Former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters might be one of the most prominent figures in the psychedelic rock realm, but his personal music taste lies somewhere in the cut-and-dry songwriter world, á la John Prine, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. Although it’s hard to imagine the man behind “Another Brick in the Wall” and “Have a Cigar” jamming out to early ‘70s acoustic music, Waters’ musical influences have made their way into Pink Floyd’s catalogue in subtle ways, including the similarities between Prine’s “Sam Stone” and Waters’ “Post War Dream” from the 1983 Pink Floyd album, The Final Cut.
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While sonically different, these two songs share commonalities in their glaring accounts of the realities of war, on and off the battlefield. Unsurprisingly, one of Waters’ favorite Neil Young songs is no different. And frankly, we’re wondering why Waters hasn’t covered it yet himself.
Roger Waters Says He Wishes He Wrote This Neil Young Song
Roger Waters has long been outspoken about his preference for singer-songwriter music over heavy rock ‘n’ roll. During an appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast, Waters said popular rock bands like AC/DC and Van Halen never interested him like lyric-forward folk music did. Given Waters’ own proclivity for theatrical storytelling and diving into deep, sometimes uncomfortable subjects, it would make sense that he prefers to listen to musicians who put that same emphasis on a compelling narrative.
One such narrative that Waters wishes he crafted himself is Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” from Rust Never Sleeps. Waters said he “would have given my right arm to write” a song like Young’s 1979 track during a fan Q&A session posted to his YouTube channel in 2023. He expressed similar sentiments when speaking to Rogan, describing the way the song made him practically speechless the first time he heard the opening line: Look out, Mama, there’s a white boat comin’ up the river.
We don’t blame Waters for the reaction, either. The opening track to the electric B-side of Rust Never Sleeps truly is a breathtaking, heart-wrenching folk song about a young man in the rural South who tries to protect his family against an attack from a gun-wielding boat on the river. With no older men to take his place, the responsibility falls on the narrator. Daddy’s rifle in my hand felt reassurin’, Young sings in the third verse. By the second half of the verse, the narrator loses his violent battle. Raised my rifle to my eye, never stopped to wonder why, and my face splashed in the sky.
We’re Just Waiting For The Cover Version To Come Out, Honestly
A certain song can become someone’s favorite for any number of reasons, big or small. But when it’s a fellow musician choosing the song, there tends to be some sort of kindred connection that draws an artist to someone else’s music. Take one of Ozzy Osbourne’s favorite Beatles songs, “Eleanor Rigby.” The song couldn’t be more different from Osbourne’s music, whether solo or with Black Sabbath, but there is plenty of artistic common ground, from the minor key to the shape of the melody to the lyrics themselves. We’d argue that Waters’ favorite Neil Young song, “Powderfinger,” is no exception.
Young’s 1979 track is powerful, visceral, and moving enough on its own. Still, we can’t help but dream about the sinister, psychedelic treatment Waters could put on the Rust Never Sleeps B-side. The vocal color palette Waters used on “Another Brick in the Wall” would lend itself perfectly to the melodic structure of “Powderfinger.” Maybe Waters could slow the entire song down and present it in a near-whisper like he does in the verses of “Comfortably Numb,” adding an even more foreboding element to lines like, I think you’d better call John ‘cause they don’t look like they’re here to deliver the mail.
Just like with our dream cover of “Eleanor Rigby” by Ozzy, we don’t even want the credit for Waters’ version of “Powderfinger.” It’s just too good not to consider, even if we’re only dreaming.
Photo by C Flanigan/FilmMagic
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