorting our perception of time." Welcome to Pink Floyd. :D

[@Flagg795]

If that isn’t an accurate statement, I don’t know what is.

[@DrBonely]

Came here to say this! Cheers!

[@mizot84]

Perfectly right. To celebrate this distortion of time I recommend as next song to review.... Pink Floyd's Time!

[@Real_McPhee]

Welcome, to the machine.

[@oglschmitt]

Well said by all.

[@babarm]

‘Wish you were here’ by Pink Floyd would probably make Elizabeth cry

[@nikolajovanovic7419]

totally

[@teviston7288]

Wish you were here makes me cry

[@anneahlefeld1989]

I know it makes ME cry.

[@markcadman4237]

Oh yes! The track "Wish You Were Here" from the album of the same name is my favourite Pink Floyd track: wonderful lyrics and moves me every time I hear it. Without being too morbid, I would like it played when I shuffle off this mortal coil; mostly because I love the song but partly so I can get one last, gentle, joke in to cheer up those seeing me off.

[@paulgunderson4721]

Certainly my favorite of the Pink Floyd albums. And I like a LOT of Pink Floyd albums.

[@UncleRenBP]

All of that 'stuff underneath' she mentions that creates the 'time slowing' effect, that's Rick Wright, the secret ingredient of Pink Floyd. All the texture, the finesse, the binding he adds to their best songs can never be underestimated. May he rest in peace.

[@mikevaughan3592]

Originally, David Gilmore & Roger Waters sang dual leads on this song. Singing the verses of the song is someone who replaced Roger Waters (At least for the tour.) Waters left the band in the early nineteen eighties. The repeated chorus, " There is no pain....." sung by David Gilmore (with that fantastic lead guitar playing) Also, just so you know, never interrupt Gilmore's guitar solos. 😉

[@nanoflower1]

@@mikevaughan3592 Would be so nice to hear her reactions to the studio version of this song with Roger and David singing.

[@dsmallwood2112]

Doubt you'll read this but it is David Gilmour singing. The initial sound on this live version was meant to give you the feeling of being in that "comfortably numb" mode. The song is about the illness nut also drugs. And as has been repeated, please don't stop in a David Gilmour soulful solo 😊

[@dariansimms1017]

That was so well said. You are absolutely right. Rick was so important to Pink Floyd.

[@ellisberg]

Rick Wright was a critical element of the unique sound of Pink Floyd. He never showboated as a keyboardist (think Rick Wakeman, Jordan Ruddess, Keith Emerson, et al) but his compositional contributions are many. As a keyboardist myself, I try to blend into the mix as well as Rick did. Most of the time, you are not really conscious of his playing, but take it away and you no longer have Pink Floyd. RIP Rick.

[@Motorhead_England]

Some 59 years ago (I was 4 years old), I was seriously ill after contracting measles. My temperature was dangerously high, and I remember lying in bed looking up at a beautiful, huge tree, filled with millions of pink blossom petals. I reached up and began picking at the blossom, but it felt as if I was wearing boxing gloves. Fast forward 14 years or so to when I first heard this track, and I instantly connected, and to this very day, if I close my eyes and concentrate, I can relive that feeling in both my hands. Maybe a mental scar? Who knows. But this version of this song was as if it were performed by the music Gods themselves. Mindblowing.

[@davewilson4493]

Back when I was ~10 years old, I had an instance of fever when I remember looking up at imperfections in the paint on the wall which turned into strange patterns and led me off to a weird kaleidoscope world, followed by a much weirder bit which was full of a bizarre confusing mix of disturbing sounds and fear and stress and pressure followed by feeling a sudden release into white light and what could have been some angelic blend of music and silence but could easily have been just a lack of what I had been experiencing before, and thinking "This seems oddly familiar". Later, I heard about how difficult my birth had been, and though it seems that's not something people should remember, it would seem like a pretty good fit. In years shortly afterward, I got familiar with the same thing when I was ill, but though I still remember the dreams, they stopped happening back then.

[@Azznbad]

Childhood feavers would be cool if you just didn't have to be sick. Lol I remember similar things in a fever when I was 8 or 10. Waa like a dream buy it was very real.

[@bjako]

@@Azznbad I don't remember the fever besides some bits of being in hospital for days, but I'll never forget the feeling of relief along with the total and complete calmness I felt once I was back home as I rolled an erector set car back and forth with my older brother. I was 6 or 7, 40+ years ago.

[@witnezz]

Pink Floyd didn't just create music, they created soundscapes.

[@Kingwoodish]

Agreed, at the same time Procol Harum was also creating soundscapes with wonderful lyrics.

[@drikai]

@@Kingwoodish Be so Great to see her react to Procol Harum's Whiter Shade of Pale

[@chuckoerter4188]

They changed music.

[@hubertchildress3192]

I've never heard that term before but it sounds right for Pink Floyd. 😊 looking it up now.

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Listen to the whole of Dark side of The Moon, and Wish you Were Here. With the lights off.

[@TheCharismaticVoice]

Not much of a reaction if they you all can't see me, but maybe on a second listen?

[@coyote4237]

@@TheCharismaticVoice It needs to be said, though, Pink Floyd made concept albums, and Dark Side of the Moon needs to be listened to as an album.

[@stugeh]

@@coyote4237 i mean it doesnt. it works almost as well as singular songs. Only band ive really ran into where you "need to" sometimes hear the song before is tool with stuff like lost keys and rosetta stoned, 10 000 days pt1 and 2 and parabol and parabola. the last one especially is crucial to the experience. since they transition so seamlessly. Pink Floyd albums are more atomic even if there is an over arching story or theme to the albums and its not a bad or good thing.

[@coyote4237]

@@stugeh I totally disagree.

[@stugeh]

@@coyote4237 agree to disagree then I guess🤷‍♂️

[@Dragineez774]

"Distorting our perception of time" - I've never heard Pink Floyd described more accurately.

[@EdwardGregoryNYC]

Also, "We're really off the train now" is a perfect description of Floyd.

[@Varksterable]

@@EdwardGregoryNYC I was really _on_ the train here. That works too.

[@AbleBodied]

I always got that on, Learning to Fly. Definitely.

[@peterschurr8087]

What a load of cr*p. Everyone who replies "oh yes you're totally right!!" (or some derivative of that), you're suckers for both the industry of KZbin and the whole reaction-video scam.

[@Varksterable]

@@peterschurr8087 You're right. I actually _dont_ get any enjoyment or satisfaction from watching reaction videos. And KZbin, despite what my brain tells me I'm feeling, is in no way entertaining and is a terrible way to pass the time when I have nothing more important to do than enjoy myself for a while. You, sir, have cut right to the chase and convinced me that even though I _think_ I like watching stuff like this, in reality the digital world is a scam on a facade of an illusion dressed up as hollow whimsy. You have rightly pointed out that I have no authority to decide for myself what I do with my life, nor indeed to determine how I perceive what seems to be 'good' use of any free time I have. Oh, what an insight! Such an eloquent statement of objective fact that all should read and adhere to. You, sir, should be carried shoulder-high through the virtual cities of this internet community for revealing to us all the True Path for digital satisfaction! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@grantwallace1882]

Greatest guitar solo ever. The first time I heard this song, I felt that I was floating above my bed.

[@yoda9188]

Repeat after me… I will never pause in the middle of a David Gilmore solo

[@RippPryde]

Seriously....I love her reactions noramlly but that was some serious heresy. If you stop the solo then you loose its continuity, its build up and a lot of its power. Its a real shame and it ruins the experience.

[@TheClawNinja]

@@RippPryde Yeah, but, it's kind of what she's supposed to do, discuss the song :)

[@hermitrob5481]

4 or 5 times no less. "I love the colors"? Siiiigh The word stagnant should never be uttered on anything Pink Floyd related ever. Ever ever. Sacrilege of the first order

[@kevinbennett2239]

Amen brother 🙏

[@mayramurillo4932]

I will never EVER must interrup gilmores solos

[@JBCavern]

If dissonance is disturbing, listen to the studio version of this song. Your goose bumps will get goose bumps! Gilmour's solos are haunting and so beautiful they'll bring tears to your eyes.

[@qitsune8326]

My issue with it is that it's way too short in the studio version 😂

[@kentuckybowl-o-sticks]

BINGO. Forty years ago, I was confident that I could do a good job on both voices in the studio version. Haven't tried lately, but I'm confident I could beat the vocals in THIS performance... except for Gilmour's, perhaps : )

[@timcarder2170]

Every year away from the original release, the vocals get a little more...troubling

[@dreamingmusic3299]

David Gilmour is one of those very rare musicians who can make their guitar cry and sing. I grew up with Pink Floyd in the 70s and I STILL feel my heart clutch when he plays.

[@Paul_Halicki]

The beauty of his solos is that he doesn't really play a lot of notes. He just plays the right ones.

[@armadillotoe]

At the end of the second solo when that guitar is screaming in pain I can't stop the tears.

[@leonardwashington6456]

@@armadillotoe my sentiments exactly, Smokey

[@tommarthaller]

That emotion he is able to produce on those strings really sets him apart. It is impressive.

[@artofmovements6477]

For me, I understand that it is a dialogue between a patient and his doctor.

[@gmunks8]

Beth, it's's fun watching a young music professional like yourself listen to the best music from my generation for the first time. Your facial expressions and comments fill me with emotion and appreciation.

[@Xiph1980]

Oh not to diminish this song because it's breathtaking, but if there's any Pink Floyd song suitable for a vocal coach review, it's gotta be Great Gig in the Sky! Clare Torry's performance is unparalleled!

[@Xiph1980]

And polyphonic did a feature on how this song came to be. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJicf2Z_ZqacpNk

[@ryanhallwrites]

Oh lord yes!

[@Brazpastrop]

Totally agree with you ! The Great Gig in the Sky is an awsome song.

[@martynlester9869]

Yup. That's an absolute knocks-your-socks-off vocal. One of the best performances ever caught on record (even if they did send her home with a "Yeah, OK, thanks," and a measly £30 session fee). I think the problem is going to be that Elizabeth appraises videos, and no one would have even considered filming an unknown session singer improvising a vocal during what was supposed to be an album mixdown session. I'd still love to know what Elizabeth makes of the performance, because I think her jaw would hit the desk, but without a video record, she's not going to be able to run through her checks on whether there's visible neck relaxation, what the jaw placement looks like and that sort of thing.

[@ThomasTallant]

I don't disagree, but it's not really a Floyd vocal per se? Or am I wrong. It's a guest?

[@johnlackey1244]

You heard David Gilmour’s true vocals in the emotion pouring from the guitar. Where you felt two guitars were trading dissonance was only David. A one of a kind master.

[@MarcusPfeiffer]

That "smooth singing" guitar virtuoso was David Gilmour. Roger Waters had split with the band at that point already and Sid Barret had been gone for a couple of decades. In my humble opinion, the Waters/Gilmour combination of Floyd in the 70s was the best Floyd. The Smooth Gilmour contrasted by the Anxiety of Waters was the perfect bi-polar relationship in life as it was in their music. The tug of war between the two very different personalities translated to the most timeless and brilliant music ever known. Pink Floyd is one of the few bands that should ideally be listened to in full albums. Do yourself the favour of having all of the lyrics on hand and listen to albums like the Wall, Animals, Dark Side of the Moon, Meddle or Wish You Were Here in their entirety.

[@sigsoup]

I agree with you completely. Very well said, and fantastic albums listed.

[@brockhagen9100]

Agree - best live performance I attended was PF in 1977. But, they were still awesome artists, post-Waters, for 30 years.

[@Rashoop]

Thank you. I grow so weary of these “let’s analyze a song for money” channels. Music is great when it is great. Don’t try to capitalize on THAT. Now back to just enjoying amazing music…

[@tonyt8805]

David Gilmour 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

[@edhawkes584]

So agree. Floyd albums are like a book. You listen from start to finish. Especially true with Dark Side thru The Wall.

[@i-deni-i5138]

"There's an amazing solo as well" It's the greatest solo in rock history, girl! 😂

[@markdaigle-m4y]

Really? LOL

[@thebikeguy2029]

“The child is grown. The dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb.” This line always gets me. It's really sad, but many times true when you think about it. Remember, he wrote the song later in life. It's not all about one event. The events I know about are a fever as a child and when he was sick on tour, so they dope him up with something, so he can make it through the show. He claimed whatever they gave him made him feel nothing. The song is broken up by two guitar solos, both on the list of top 100 guitar solos of the millennium.(yes, one song made the list twice). The first goes with the smooth, going with the flow feel of the song. The second is after the line, “The child is grown. The dream is gone. I have become comfortably numb.” It is angry. This is not how things were supposed to be. This is not the dream.

[@lgsaez]

I like the first one 1000 times more, because it feels nice. But the second solo is without a doubt the best solo of all time... the notes are so clean but the feeling it evokes is so raw and hopeless...it makes "Hey you" hit so more harder and to the nerve. I love this song.

[@darrinmills7309]

I agree with liking the first solo better. Just so solemn and the sadness in it. It really fits in where the song is at that point. Just so much emotion in the 1st solo. Both are excellent. But I do love the 1st one way more

[@QueenGaGa]

That line always gets me too, I try to sing along but can't hold my tears. It's hard knowing that my wall was developed in my childhood, but still not be able to tear it down at age 65...

[@Dipperdap1]

Pink Floyd is another band that you don't "listen" to, you rather experience the band. They are masters at taking you on a journey.

[@gregmiske]

I had the privilege of seeing them on this tour when they came through Columbus OH. It was one of the only concerts I’ve been to where the audience stopped jumping and sat down to get lost in the journey.

[@peterkarwowski2373]

I saw this tour 3 times in 1994...Foxboro,Mass, Yankee Stadium and the old RFK in Washington D.C....once in 1988...totally spiritual...glad you got to see it too!!

[@SeanCleverly]

And what a journey it is. Well said, sir, well said.

[@scionofdorn9101]

Precisely. Pink Floyd submerges you into their world by escorting you into your own head. They show you a place that can only exist for you alone in your mind, a corner you’ve never looked into before, but there’s so much hidden in it. It changes you when you find it.

[@regane.bartko7247]

Agreed. I have said that I don't understand how people can listen to Pink Floyd while high, because Pink Floyd IS the drug.

[@greenlady1]

Literally one of the greatest, if not the greatest, guitar solos of all time. David Gilmour is so talented and plays in a way that sounds impressive yet effortless all at the same time. So melodic and emotional, and he makes it look so easy. And his voice is like buttah. I could listen to him sing the phone book.

[@JBCavern]

Yes, and I could listen to his solos in this song go on for 15 minutes each!

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

When Elizabeth recently asked who your "anytime" voice, David Gilmour immediately came to my mind. I too would listen to his angelic tones sing the phone book 😂

[@badgameguy6899]

Also the sweetest !!!!!

[@michaelstrickland6035]

His guitar is alive. It sings. It sings it's heart out.

[@metalmamasue3680]

You know you're exposing that we're getting oId if you remember using phone books 😅 But yeah this is an iconic solo. I also love the end of Hotel California with the dual guitars.

[@MrNgarza]

I saw the Division Bell tour back in 94 at the Alamo Dome and this version was played ,till this day ,I am speechless and is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES

[@mikey6214]

I was also at a division bell concert and was not overall excited about this rendition.

[@ThomasGreen-j5p]

Damn Skippy. I was at that show as well

[@gimcoach]

One of the things that makes David Gilmour such a great guitarist is that he makes his guitar sing and soar like it is another vocal part

[@CarlosTehJackal]

I have always held the view that no musician projects as much emotion with a guitar as Gilmour. In particular, his performance on the 'Delicate Sound of Thunder' version of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" gets me in the feels long before the vocals come in. Every time.

[@caramanico1]

Yes, his phrasing is the best!!

[@WERC-lawyer]

Yes! ... You nailed it....

[@JimK03.]

I'm a guitarist of almost 40 years and I've listened to this song 1000's of times, and that outro solo brings a tear to my eyes every time! Gilmour is a master of giving you the feels. Pink Floyd loud, on a great sound system, in surround, in the dark is a religious experience for me.

[@christopherconard2831]

It's the difference between a competent and great musician. An good, or competent preformer can put together a series of notes in a harmonic and pleasing manor. A great one can reach your soul (for lack of a better term) and induce an emotional response.

[@richardfehr1838]

AMEN!

[@philharnett2884]

Welcome to the Pink Floyd journey. No band had ever had the depth of this band. Been on the journey for 45 years.

[@jerrywinter3103]

Same here, my middle school teacher introduced me to them via the Animals album and I have been hooked ever since

[@paulbroxis2709]

I was an 18year old at this actual gig. It was incredible. I was not so much a Gilmore fan, and wish Waters had been there, but boy did they make up for not having much of a focal point front man with incredible lights and lasers. When the HUGE disco ball dropped down from the center of the stadium and then opened everybody was blown away!!

[@sammyday3341]

24:54 David Gilmour controls the universe. And the lyrics “The child has grown, the dream is gone” get me every time.

[@PapaBear6t8]

That's all about in this song... about a child growing up and losing touch with the divine, his life source!

[@metalmamasue3680]

I get misty eyed when I hear Wish You Were Here. I Iost my mom decades ago when I was 18 and that always reminds of her. RlP all of our Iost Ioved ones ❤😇

[@pizzaboy399]

Did Gilmour write any lyrics?

[@grahammurphy7882]

This song was no 2 on top 100 radio 1 greatest songs in 1993 . I was 13 when I heard it and went to see my Dad and asked him do you have any Pink Floyd ......He was so proud that day and this reminds me of him everytime I hear it

[@DavidGarvinTechnophile]

What a great memory!

[@limitnl]

Thats awesome. I've only been into Pink Floyd since I took a mushroom trip in my twenties and watched the concert. Will never forget the ride we had, it was profound. Now, 15 years later, i have 3 sons and I've been keen on letting them know about the Dire Straits from the age of 4. Thanks for reminding me I should put Pink Floyd in the mix aswell. Greetings from the Netherlands!

[@aliasesableable]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYOXpZKglNV2pLs

[@MrBeugh]

I turned my youngest son onto Pink Floyd (and other favorites of mine) and he turned his entire school onto them! He told me how a couple of girls he knew told him that Simon and Garfunkel brought them to tears. Yaaaay dad!

[@trestruant9941]

Awesome you saw the genius in this song, considering you were born a year after it was released on The Wall double LP.

[@pigskinpoetry]

"The child is grown. The dream is gone." Followed by that solo? ALL THE FEELS.

[@ianmybusiness6556]

Incredible. I've loved this song for decades and, Elizabeth, you've taken me to a new level of understanding and enjoyment. Thanks so much for that journey

[@jjmalaprop9968]

David Gilmour’s singing voice is so warm and soothing. Very comforting. Underrated vocalist. All-time guitarist.

[@dr.krieger6563]

It is comforting.... some might say it makes them comfortably numb.... Okay that was painful even for me, I apologize.

[@TheBlockDog]

Underrated is such an over used, overrated term. Gilmour underrated ? By whom ?

[@jjmalaprop9968]

@@TheBlockDog 😭 Show the list where Gilmour is ranked among the best vocalists. Or at all. I stand by my comment. Dozens agree.

[@batmanlives6456]

At 25:00 that Stratocaster screaming like a banshee wow what’s not to like 👍 Gilmore can make that strat sing!!!

[@dennisallen6186]

@@batmanlives6456 I know you want more, but it's Gilmour.

[@snowdog0312]

If you don't tear up during a David Gilmore solo, you may not be human

[@trestruant9941]

When will chat-GPT be able to listen to a track and give an emotional opinion? Then we'll have the yardstick for AI sentience I guess.

[@toddhendricks8239]

Bingo

[@davidverheijden]

I tear up all the time

[@SH-th4wy]

It does get emotional! Especially if you have been there, under the ball, as the volume is taking over existence and this song that you already know by heart is exploding from all around you! Also, I don't think the ball was working correctly in this concert. In Chicago the bottom AND the top opened together earlier in the song and an even more blindingly white light projected from the core of the mechanism. It was spiritual.

[@toddhendricks8239]

@@SH-th4wy tears of joy sensory over load

[@Coffey1200R]

Another vote for "Wish you were here"-Pink Floyd.

David's sheer mastery of his instrument and amp/effects set up, and at that enormous level of amplification is truly impressive. What's so special about his playing is that he doesn't overplay, and the way he creates sustain on notes, means u can actually savour each note, like quality wine...legendary status !2:29

[@HaleysTusk]

David Gilmour is an incredibly under rated vocalist, 'over shadowed' by his spectacular, 'living' guitar play. Unfortunately you're listening to Pink Floyd w/o one of it's founders and main vocalists, Roger Waters so that'll be different from what you heard in the car. I got to see Both Waters and Pink Floyd separately perform this song, both excellent productions, but both performances are missing that vocal element of Gilmour's and Watters' contrasting vocal stylings. It's like listening to a Beatles song where John and Paul are sharing vocals, but one vocal is replaced, it'll be good, but not the same, not the magic. Syd Barrett is a former founding member and didn't participate because of a psychotic break from drug abuse. He didn't appear in any of Floyd's most well known albums, but he is there in spirit in the song writing, on Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. Kind of surprised you've never heard of this song, I recommend when you've got time to 'relax' to play a Floyd album, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here or The Wall are my recommendations. Floyd were one of those bands that cared how their albums were constructed, each album it's own personalities. (also use your 'relaxant' of choice while diving in w/ "The Floyd", Cheers :)

[@Mike_H76]

I don't think Syd Barrett has been with PF for a very long time either. I saw this concert at Yankee Stadium in 1994, nosebleed section aside, from what I can recall... it was awesome! I wish I'd made it to more of their shows. Fully agreed about Gilmour, vocals and guitar magic.

[@HaleysTusk]

@@Mike_H76 Google says Barrett worked on Pink Floyd’s “Saucerful of Secrets” in 1968, seven years before they worked on “Wish You Were Here” in 1975, where they famously were recording songs for WYWH at Apple Studios when they noticed an overweight, bald man in the corner of the studio. They soon realised that it was Syd, barely recognizable by the band, Waters was especially shaken. On the other hand, Syd leaving the band allowed for Gilmour to step in as lead guitar and the rest is history 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@joehynes5452]

Yeah, agree but I'm always more than happy with some Mr Richard Wright on vocals

[@Bettie36]

After hearing that Version more than 1000 times, i had a hard time seeing Waters live with "The WalL". The Version didnt get me like this Version. For me, this is THE Version.

[@Aus78Formula]

Waters

[@isturma]

This comment might be lost in the sea of time, but I remember hearing this song for the first time, and it was this version. At the time I was going through a bad breakup, and I'd gotten really sick with something and ended up in the ER. I was listening to it while waiting for the doctors to complete their workup... it really catches that vibe of just being completely divorced from yourself mentally and physically and then they give you something to "help you ease the pain, get you on your feet again." I can still smell the antiseptic if i close my eyes.

[@briantemple4519]

When he started his solo i cried, when she stopped his solo for the third time i screamed!

[@linfinster]

Lol me too, but I do like her descriptions.

[@andraskovacs8959]

If you don't want interruptions, why don't you just watch the original video. These kind of reaction/analysis videos chop up the content by nature, you have to make peace with it, part of the format.

[@oglschmitt]

@@andraskovacs8959 Correct, and very well stated.

[@1bossdj]

@@andraskovacs8959 I watch a lot of reaction videos and I don't get worked up about pauses, but her stopping choices were especially painful in this one.

[@juancarlosulloam.4348]

me too bro

[@KerryBoothCWK]

Love to see those coming to Pink Floyd for the first time. There's always something you notice that allows us to look at the group/songs in a whole new way.

[@benjaminblondet4093]

The song "Time" will rock your world.

[@420since1974]

The three men singing the verses were keyboardists Richard Wright and Jon Carin plus Guy Pratt on bass. David Gilmour sang lead. The BVs were Sam Brown, Durga McBroom, and Claudia Fontaine.

[@silgen]

All fine vocalists in their own right, indeed Sam had several hits herself in the UK in the 80's, most notably "Stop!".

[@davidgermain]

Sam Brown great singer. did not know she was in this - nice one.

[@conan5885]

R. I. P. Rick.... 😥 R. I. P. Claudia... 😥

[@P.Galore]

The voice you love is David Gilmore, also lead guitarist. HIGHLY recommend you watch David Gilmore's Concert at Pompeii in a 2500 year old Roman amphitheater. It is magnificent!. "

[@HempRockTelevision]

Please, if u want to show u know stuff, it's Gilmour!

[@rolandwong9059]

Absolutely’ Pompei concert is epic !!!

[@Floridapirate1]

@@rolandwong9059 Yes yes

[@MonkeyJedi99]

One of my favorite David-only songs is his musical rendition of Shakespear's Sonnet 18.

[@Kelsea-2002]

@Scaggs Pink Floyd as a band never played live in front of an audience in Pompeii, where Floyd only recorded her documentary without an audience,but in 2016 David returned and played the first concert in the amphitheater that was ever played live there. To this day, no one else has been allowed to play live there.

[@reisterstownjazzensemble953]

I am absolutely in love with your passion listening to this song. It's one of my favorites and reexperiencing it with you is appreciating all over again.

[@rap3208]

Another vocal performance you should react to is another song of theirs, "The Great Gig In The SKy". It's very unique as it is more of a 'wailing" than singing. No words, just beautiful vocals...music.

[@Astronurd]

It’s a vocalise

[@Plisko1]

Agreed, Any singing analysis of Floyd needs to explore that song and the story behind it. A singer could really appreciate that story of being hired to just go in and make something up out of "oooh's an oh's" ... and then end up with songwriting credits because it was so powerful.

[@tommack9395]

Clare Torry!

[@iggy8702]

You will probably want to react to a live performance because it is more interesting for your audience. If you do, you will not hear the original singer Clare Torry who, I believe, only appears on the studio recording. The singers in their live shows are terrific but after doing the reaction video, do listen to the studio version. Maybe there is a video with the studio version.

[@rjonboy7608]

It's not just vocalizing or singing. It is a wail of outrage against the oncoming night, defiance of coming death the way "Breathe" was a celebration of each new morning and the crisp new possibilities it offered (Breathe Reprise the satisfaction of dinner time at the end of a busy day). The screaming of defiance at the oncoming night is a very mideval practice left from when the woods were feared to be full of spirits and creatures and devils and undead. Masses were held for protection. More Celtic practices practiced outside the town limits by candlelight were loud cries of defiance to whatever went bump in the night. Wolves and vampires alike! 👹

[@leoscone4036]

For you, as a vocalist, "Great Gig in the Sky" is an absolute must. The only lyrics are spoken at the beginning, and then Clare takes over. It was Clare Torry's only song with them and is one of the most iconic vocal performances in rock history. Studio version please. Blessings.

[@MikeKyes]

The live version from Pulse tour was pretty awesome too

[@scottlurken9667]

Studio version only!!!!!

[@truefreak]

Studio version only! Live version takes 3 singers to emulate what the original singer did solo.

[@Mr.Ekshin]

@@MikeKyes - Once she's heard Claire Torry's amazing performance, then maybe she can hear the live version. But seriously... the studio version is one of the most iconic vocal performances in history. It's a "must hear" for anyone interested in vocals.

[@neoplasmax]

Delicate Sound of Thunder live was my fave.. I give it a vote.

[@TheOnlyGuitarFather]

This lady felt things she didn’t know existed thanks to this song. David making that Strat scream at the end gives me chills everytime. This is the best guitar solo of all time. This specific one on this show.

[@mathewrussell926]

I totally agree. The best solo ever. Underrated.

[@nancydavis604]

Fact!

[@drachmonius]

it is. dude is guitar god

[@maxxfleebo]

Saw him 3 times, the guitar was an extension of his body. Best I ever saw.

[@DerbiCamiel]

I'm so glad that I finally found the best guitar solo of all time. It just cant get any better than this

His sheer mastery of his instrument and effects...at such a scale of application is epic

[@mikesw3ll153]

The Solo To Comfortable Numb is by far one of the best solos ever in all Rock music period . !!

[@michaellambert5223]

THIS solo! 🔥🤘😎🤘🔥

[@stefanomaccheo]

No, it's actually two of the best solos ever.

[@carlosfierro3388]

Rolling Stone usually sucks, but they nailed it when they named this the greatest guitar solo ever.

[@mikesw3ll153]

I didn't know that ?!! Yes I agree 💯

[@tsimenta]

Βest version ever -Live in pompeii 2016 ...thats the best solo of numb ever

[@MasterChief37]

It’s Dave Gilmour, he’s a guitarist who can sing, not a singer who can play the guitar.

[@TheBaconWizard]

I'd agree with that, but like no other guitarist, his instrument is like a voice, and he makes it sing.

[@Markle2k]

He's a guitarist who can sing really well. Rick Wright has the second nicest voice. And Roger Waters's voice has, uh, a certain distinct character, shall we say.

[@Peter-976]

Roger Waters is the main writer and bass player of this song and this album. He sings lead on this song with David Gilmour singing the chorus and playing lead guitar.

[@TheBaconWizard]

@@Peter-976 Did do originally. Not in this recording.

[@Markle2k]

@@Peter-976 This tour is from a decade after Roger Waters left the band. Literally, I believe _Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking_ came out in 1984 and _Pulse_ is from 1994.

[@ItsAidanJames]

When I hear the words "perfect guitar solo" this is the first song that comes to mind. Simple, clean, but transcendent.

[@HarborEdwin]

Recently saw a 79 year old David Gilmour (with band) September 2024 at Hollywood Bowl (first time since the one other time in 1972). Was no less than a Spiritual Experience. Ironically, many refer to this song and PInk Floyd music in general as, Rock Opera. Yes, many believe the song is about drugs, and in some way it is...via Syd Barrett (original front man). Blended with Roger Water's experience with hepatitis delirium in the 70's. Add to that the other Pink Floyd song you analyze, 'Wish You Were Here' - which is about Syd Barrett's acid induced mental health crisis. Which caused his leaving the band, and David Gilmour replacing Syd Barrett.

[@troybrierly2934]

The second solo is a religious moment to me. My late brother cried once listening to it. It’s now “his” song.

[@ThomasTallant]

It's the second solo, no question.

[@sonjaa2935]

Several of his solos are religious experiences for sure.

[@cavebeastdemon3631]

I haven’t seen a single KZbinr who could take this iconic song apart and explain it the way you have.

[@jasonelliott66]

Agreed!!

[@NafthaliHananja]

You should check out the video of The professor of Rock on this song (if you haven’t already). Although he is not reacting to the song, he breaks it down really well in my opinion.

[@jasonelliott66]

@@NafthaliHananja, yeah, he does some really cool stuff. I sub to him as well.

[@jerryseeley8800]

@@jasonelliott66 This song does not need to be taken apart.

[@bradywilson3560]

It's a good performance but this concert was well after Roger Waters had left the band. Gilmour and Waters voices complemented each other. There voices were so different and expressed different emotions within the same song. Comfortably Numb is a great song that for Gilmour and Waters. Syd Barret left the band in late 67 or early 68 and later died in 2006 from diabetes complications. The last album Waters was on was "The Final Cut" Waters was the main song writer after Barret left. Gilmour has the softer voice. He is also on lead guitar. Richard Wright is on key boards. Richard Wright has now passed as well. R.I.P. Barret and Wright. The guitar solo in this song is legendary.

[@brandon2741]

Man merged with machine, Dave's guitar rif sent me to another place. Absolutely beautiful 👊

[@jondimitroff6018]

The intro singers: Rick Wright, keyboards, Guy Pratt, bass, Jon Carin, keyboards and guitar. David Gilmour is singing the main verses and playing lead guitar. Syd Barrett has not been with the band since the late 60's. The parts that the other three are singing was originally done by Roger Waters on the Wall album. This is one of the best songs they have recorded, the second solo will take you to places you never knew were inside you.

[@gsparkman]

Yes, I don't think any one singer could replicate Water's voice. I miss him in this song especially.

[@akchmele1590]

@@gsparkman David Bowie is amazing in this role: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fni7pmSig9J_Y6M

[@domsch1302]

Seconded on the solo part. Every now and then i play that song on Guitar and it's as close to perfect as it gets. Easy enough to follow for non musicians and to get lost in as a player, complicated enough to be interesting for as long as it is and basically a song inside a song. Its so well written and played. Every time i play that i just wish it could go on and never stop. Ending that song feels a little bit like waking up from a journey you took inside a dream.

[@martinpalmer6203]

@@gsparkman Umm David Gilmour is the main Singer in this song, the bad part about this version is Waters and the others instead of letting David just do the song lol. Gilmour does this solo and its way better .

[@gsparkman]

@@martinpalmer6203 Roger has two main parts. I'll Grant you that Gilmour sings the main Pink part, but Waters is not non-existent in the studio recording.

[@ronblackburn308]

Elizabeth needs to know that Gilmour's solo here is acknowledged as one of the greatest in Rock history. I hope she can become a Pink Floyd fan and pursue more of this bands amazing music

[@saltydroog854]

She also needs to know that without Roger Waters this is a hot pile of burning garbage that might as well be a cover band practicing in their parent's garage.

[@bilbobobbytoucansam]

@@saltydroog854 Big time disagree✌️

[@dennisallen6186]

@@saltydroog854 Sorry Salty Droog, the reason your ears do not appreciate this iteration of Floyd is that you have your head too far up Roger Waters arse to see and hear the brilliance of these 3 that Roger always dismissed off hand as talentless blokes.

[@SamPlaysBass49]

"These guys" during the verse in this case are Rick Wright (older guy on keys), Jon Carin (younger guy on keys), Guy Pratt (bass). Rick is a forming member, now deceased. Carin and Pratt played with Floyd since the mid-80's, and both continue to play on Gilmour and Floyd-related projects. You will also hear the female backing vocalists in various bits during the verses Sam Brown, Durga McBroom, and the late Claudia Fontaine. The lead vocal in the chorus and lead guitar is David Gilmour who has been with the band since the late 60's. Roger Waters was a founding member who played with Pink Floyd until the early 80's and then only made one subsequent appearance with the band, once at Live 8 in London, although Gilmour and founding member Nick Mason (drummer) joined him for one of his Wall tour dates, and Gilmour and Waters appeared for some charity stuff together before finally going their separate ways.

[@marcelahofman2655]

perfectly summed up. Gilmour entered the band in 1969 replacing Syd Barrett who "went mad" due to drugs and probably schizophrenia. Syd passed away in 2006 and Rick, in 2008.

[@christopherlanecooper7796]

On The Turning Away ……another amazing vocal and instrument PINK FLOYD song

[@stabs742]

I was at this gig in Earls Court, London in 94. One of the greatest nights of my life. Turned me into a huge Floyd fan.

[@johnheyyuri231]

Welcome to the machine.

[@bengybogs]

And me, on the las night. Unforgettable

[@ExaltedDuck]

I also have a moment where "Comfortably Numb" started playing in a car. I was driving to work, to a job I had been in for 8-9 years at the time. Dissatisfied, unhappy over crappy pay and crappy conditions and not seeing any reasonable path for upward mobility until people retired or died. Going in day after day, little to be proud of, just getting by. Weary from solving the same problems day to day, week to week. Just maintaining, not improving. When the line came up "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" it shot me straight through heart. Lump in the throat, misty eyes, maybe a tear or two dropping... it wasn't dissatisfaction. It was depression. It was a dead end. It was time to move on.

[@simonlallement9553]

I've heard this version of Comfortably Numb hundreds of time and still I continue tearing out at the end of the guitar solo. It's so pure, so emotional, so deep! Once I've heard a joke about this: "One day my neighboor called the police because I was listening to Comfortably Numb too loud. The police came and arrested my neighboor" 🤣 Anyway thank you to share your point of view and we all agree that this song will remain in our heart forever. ❤

[@hughshugdevlin6192]

Brilliant joke ! I wouldn't be surprised if it really happened..

[@ShahramJavidnia]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@wasntme9578]

Im not sure what people don't get about this song. Its right there in the lyrics. Of course the movie helps understand as well. He is combining a feeling of mental disassociation in reference to Syd Barret's break down and the pressures of performing with people pushing you and people depending on you. Call in a doctor or a deeler to push you through your exhaustion and brain fog. Its a feeling that reminds him of the fever dreams he had when he was sick as a kid. The surreal feeling of the outside world moving and existing around you muffled by fever or drugs or exhaustion so you feel like your head is stuffed with cotton and you are all alone in your head with this barrier seperating you from other people and the world. You can still see that world and hear that world but you're not really part of that world. You can function if they tell you what to do but you would rather be left alone. At the same time you are afraid to be by yourself. Im going to stop now because i just realized that is my own interpretation assuming it is what Waters was intending it to be. Now i guess i do see the confusion of different interpretations. Wow, rabbit hole!

[@tracistabile7584]

Damn, you NAILED IT! She has a candy coated idea of the true meaning of the song. Nothing warm and fuzzy about it. And I think a lot of 70's kids get it.

[@wasntme9578]

​@@tracistabile7584 Am definitely a 70s kid.

[@Azznbad]

I'm a 70s kid but you can ask 100 people about the song and get 75 different takes on it, and then you get the two different explanations from the band. Thats the thing about lyrics and music. Most are open to interpretation

[@fionaparkinson3821]

Thank you so much for watching this. This was the last concert my uncle and I attended together. You really had to be there. The base line in that song, and in “run” just made my thigh bones resonate. I could just feel my whole body vibrate with the sound. When the disco ball opened up during comfortably numb it was amazing, and then Dave Gilmore just peeled that note off the guitar again and again. When my uncle passed away we played this at his funeral. It was just perfect and exactly what he would have wanted. Especially the bit where the vicar had no idea when the song ended. He kept standing up, taking a deep breath and then stepping back again. My uncle would have been rolling on the floor laughing. It was perfect

[@SanchoSanto]

This was one event I wish I would have experienced, but I was too young to participate.😢

[@garygimmestad4272]

Great story about a great song.

[@P.Galore]

The most cleverly constructed lyric in rock " 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 am comfortably numb."

[@SeanCleverly]

Truth!

[@timothyblatnicky2409]

This line from Echoes is right up there too. "Strangers passing in the street By chance two separate glances meet And I am you and what I see is me And do I take you by the hand And lead you through the land And help me understand the best I can?"

[@hullbarrett]

@@timothyblatnicky2409 Nothing beats waking up to a million bright ambassadors of morning!

[@michaelwheeler3782]

David Gilmour is the guitarist doing the lead vocals. Syd Barret was not with the group anymore at this time

[@AndrewFishman]

@@SeanCleverly Not quite. I can think of a number of Floyd lyrics that surpass this. RUSH lyrics are superlative. Jethro Tull. Iron Maiden. There are many, many lines from many songs that are superior. The entire songs Time or Eclipse/Brain Damage from Dark Side of the Moon are better. Most of The Wall, Shine on you Crazy, Animals, the whole album. Two Suns in the Sunset. However, as it subjective, I can see the appeal. It is a good song, and a great line. However, I do think that "And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear You shout and no one seems to hear And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes I'll see you on the dark side of the moon" was Floyd's penultimate moment.

[@StCerberusEngel]

As others have said, The Wall is a rock opera. It's a full story from start to finish. Comfortably Numb is the turning point for the main character, a rock star named Pink. After a life of hardship, abuse, and troubled relationships, he suffers a mental break while on tour and mentally shuts down (goes catatonic) while in his room. His manager and doctors break into the room and try to get him back on his feet before the show, and ply him with drugs (probably stimulants) that will get him through the night ("Okay, just a little pinprick"), which he equates to being treated for a fever as a child. Unfortunately the treatment does not go well, leading to the next act of the story where Pink slips further into outright delusion, twisting the one thing he had left, his music into something monstrous, and finally shutting himself off from the rest of the world with the completion of The Wall. That gospel-like "AAAAAAHHHHH" that came in on the second verse is a scream, not necessarily of pain, but of emotional anguish. "There'll be no more AAAAAAAAHHHHHH, but you may feel a little sick." That time distortion is the exact feeling that they were going for. It's not about drugs, though. It's about breaking with reality as everything you've tried to hold onto comes crashing down around you.

[@michaelkelly339]

Good thing I read the comments first, I was going to post something very similar but probably wouldn't have been as eloquent. Great summary, It's very surprising that it took a year after the video was originally posted for someone who understands the song and has the ability to describe it clearly to appear in the comments.

[@davidziggy3941]

Definitely an emotional rollercoaster ride !

[@StCerberusEngel]

@@mrz80 Didn't remember it being Hep, but yeah, that's the backstory. In the context of the album, though, it's Pink's mental break.

[@MichaelGroves777]

Watching the movie called, "the wall", portrays this album as the rock opera it is. Great comment.

[@skylinerunner1695]

@@michaelkelly339 Thank you for explaining the backstory and context of this song that I've only come to recently. It makes it all the more moving to listen to.

[@MattinTexas]

That solo gets me every time. Hairs on my arm always stand up

[@danielswaim5566]

There are basically three layers of Waters' writing on this song: most directly, it's about an experience that Waters had before a concert in Philadelphia in 1977 where a doctor was called to give him tranquilizer shots for extreme abdominal pain so he could go on with the show. Turns out he had hepatitis. He compares it to a feeling he had as a child wherein he was extremely sick. But he's taken these experiences and filtered them through the personality of Pink, who is the central character of "The Wall" album. For Pink, the song acts as a kind of confessional (in the chorus sections). You have The Doctor singing the darker verse sections, and Pink, singing internally, and confessionally in the choruses, ultimately unable to communicate. This is why, for instance, you have the "bright" guitar solo in the middle of the song in the key of D and the "dark" solo at the end in the key of E-minor. The bright solo is representative of a kind of hopefulness in Pink, that, by the end of the song, completely erodes.

[@Real_McPhee]

“The worst two hours of my life” as Waters described it. As they say, or perhaps as The Wall says…The Show Must Go On.

[@philgallagher1]

Excellent explanation of the background to the song.

[@CamaroAmx]

He had appendicitis, not hepatitis.

[@danielswaim5566]

@@CamaroAmx In his Rolling Stone interview he says he had hepatitis

[@CamaroAmx]

@@danielswaim5566 I seen an interview years ago where he said it was appendicitis. So who knows?

[@nightingalelaurence6092]

Honestly, Gilmours Guitar Solo overshadows everything in this song.

[@OKurth77]

Leo Fender gave us the Stratocaster, and God gave us David Gilmore to play it 👍👍👍

[@LuppoEgberts]

it is be consideren to be one of best guitar solo's ever, many say the best

[@op-z]

also overshadows ALL the other guitar solos ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@Beetmagnet]

This may well be the greatest live guitar solo ever. Can only think of 2 other performances by other artists that come close.

[@radupopescu2370]

This solo and Blackmore's one from Child in Time are for me the greatest ever.

[@timothyplumley8316]

To say David Gilmore is a musical Genius is a complete understatement. Words just cannot illuminate were he is compared to everyone else in the music industry.

[@travistrahan7333]

Sorry, Roger.

[@russbaker7974]

His solo work proves it.

[@toddbankert5309]

True but Roger's song writing ability is never too be understated

[@eddieolsson5449]

@@toddbankert5309 Yes indeed. David Gilmore is a wonderful singer and a divine guitar player but on his own, he's a criminally boring song writer. No edge to anything, it's just like eating cotton when you wanted a proper chilli.

[@tiswayingdeath3853]

@@toddbankert5309 Waters is the better songwriter, Gilmore the better performer, imo, at least.

[@GeeeEm61]

I'm so glad you got the full emotional effect of this version of the song. I can't tell you how many times I've watched this concert version of the song and every time I watch it after a break I feel the tears well up in my eyes as the music crescendo lifts, especially when that mirror ball starts to open up, my mind is going into overload struggling as to cope with what my senses are trying to comprehend!

[@joedirt688]

One doesn't merely listen to Pink Floyd, One experiences them!

[@mspicer3262]

"The Great Gig in the Sky" by Clare Torry is simply stunning. Clare actually thought she didn't do a very good job on it after she finished recording, and she only got paid a session fee for it. This is definitely a song you need to hear. Clare only does the studio version as far as I know, I haven't seen a video of her performing it, so if anybody has a link, hook a brother up.

[@bkarlsson5410]

Yes, to the top!

[@scorpiorysing]

There is a video of her doing it live. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHi7aIWuqLmBo9E

[@jacquelinedawson7219]

Speaks to your soul!

[@PapaJMemphis]

I second this nomination. Great Gig would be a great vocal analysis for Elizabeth to do. I’d love to hear that.

[@eduadomonteiro6054]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5LRgGanm55gqKc

[@az-chris1136]

The closing guitar solo is arguably the GREATEST rock guitar solo of all time. Gilmore is the MASTER

[@shineon7641]

Yes, yes he is actually "The MASTER of the Stratocaster."

[@martinbones681]

You're wrong. Ther is no argument!

[@beforethenever97]

One must spell gods name correctly: GILMOUR 😁

[@tiswayingdeath3853]

The fact that it was recorded in one take, on the first take, is incredible.

[@jerrywinter3103]

@@martinbones681 I was going to say that

[@camsvideocollections9766]

I was 2 years old when this happened live in '94. I'm 32 now and Pink Floyd has always been at the top for me. I remember the first time I ever heard this song, I was about 15 or so and roofing a house with my dad, comfortably numb came on my dad's old Dewalt radio and I just stopped everything I was doing to listen to it. Learning to fly is what had me hooked on PF. My late Uncle Floyd used that song for his skydiving video and that's where it all began for me. Every time I visited him the first thing I did was asked to watch that tape.

[@syzygy21055]

The lyrics point out the similarity of feeling between Roger’s childhood fever and a later drug experience he had, but I also believe he was using both as metaphor for the ambient numbness we all experience as a result of the emotional self-suppression we undergo in order to “fit in” to adult life in modern society. David’s literal screaming through his guitar late in the solo is the perfect sonic expression of the pain of being whittled down emotionally to make ourselves suitably useful to the demands of the workplace, etc. We can still dimly recall what it was like as a child to be fully alive. “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…” This song is one of the most majestic things I have ever heard.

[@jimclarke8260]

What you said!

[@CamaroAmx]

He also added some of the experience of dealing with appendicitis and having to perform at a show in Philadelphia. He references that in the lines about getting a shot and being told he’ll be ok to do the show. He wrote the song while in the hospital afterwards. He drew on those other events he experienced.

[@akdm82]

Wow, well said. You expressed almost my exact feelings this song evokes.

[@JohnHAdams-vo2pk]

The Pulse live version of Comfortably Numb needs to be preserved and sent to space. The most epic performance of this song. The final guitar solo - I've no words.

[@jerrywinter3103]

agree

[@Is3acTambolas]

I love this version but I have to disagree. I think Pompeii is better.

[@raffaeledivora9517]

@@Is3acTambolas True! I didn't think it could ever be possible, but old Dave managed to outdo his younger self

[@ronaldoleoni7170]

Together with the wall show by roger waters and special apparition of Gilmour

[@stephenhanson3647]

"There is an amazing solo that's also happening" um...just THE Greatest guitar solo EVER!

[@amiraxperimentalx]

Yuuuppp....

[@TFFgeek]

While I would bring up Eddie Hazel's Maggot Brain, this is certainly up there.

[@daveybreedlove8650]

Definitely the greatest solo of all time

[@ssort69]

@@daveybreedlove8650 At least top 10 realistically, as Page, Hendrix, and a few others have had solos on par with this, for me myself I would say this and Page's "Since I been loving you" performance are in the top 3 to me, but Gilmour and Page had a way of putting feeling and soul to their solos that others lacked. I used to get into arguements with a friend that was an Eddie VanHalen fan about who had the better solos, and he always wanted to point out the technical aspects and speed of the solos that Eddie did, to which I would always come back with, yeah it's great and on a level that only a handful in the world could match, but....did you feel it in your soul? That to me is what set guitarists like Gilmour and Page apart from the rest, they make you feel it in your soul when they play and grab you by your emotional reaction to it, just...emotionally moving is the closest way I can describe it.

[@susanyanish1117]

Now you need to listen to the entire album: The Wall. It tells a story and this song is just one part of the drama.

[@chriswilliamson5192]

Dark Side of the Moon is 45 minutes in its entirety, I'm ready for your 90 minute reaction and analysis video.

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

Nah, I want a reaction video to The Wall in its entirety. That would rival any of the LOTR films in total length!

[@murdockusmvmc8051]

“On the Turning away” is another amazing song by these guys…

[@ianross04]

Well said sir! Another awesome tube by the legend Mr Gilmour

[@JohnHAdams-vo2pk]

This. I think the one from DSOT (Delicate Sound of Thunder) album - that version of On The Turning Away is amazing

[@stevegreene9149]

@@JohnHAdams-vo2pk I agree, for me, DSOT is the best version of On the Turning Away. Absolutely epic!

[@AllTradesGeorge]

As powerful as Comfortably Numb is as a stand-alone composition, it takes on new levels of impact when you hear it in the greater context of the entire album. The Wall is a concept album that tells a whole story...you're basically analyzing a single chapter here. The movie version of it makes the story easier to follow...but it still took me several viewings before I felt like I really got it, and I'm sure I could watch it a few dozen more times and still find something new each time. The Wall is a masterpiece, one of the greatest concept albums ever made, and the only reason it isn't easily regarded as Pink Floyd's greatest album is because The Dark Side Of The Moon exists and is just as mind-blowingly good.

[@markluxton3402]

Agreed :-)

[@jeakir4943]

and a close 3rd, if not tied for 2nd, Wish You Were Here...

[@dkbee01]

Excellent comment and analysis, ATG. I agree. And I have to say, there is really nothing like Comfortably Numb, imo. I heard it for the first time as a teenager, and at the end of the song, I remember thinking I had really stumbled upon something. And yet, as I continue to hear it through the years, I discover new things in it.

[@timothydewitt4138]

How long did it take for your pulse to normalize? 🎉😊

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I do not recommend listening to the album on repeat with a 102F fever...

[@brianschlicher1464]

David Glimore, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright are the only remaining members. Gilmore vocals/ guitar, Mason/ drums, and Richard Wright Keyboard/ Vocals. They have toured with the same base group of musicians since hte mid-eighties.

[@FUBU747]

This live performance of comfortably numb has what I think is the greatest guitar solo of all time.

[@Neocoolzero]

It is widely considered to be one of the top guitar solos by many :)

[@goldenboy140]

too bad she stops it every 10 seconds

[@mizot84]

@@goldenboy140 well, u r kind of right but if you do an analysis it's inevitable. I enjoy Elizabeth's thoughts on it and I am quite sure she watched/heard the whole solo without stopping again afterwards to give time another chance to stand still... 😏

[@adamedunn]

Check out the Pompeii version:)

[@oliverharvey1843]

I was in London in 1994 and attended the concert with a friend. It was held at Earl Court. To this very day I get the chills when Pink Floyd comes to mind. The concert was magical.

[@tracyavent-costanza346]

3 rows back, on the floor, LA Sports Arena. Yep... just let it take you...

[@donaldwarner9771]

Wow! I view this as one of the best performances, by any musical artist. Maybe the best performance, of the best guitar solo, ever performed.

[@CarolineLeaver]

I took my good friend to the earls court concert who had learning difficulties, sadly he passed away without intimacy of love or the opportunity to be treated as a individual without prejudice. He came away from the Floyd concert leaving aside his demons and feeling immersed in music he never heard of before, I wish I could have done more for him before he died of cancer this was my only success.

[@tracyavent-costanza346]

@@CarolineLeaver there is something about music (with or without lyrics) that can convey something which words alone seem not to adequately express. I am glad your friend had some kind of respite, even if relatively brief. And you did sort of offer that.

[@perrymills5116]

The MAIN vocal you are hearing is David Gilmore, The MAIN keyboardist is the late Richard Wright, The MAIN drummer is Nick Mason. The bass player you are hearing and watching is not Roger Waters who did not perform here. I like to listen to the Pulse performance but there are others I might recommend more with Pink Floyd as the only musicians. I personally would like to see your reaction to a much older live performance, which is Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii, and the best song is called "Echoes". Please check it out and let us know what you think. It is from 1972! -Perry

[@grahamhowes6904]

David GILMOUR - common spelling mistake - no disrespect intended. Guy Pratt usually on bass for most of later Floyd and Gilmour’s band and even Nick Mason’s project playing early Floyd tracks. Roger Waters not on this. David Gilmour main singer. Syd Barrett left a LONG time ago or rather was pushed out as he was an early acid casualty. I think the song is about the way that drugs are used to keep musicians on tour functioning through tiredness or illness (or indeed actors in early Hollywood movies) - you should probably listen to all of DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. Some of the best versions of the Floyd repertoire are on David Gilmour’s band live at GDAŃSK. The late Rick Wright was keyboards and main harmonies with David. The Gdańsk concert has David and Rick and Guy who had effectively become the core of later Pink Floyd. I agree on ECHOES but again respectfully think the Gdańsk performance is the best - it was incidentally the last time David and Rick played ECHOES so has special resonance and some glorious interplay between them. When Rick died David said he would never play it again.

[@shawnsan9]

I agree Perry. "Echoes" at Pompeii is epic.

[@grahamhowes6904]

@MichaelKingsfordGray released 1971 I was at the preview before it was played ‘first time’ on radio one and I introduced them onstage as we had booked them as a UEA Norwich City College co promotion. It blew us all away!

[@sayantansaha1976]

Came here to say just this!

[@abrahamturany9962]

Echoes is a great recommendation!

[@JS-yj7ow]

I’ve watched the Pulse vid many times… what a treat to have been there for real

[@dlin7891]

Elizabeth, thank you so much for taking the time to evaluate “Comfortably Numb.” The song means much to fans of my generation and it’s soul-warming to see your generation embracing the “wizardry of Pink Floyd.” Thank you for bringing your incomparable music analytical prowess to this song. As you’ve done with Tool, you’ve helped to unlock morsels we recognize at the soul level but rarely do at our cognitive levels. Much love and admiration to you.

[@danmcconnell5941]

Pink Floyd, "floaty" "slowing down time" "wafting" "visceral" yep, you've got it.

[@Grumpy364]

Frequently regarded as the greatest electric guitar solo of all times.

[@78twood]

I have to disagree because the Echoes Live in Pompeii jam by David is unparalleled 💜

[@78twood]

1972 Echoes Live in Pompeii!! It was before Dark Side of the Moon.

[@JeffKeyeux]

I sooo appreciate your musical and emotional perspective on music that I have loved for most of my life. You bring an even greater appreciation to me!

[@Barchordwitter]

You would have to be there. I was for this concert and now I'm 70 years old and it is still the greatest experience I have ever had.

[@northsongs]

@David Witter... agreed ... saw Pulse in Kansas City, MO, June 1994. Took my daughter, who was 15 at the time, to see them. Yes, greatest experience ever. I told her before we went that once you see Floyd live, no other concert will compare. I'm 68 now.

[@Nicolee1973]

I bet it was amazing!😊

[@briancleveland6115]

I was too, I saw it in San Diego 👍

[@briancleveland6115]

I remember the big strobe light disco ball and the lasers 👍

[@SanchoSanto]

Awww man! I wish I would have had a chance to experience it. I better keep working on this time machine...

[@pete67aus]

7:44 - Talking about the meaning behind the song. The line "When i was a child I had a fever. My hands felt just like two balloons". I too have heard Roger Waters interviewed and say the song was about his childhood illness. However, the next line in the song is "Now I've got that feeling once again" which to me is bringing the timeframe of the song back to the present day, not his childhood. In the context of the whole album and the story it tells, in my opinion the song relates to the use of drugs to escape the troubles the character Pink, a rock star, has experienced in his life; death of his father in WW2, overprotective mother, being made to feel inadequate at school, breakdown of marriage, etc. Comfortably numb is how he feels after he has used drugs to escape the torment of all the sadness in his life.

[@spikespa5208]

"My hands felt just like two balloons." The first time I heard that line I almost fell out of my chair. Could so relate to my illness at 5.

[@Samuel-ym8wz]

Here is the clip of pink struggling kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXq9hn1qgtipbbc

[@jefftobey2165]

Peter, very well said. Pretty much sums up my thoughts.

[@gw2955]

I think it's about getting a glimpse of death. "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."

[@freedomrider266]

Rodger could only write, sing and imagine war issues, daddy issues, and rejection....Had he been able to expand, Floyd could have been EVEN more!

[@michaelkuhl7903]

God it’s nice to see someone hearing this for the first time. I would give anything to get that moment back. “When I was a child I had a fever My hands felt just like two balloons..” I had rheumatic fever when I was about six or seven. I had exactly that experience. I remember my hands feeling like they were hovering, floating upward. I had never heard anyone else say that.

[@susiruiz1]

That s no true! Doesn t t'he first time! Is an actuation!

[@susiruiz1]

it's not your first time! is a lie!

[@erichertenstein9489]

I love this comment. That's one of the great things poetry can do for us; use a few simple words to a different place, somewhere we've never been or a hazy time in our past, and bring it into stark relief. But Michael, you say it better than I do.