3 Pink Floyd Songs So Rich They Seem To Transcend Music

The classic rock band known as Pink Floyd achieved great heights in music. Both as a group in the cultural zeitgeist and within various songs the band released. They soared, touched the sky. And sometimes they are songs seemingly so good they parted the clouds, opened up the heavens, and allowed listeners to even catch a glimpse of the face of God. (OK, the psychedelics of the time might have helped a little.)

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Here below, we wanted to explore three songs from the British-born band that were so rich that they seemed to transcend music, itself. A trio of tracks that were both lyrically and musically brilliant. Indeed, these are three Pink Floyd songs that are just that good.

[RELATED: 3 of the Best Opening Lines From Pink Floyd Songs of the 1970s]

“Time” from The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

What better way to feel like you’ve seen the light than to dive headfirst into a song about time and existentialism. Life is short—the older you get, the more you know that to be true. So, how we spend our time—the most precious resource—is fundamental to living. Yet, so many of us fritter it away with meaningless chores and low-stakes goals. Pink Floyd reminds us, through genius lyricism and exquisite instrumentation, we can still live differently if we so choose. Sings David Gilmour,

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

“Wish You Were Here” from Wish You Were Here (1975)

A song that begins so simply. An acoustic guitar, a voice. It’s another track that highlights the circumstances we’re born into but have to wake up to in order to try to understand them. Only when a fish knows it’s in water does it know how to jump to another stream. Similar to “Time,” “Wish You Were Here” tries to remind us to have awareness of self and the world, and it does so with such simple instrumentation. But the brilliance of that is the music is almost universally relatable, bringing us all together in the message. Sings Gilmour,

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

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

“Shine on You Crazy Diamond” from Wish You Were Here (1975)

“Wish You Were Here” was said to be dedicated, at least in part, to the band’s original founder Syd Barrett, who left early on with mental health issues. But there is no question the below song, “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” is meant to celebrate Barrett. It’s a long, nine-part track that spans nearly 26 minutes. When seeing it live, it’s like an explosion of sound. A sonic light show you want to bask in for days and days. On the tune, Roger Waters sings,

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun
Shine on you crazy diamond
Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky
Shine on you crazy diamond
You were caught in the crossfire of childhood and stardom, blown on the steel breeze
Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

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