Talk:Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd song)

You removed my editing
[moved from User talk:Pigsonthewing ]

Hi Pigsonthewing,

I noticed that you undid my editing on Wish You Were Here (song) because you could not substantiate that rumour. I got that from the German wikipedia and, googling, I found that there in fact is a rumour that this cough is related to David's quitting smoking. I beg you to think about it and undo your removal. Thank you, Betterworld 21:30, 2 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * No, I removed it because nobody can substantiate it. Andy Mabbett 21:36, 2 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * What do you mean by emphasizing nobody? It is in the nature of rumours that one is not quite sure whether they are true or wrong, or half-true. However, people talk about it, so why not inform Wikipedians about it? Betterworld 21:42, 2 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * You have answered your first question for yourself. Wikipeia is an encylopedia, not a tabloid newspaper. Besides, some of the links found by your Google search contradict the rumour you cited. Andy Mabbett 21:46, 2 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * Well, I can quite easily show you a couple of Wikipedia articles that contain notes about rumours. An example is on Pink Floyd: The pig floating away. I do not think that there is any problem about it as long we state the fact that we do not know it for sure. It would be tabloid paper style if this were no longer of interest by tomorrow. But as the cough will remain in the records for ever, there is no point calling it news. If you feel that there exist several rumours that contradict each other, please write so in the article. Betterworld 23:35, 2 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * The material about the escaped pig is not a rumour. Andy Mabbett 08:09, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * Instead of babbling about it, just put "There is an unproven rumour that the cough in this song is a representation of Gilmour quitting smoking during its recording. However, it may just be there to simulate the person listening to the radio, who (Due to the sound of the radio indicating age) could just be an old smoker."


 * Besides, the Wizard of Oz -> Dark Side rumour is claimed false by the band, but its still on the encyclopedia - Fizscy46 21:38, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * The WoO stuff is not a rumour, just a coincidence. Andy Mabbett 09:04, 12 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * It is still a continuing rumour that they did it on purpose, even though they claimed otherwise. However, moving it to the trivia page is a good idea to settle the dispute. - Fizscy46 16:56, 12 Jun 2004 (UTC)


 * Thank you, Fizscy46. Betterworld 21:50, 3 Jun 2004 (UTC)

The Cough
I hear the cough at 43 seconds, not at 26 seconds like the article says. I am listening off the CD which should be the most accurate way of judging when it is.138.202.230.203 22:00, 14 September 2005 (UTC)
 * You're right, it's at 43 seconds. In fact, the article used to say it's in the 43rd second, until http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wish_You_Were_Here_%281975_song%29&diff=5151062&oldid=5095435.  I'm changing it.
 * Actually, on some CD versions, it is at 26 seconds. I know mine does. However, the version on my "Echoes:The Best of Pink Floyd" CD has it at 43 seconds. I have discovered this has to do with the spoken words/sound effects intro to the song, which on Echoes, and apparently some versions of Wish You Were Here, occurs at the beginning of the "Wish You Were Here" track. However, on my copy it occurs at the end of "Have a Cigar" instead. This would mean this version of this song would be shorter, and the result is that the cough comes earlier in the song. Oddfellowslocal151 (talk) 00:50, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

I've heard that the the famous violinest, Stephone Grapelli was recording an album in the same studio and contributed an uncredited violin solo at the end of the song which was subsequently mixed so low as to be nearly inaudible.207.157.121.50 03:56, 13 October 2005 (UTC)mightyafrowhitey

I hear the cough at 26 seconds. mine is probably the condensed version being it is 5 minutes and 17 seconds. we maybe should include both versions. 96.246.52.19 (talk) 01:51, 25 February 2010 (UTC)

Verification
I'm still waiting for someone to cit esomething to verify the claim that ''The cough was due to David Gilmour's then-smoking habits. After he heard the playback during mixing, he quit smoking for good but the cough was left in as a sort of reminder.''. Andy Mabbett 14:38, 18 November 2005 (UTC)
 * call him, haha --
 * From http://davidgilmour.com FAQ: "In the 43rd second, you hear David coughing. In the 48th second, you hear him sniffing. There are reports that hearing this was what convinced David to give up smoking during the recording of the album, but that’s not true." Floyd(Norway) 11:24, 2 February 2006 (UTC)
 * You would think that would have killed this stupid rumor! I made a lengthy argument against it here, if anybody's interested (I assume cross-posting my Talk is a no-no.) I removed it from that article, and it should be removed from this one as well. I think some people want to keep this rumor going because it sends an anti-smoking message, and they think that's worth lying about. Hell, I challenge anybody to find a picture of Gilmour smoking a cigarette in the first place!  (He's been photographed smoking other things.)  --63.25.113.207 21:27, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

You can also hear him sort of 'yawning', a little later (or he might be saying 'yeah', can't be sure...). Was that deliberate? Martyn Smith 11:13, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

Barrett's visit
From the article: "During the recording of this song, Syd Barrett, their old band mate who had been in seclusion for years due to drug induced psychosis, suddenly appeared in the studio. Syd's former band mates did not even recognize him as he had lost his hair and gained considerable weight. He was wondering about the studio muttering nonsense when Waters and Gilmour realized to their dismay that this strange character who suddenly appeared in their studio session was their old friend Syd Barrett."

I thought this happened when they recorded David Gilmour's backing vocals on "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". Floyd(Norway) 13:24, 5 April 2006 (UTC)


 * I don't think anybody in the band remembers exactly what they were doing when Syd showed up. --63.25.239.112 16:03, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
 * According to the Classic Albums documentary on the album, they were mixing the album when Barrett showed up. Daniel Case (talk) 05:32, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

Contradiction
I removed this line from the article :


 * "(This description contradicts what is written below about the origin of the song.)"

because it belongs here, but it does raise a good point. The article says


 * "The guitar riff came to David Gilmour while in Abbey Road Studios playing with his acoustic guitar. Roger Waters was so moved by the riff that he wrote the lyrics right there on the spot."

while a quote of Waters at the end has him saying:


 * "Only once have the lyrics been written down first -- 'Wish You Were Here'."

A citation for the former statement should be found, if possible, so this matter can be worked out. -albrozdude 01:43, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

Someone removed the Syd Barrett article
so yeah, I put it back in, and added a few stuff to it! -Dragong4

The radio play
What's the title of that radio play ('Oh Sinden....all this star nonsense...no..it..no I'm sure of it' etc) that crops up during the 'tuning in' passage. And is that brief orchestral burst immediately before the 'radio guitar' section part of it, or separate? Anyone know? Martyn Smith 11:11, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

My belief is that the extract comes from the long-running panel game 'Round Britain Quiz'. The female voice certainly sounds like Irene Thomas. To me, at least. 86.20.175.82 (talk) 22:07, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

References to Syd Barrett
'Shine on' is definitely about him, 'Wish You Were here' is pretty much Syd, although there's a more 'general feel to the longing as well'. 'Have A Cigar' recounts the band's early experiences with record execs, so Syd is involved along the line there. I would say that the lyrically most generic song on the album is 'Welcome To The Machine', however this is about the pressures and temptations faced by a neophyte rock musician, which certainly has a great deal of relevance with Mr Barrett. Therefore I think the original assertion that the 'entire' album deals with Syd in some way is an acceptable one.

I wonder if Roger actually saw this album as a personal watershed, as a way of putting the ghost of Syd's involvement and once dominance of the band to rest? This would certainly tie in with the ease with which he totally dominated the last 3 Floyd albums with him as a member. Martyn Smith 22:56, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

Trivia: Mars Rover Spirit's Hidden Message
One of the rovers that are currently on the planet Mars (Spirit) has a secret message encoded on one of its parts. When the rover first landed on Mars, the Planetary Society made images of the encrypted message available, and encouraged the general public to decipher it. The message encoded is, amazingly, "wish you were here".

Should we include this as Trivia? I don't think it's a reference to the Pink Floyd song, at least not directly, but it's an interesting piece of info. Isn't it great that the title of a Pink Floyd song is 64 million miles away from Earth right now?

You can find the Press Release of when the message was initially deciphered here: http://www.planetary.org/about/press/releases/2004/0415_Hidden_Mars_Messages_Found.html

You can find the images of the code itself (the bars and dots around the edge of the DVD) here: http://www.planetary.org/programs/projects/red_rover_goes_to_mars/dvd_image.html

Meithan 09:56, 12 February 2007 (UTC)


 * I think it should definitely be in the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.1.97.89 (talk • contribs)


 * It's a common English idiom, nothing to do with Pink Floyd. Andy Mabbett 22:24, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

Heart Of Stone?
Just a thought this song does sound somewhat similar to heart of stone by the rolling stones. the chords are very similar. Did they rip off that song did the stones rip off them? Maybe not, but just an idea that could use more looking into. 96.246.52.211 (talk) 17:06, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Moved
It is said that the sound of David Gilmour coughing on the intro to the track made him stop smoking. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) (talk • contribs) 22:47, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

The AM Radio
The high frequency background whine is not emulating an engine accelerating/decelerating (that would be a much more rapid rise and fall). It always reminded me of the PLL drift from old analog crystals. David says the idea is it's a kid in his bedroom hearing the 12 string on the radio, and the kid joins in. So car interference would make no sense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G91HQRSKW4 (the last minute of the interview). Dickbalaska (talk) 06:22, 20 January 2013 (UTC)

Agreed. In fact the quote from Gilmour's WYWH songbook interview is even in the article itself: "It's all meant to sound like the first track getting sucked into a radio with one person sitting in the room playing guitar along with the radio." The "sitting in a car" thing is completely rubbish original research, where's the engine noise, for a start? 86.138.137.179 (talk) 23:41, 5 March 2013 (UTC)

Steel Rail
Does the following link count as a valid citation for the reference Wish You Were Here makes to the song If It's In You from Syd Barrett's album The Madcap Laughs? http://www.pink-floyd-lyrics.com/html/if_its_in_you_lyrics_syd_ml.html 189.12.177.6 (talk) 17:06, 11 October 2014 (UTC)


 * It does not. It is a transcription of Barrett's lyrics. What is needed is a citation of a reliable source stating that Waters' use of "steel rail" was in any way a reference to Barrett's lyrics. "Steel rail" is not exotic imagery; there's many steel rails at every bus stop and train station. I strongly doubt it's a reference, and I'm dying to just delete it. But I only recently put the citeneeded tag on, so the ethical thing to do is give it some time. I am sure, in the end, no reliable source will be found. You'd basically need a confirmation from Roger Waters himself. I can easily imagine what he'd say at his age: "I don't know . . . I try not to think too much about it . . . but perhaps subconsciously . . . ." However, I'm reasonably sure of what he would have said when the song was new: "No."
 * --Ben Culture (talk) 22:56, 31 October 2014 (UTC)


 * Well, I did it. I deleted the shit out of that nonsense! Please don't put it back unless you have a very reliable, verifiable, reputable source.
 * --Ben Culture (talk) 19:28, 17 January 2016 (UTC)

Wind instrument parts?
There are some 'wind instrument' sounds during the sound. (For example 2:56 and 4:04 at on the album version-not the wind sound at the end.) What are these? Since no other musicians are credited for this song, I sort of assume they are parts on a mellotron or something, but I don't know for sure. Blythwood (talk) 14:29, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

OTT Wyclef Jean Cover Details
What makes this cover version so important that it deserves so much attention in this article? Suggest removing everything except for a simple mention of the cover and a link to the relevant Wyclef Jean album page. Anything more than that is unwarranted.

--PSmythirl (talk) 16:35, 21 December 2019 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: English 1101 093
— Assignment last updated by Joycea1127 (talk) 21:23, 28 November 2022 (UTC)

Van Morisson Almost independance Day
Hello, I'm of course not the first to notice the huge insperation taken by Pink Floyd from this song of Van Morisson, released in 1970 on Saint Dominic's preview album. What I'm puzzled about is why there is no mention of it in this wiki page. can somebody update it? (I'm no wiki expert, never edited, I don’t want yo make any error). thanks LaurentFr69 (talk) 08:10, 26 May 2024 (UTC)