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Pink Floyd's greatest album | The Dark Side of the Moon, analyzed

Pink Floyd. The Dark Side of the Moon.
One in fourteen Americans under the age of 50 has owned this album. One in fourteen! I’m on my third copy, myself. Vinyl, to cassette, to CD, which I ripped to iTunes for scratch-free listening.
The word “album” brings to mind old-fashioned black vinyl records, but it really refers to the music on the record. An album is a compilation of songs. A true music album is much more than a collection of songs...
Case in point: The Dark Side of the Moon.
It’s not just a handful of short stories. Each song is a chapter in a novel. The last cut, Eclipse, ends in a slow fade that is picked up in turn by the first cut, Speak to Me. The album is a seamless loop. It’s much easier to appreciate this when you don’t have to stop and flip the record over, which is a testament. The Dark Side of the Moon was made in 1972, years before music was sold on any media that you didn’t have to stop to flip over.

They don’t make ‘em like they used to. Really.
Music albums are becoming obsolete. On-line alá carte song shopping means fewer people are purchasing an artist’s entire body of work because they are interested in only one or two songs. This is good in the sense that you aren’t wasting your money if you don’t like the whole album. But if you download one or two songs from The Dark Side of the Moon without hearing it in total, you are missing something special.
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, Pink Floyd put to use the most advanced technology available. Intricate multitracks, looping sound effects, and synthesizers pack the recording with rich sound that fills every corner of the room. Or, car.
Ten songs make The Dark Side of the Moon
The ten songs on The Dark Side of the Moon blend into one unbroken melody. Bits of some songs are sampled into other songs, creating a singular concept. Poetic and philosophical, the lyrics lead each song into the next, building a single theme: life.
Here is a list of the tracks; what they are, and what they mean.
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Track 01: Speak to Me 1:30
This track is instrumental. The slowly rising heartbeat of a bass drum is a continuation from the fade out of the last track on the album. It begins with brief samples from the songs yet to come.
Track 02: Breathe 2:49
Broad and gentle, Breathe represents a new birth. Breathe, breathe in the air.
A calming song of optimism and fresh perspective. Life develops as the song progresses, ending with, balanced on the biggest wave/you race toward an early grave.
Breathe, with lyrics (Vocals begin at 1:20)
Track 03: On the Run 3:51
Another instrumental track. A flight announcement echoes behind the sound of running footsteps in an airport. It is the bustle of travel, the stress of the journey. Featuring synthesized sound and the effect of a guitar played backwards, this cut grows in intensity. It ends with sounds that introduce the next song: ticking and chiming clocks.
Track 04 Time (Breathe Reprised) 6:50
Kicking around on a piece ground in your hometown. Time is passing; are you wasting it? Elegant vocals make this track full and strong. It blends with Breath Reprised, referencing the second track. The sun is the same in a relative way/But you’re older. Time moves more quickly as you age. A sustained chord leads to a simple but mournful piano, transitioning to the next track.
Track 05 The Great Gig In The Sky 4:44
“And I am not frightened of dying. Any time will do; I don't mind.” Powerful vocals without lyrics overshadow the mourning piano. It is a gorgeous ending to the cycle. Here is the slightest of pauses as the album transitions from “Side 1” the cycle of life, to “Side 2” the living of life.
Track 06 Money 6:23
The most popular track on the album, Money owes it’s quirky mood to it’s time signature. It is performed in 7/4 time instead of a standard 4/4 measure.
Clanky cash registers and pocket change set the tone. New car, caviar, four star daydream. This song switches to familiar 4/4 time for the duration of an extended guitar solo before returning to the odd 7/4 beat. Money, so they say/Is the root of all evil/today.
Track 07 Us And Them 7:50
This track returns to calmness, but a lonely tenor sax builds tension. Up and down/But in the end it's only round and round. The melody reflects sadness. It is a struggle to understand conflict, and a commentary about compassion. For the want of the price of tea and a slice/The old man died.
Track 08 Any Colour You Like 3:26
A third instrumental, this track mimics Breathe’s tempo and chord structure. While it has no lyrics, the song uses it’s title to explore the choices we have in life. As Henry Ford famously said of his Model-T, "You can have it any color you like, as long as it's black." Highly synthesized, the instrumental gradually winds to a gentle and once again calm transition to the next track.
Track 09 Brain Damage 3:47
The lunatic is on the grass. It is toying and repetitive. Lyrics explore the question of sanity. Are you a lunatic because you don't stay on the path? Or are you a lunatic because you don't enjoy a walk on the fresh grass? Who is to decide? And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes/I'll see you on the dark side of the moon
Track 10 Eclipse 2:12
With a slow tempo and dramatic background vocals, Eclipse culminates in a grand and sublime melody. It is a summary of the album, and of life itself. Fading to a quiet, steady heartbeat, it leads magically back to Track 01, Breathe.
Brain Damage/Eclipse, with lyrics
The sun and the moon
...everything under the sun is in tune/But the sun is eclipsed by the moon
Everything under the sun... all we need, all we want. If you can dream it, you can do it. It's all in tune.
But that small, dark element of human nature, the moon, can eclipse everything that is good.


The impact of The Dark Side of the Moon
Recorded in 1972 and released in 1973, the album immediately hit the Billboard 200, topping it for a week. It stayed on the charts for a further 741 weeks - fourteen years - the longest duration in history. It is a masterpiece that will define the culture of our era. The Dark Side of the Moon is often ranked as the best selling album of all time.
Roger Waters, co-founder and songwriter, said: “When the record was finished I took a reel-to-reel copy home with me and I remember playing it for my wife then, and I remember her bursting into tears when it was finished. And I thought, ‘This has obviously struck a chord somewhere’, and I was kinda pleased by that.”
The Dark Side of the Moon certainly does strike a chord. I’m kinda pleased about that, myself.
- Pink Floyd | The Official Site
The official Pink Floyd site - Pink Floyd Online
Comprehensive and Interactive fan site. Some features include Pink Floyd news, chat, message board, lyrics, discography, guitar tabs and more. - Roger Waters International Fan Club Home Page
International Fan club for Roger Waters, founder and former leader, writer, lyricist and creative genius of Pink Floyd
© 2009 wyanjen at HubPages
Pink Floyd's greatest album | The Dark Side of the Moon, analyzed
Comments
Well-reviewed.
this is such a great band and a great album. Great hub.
What a great hub about a great album. I might just go and play it again now. It's fab
I miss the days (when I was young-teenager and early twenties) I would buy a new album and just listen to the entire thing. Why don't we do that anymore? God, it was great. Technology ruins some of "beauty" I agree
This album, I heard from my brothers. I didn't like any of the music they listened to at first, but this (music) characterizes a time, a place, and people--it's Personality reminds me of people, youth, time; it's timeless, classic ~my fav genre Classic Rock. I learned some new things on this hub. Enjoyed "Money" and I see things more clearly about Pink Floyd. Wish I could go back in time and party with this on loud-those were the days!
Great Hub. One of my favorite all time albums. Have you heard the surround version? Stunning! I have some music reviews you might like on my hubs. I think you might enjoy them. I will vote and follow you. Thanks
Great hub and great album :)
That's awesome. Good for them. Making an album full of great songs>making an album with a few hits, says this amateur mathematician.
Jen, great hub on a great album. If I had to recommend someone to buy one WHOLE album, as opposed to select tracks, this would be it. You're right, it's all necessary, and it makes for a great listening experience, requiring you to just siddown and shuddup. You know?
I got this vinyl album from an old girlfriend for my birthday a few years back after I'd made her sit through listening to it on the computer one day. I was kind of obsessed with it at the time. A fun "stat" I found back then: every minute DSOTM is played somewhere in the world.
I bought it when it came out. It was like a breath of something new! Even then, listening to it as a 15 year old boy in the hinterland of western Labrador I knew it was important. I still love this album! I tell my kids (they like it also) that the sound of this album is so unique that if it was released today it would still be fresh and new.
I've had the pleasure to see Floyd 4 times and the 1st was the DSOM tour. IMO the best live band ever, The last time was the Division Bell tour and I got to take my son Justin. Always a great show!! Check out my hubs for some fun things I've collected over the years that are music related!! Peace!!
I am such a closet Pink Floyd listener! Great hub and love the music! Thanx!
AWESOME HUB! Pink Floyd is my favorite band, so I'll have to say that their "best" album (IMO) is the one I'm listening to at the moment :-) But Dark Side is obviously a heavy hitter, and you've done an excellent job telling the world about it.
My first concert was a Pink Floyd concert--my parents took me! It was the Division Bell tour, and they did ALL of Dark Side-live! Totally amazing.
Anyway, thanks for the Hub and the stroll down memory lane. Keep up the great work!
YOU have made my day, wyanjen! Aside from your lovely banter in the forums, this is absolutely a fabulous hub. Duly noted and bookmarked...and you've a new follower.
Thanks for this!
It was great to read this review I own the album and it's probably the greatest album I have in my collection. Thanks.
Great hub - a great tribute to a band and to their music
Hello there! I just came across your hub and you did a great job! I happen to have the CD right in front of me why I write this...did you know that Richard Wright, the keyboardist for the band died recently? Also did you know that Alan Parsons (of Alan Parsons project) was the engineer for the Album? Thanks again for that look back at my all time favorite Album! I am now a fan! (Or follower if you prefer)!
Great analysis! I actually saw the group at a gas station years ago - freaked me out!
Awesome!
Hey Jen. I just mastered the lead solo on Time; it is NOT as easy as it sounds! :) Gilmore was a master of musical subtleties for sure! Great Hub! Thanks for touching on one of my favorite all-time bands. :-)
It took me forever to get back over here, sorry. Looking forwad to the follow up. Ive never tried it, but a college near where I live has a planetarium, and every year they put on a lazer light show to pink floyd, and every once in a while they do the whole Oz thing.
I remember seeing Pink Floyd in Detroit, pre-Dark Side of the Moon, and some of the amps blew up stunning some of the band, but they played on. We were in the back of the venue -- it seems like it was Masonic Hall -- and enjoyed all the sense-surround sound experience they were using.
Gosh, what memories! The opening sounds of 'Time' still give me goose flesh!
Yes, as you say this is a masterpiece. I still have the vinyl copy and still listen to it often (although I have also transferred it to MP3 for convenience). You made me realise things I didn't know about the album, and for that I thank you. Now a review of Meddle, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, please . . . :)
I have a pink floyd thsirt, and love how thought provoking their lyrics are, it's like they have some sort of hidden meaning in their spong that they're using to portray a much more sophisticated message
Wyandotte. Of all places. I am from Benton Harbor.
Great Hub!!! And I look foreward to reading more. Franki
This is my favorite album of all time. Thank you for this fine report. I enjoyed it.
awesome!!! did you ever watch wizard of oz while listenin to the album?
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