Wish You Were Here (1975)
1. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)
2. Welcome to the Machine
3. Have a Cigar
4. Wish You Were Here
5. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)
After the monumental success of The Dark Side of the Moon, you might think everything would suddenly become easier for Pink Floyd. That’s usually the assumption—once you’ve sold millions of records and achieved global acclaim, the rest of the ride should be smooth sailing. Turns out, that wasn’t the case. If anything, things got heavier. The band felt disillusioned, distant, and detached. And Wish You Were Here is essentially a reflection of that emptiness—an album about absence, about longing, and about everything that success can’t fix.
Much of the record quietly tips its hat to original founder Syd Barrett. His departure still loomed large over the band, and during the recording sessions, he even showed up unannounced. His appearance was so jarring—bald, bloated, and almost unrecognizable—that it reportedly left the band in tears. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone. This was the man who started it all, now reduced to a ghost haunting the studio. The album isn’t just a tribute to Syd—it’s a meditation on everything that had slipped through their fingers.
The sound of the record is spacious, moody, and introspective. Gilmour’s guitar work is front and center, and the synth textures add an ethereal glow to everything. While the band was no stranger to long-form compositions, Shine On You Crazy Diamond took things to a new level. Spread out over nine parts, the track bookends the album—Parts I–V open the record, Parts VI–IX close it. It’s slow-moving but powerful, and even if it drags in places, the emotional weight of the piece makes up for it.
Of course, there are a few shorter tracks sprinkled in as well, and they carry some of the most iconic moments. Wish You Were Here, the title track, is probably the most beloved song on the album. It’s simple, heartfelt, and perfectly captures the theme of absence. It’s the kind of song that sounds like it’s being sung to someone else, but really feels like it’s about the singer himself. Welcome to the Machine is a dystopian, synth-heavy monster that channels all the band’s discontent with the music industry—and life in general. If it sounds cold and sterile, well, that’s kind of the point.
Have a Cigar feels a bit like the outlier. It’s the band’s most overt jab at the business side of rock and roll, complete with the classic line, “Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?” The decision to have Roy Harper sing the lead was an unusual one, but it worked—Waters and Gilmour didn’t think either of them could deliver the necessary level of cynicism. Turns out, they were probably right.
For many fans, this is Pink Floyd’s true masterpiece. I tend to lean more toward albums with a bit more melody and less atmosphere, but I completely understand why this one is so highly regarded. It’s haunting, beautifully played, and thematically rich. If you’re looking for something that balances artistic ambition with emotional weight, Wish You Were Here fits the bill perfectly. And yes—it holds up just as well today as it did nearly 50 years ago.
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