On March 22, 1980, Pink Floyd reached the tippy-top of the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their now-legendary song “Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)”. After hitting the charts in the UK, the song was then released as a seven-inch in the United States. The band did this to support the band’s definitive epic concept album The Wall.
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Surprisingly, “Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)” was a very rare hit for the famous progressive rock trailblazers in the United States.
The song was originally a simple shortened demo. Producer Bob Ezrin transformed it into the gorgeous prog masterpiece it is today. He was the one to add a choir of schoolchildren to the track, and it was a very smart choice. “Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)” is still considered Pink Floyd’s biggest commercial success from a single.
The single topped the Hot 100 chart for about a month. Pink Floyd’s follow-up single “Run Like Hell” didn’t make quite as much of an impact on the charts, sadly. Their 1983 album The Final Cut would be their last with Roger Waters. He would officially leave the band in 1985.
Pink Floyd Had a Complicated Relationship With the Charts and the Top 40
Pink Floyd only made it to the Top 40 in the US once before “Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)” made it to no. 1. They managed that feat with the 1973 song “Money”, which made it to no. 13 on the Hot 100. The band would go on to reach no. 53 on the Hot 100 again in 1980 with “Run Like Hell”. They would make it to the Hot 100 just two more times until 1994.
It’s crazy to think that a band as famous as Pink Floyd would have a hard time making it to the Top 40. If anything, this scenario is a great example of how good a band can be without being particularly chart-friendly.
In a way, it makes sense. Pink Floyd isn’t particularly known for their one-off megahit singles. Rather, the band has always been focused on creating elaborate and creative concept albums.
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