He's a young, sensitive boy growing up without a father. He builds his own psychological "wall" to protect himself, not only from his overprotective mother, but from the vicissitudes of life. Everything he experiences is yet "another brick in the wall."
Mother was a victim of WW2 and the planes and sirens reference the Blitz when Hitler continued to bomb the UK in 1940/41. She has ptsd and is fearing for her son so she builds a wall around him. He ask about it as a child. Waters was born 1943. I like that he shows some understanding of mom for the wall she built of fear around herself and him. War ends up being the real villain. Of course.
During the live performances of The Wall a 40ft high styrofoam wall that runs the full width of the stadium is slowly built brick-by-brick during the course of the concert. By the time we get to the end of side 2, the band is completely walled off from the audience. "Hey You" which begins side 3, is performed completely behind the wall. Surrealistic nightmarish animation is projected upon the wall and from time-to-time sections are removed to reveal Roger and or David singing and playing. It is truly something to behold. It is a mind-bending visually stunning 'rock opera' in every sense of the word. With full 360° sound that swirls all around you.
@@vincentschmitt7597 the show was one of the biggest spectacles ever performed in rock and roll. Roger last toured with it in 2012-13 hitting all the outdoor baseball and football stadiums in the US. (It was performed at Wrigley Field in Chicago). The wall and the spectacle was as enormous as ever. You can find clips of it on TH-cam: Roger Waters The Wall tour.
I saw it in Hartford CT on that tour, both the sound system and the entire show, was incredible, the graphics shone on the Wall were updated and your head was spinning at times, great performance, only could have been better if all of Pink Floyd was there...
I seen the concert in 2010 and there will NEVER EVER EVER be anything like it EVER! The projections alone is off the charts! I once read it cost $500,000 just to produce one concert. That’s not even mentioning the airplane that crashes into the wall on the song in the Flesh!!
One of the best songs on the album for sure, this is absolutely killer stuff. I can't count how many times I've listened to this and it still hits me every time. The live version from the In The Flesh Tour is a frikking masterpiece and definitely worth checking out as well. Awesome song, awesome reaction as always - much love from Canada!
I was stationed in the Philippines when the movie came out. I took my wife and kids to the theater. Pink Floyd is the music group that when you are stressed out it brings you back to calm.
@@vincentschmitt7597 my son was 7 and my daughter was 4, she still listens to Pink Floyd, she’s a teacher my sons a IT guy. He likes Japanese and Korean music. Go figure….
"Mother did it need to be so high?" is a reference to the wall she helped build around him. Everything which frightens him or worries him leads to his adding "another brick in the wall". At this point, he realizes that the wall is so high that he is, in effect, isolated from reality.
Waters, who wrote most of the Lyrics for the Wall started with the feeling he had of a wall between himself and his audience and expanded that to explore the walls we all build around us derived from our experiences with education, our parents, relationships, etc. and how we break down these walls to live better lives.
I’m not sure how far y’all have actually gotten with how they’ve had issues releasing, but the rest is a ride and half. I hope you guys are having a great week. The movie 100% puts things into a deeper perspective and I can’t wait to hear about it when you get to it!! ✌🏽💚-Amber
This is the first song I played for my mother when she bought me my first guitar around 1986. She sang along with me. She was a Pink Floyd fan like me.
Each brick in the wall represents a trauma, a key symptom of depression and mental illness is isolationism, "building the wall" represents the slow regression back into oneself and a way to protect yourself from further trauma
The film is a chronicle of the life of rock musician Pink, teetering on the brink of insanity. Remembering his childhood without his father who died in the war, school years, unsuccessful marriage, concerts, Pink builds a wall that protects him from the cruel world. After each painful memory, he lays a new brick in his wall. As a result, the hero is left alone with the worms - what Waters called the dark side of man.
YOU'VE GOT IT!!!! This album is absolutely genius in the way it's put together. It was inspired by Syd Barrett who started Pink Floyd then succumbed to the illness of schizophrenia. He was their friend and extremely talented. The beautiful thing about this album is that you listen and feel this story, not try to take words literally but to see deeper into how he (Pink) got here. What caused him to build a wall that he doesn't know how to break out of now. Anyone who has ever experienced depression in an extreme form or any mental illness will FEEL this and relate. It touches people differently, because we've all gone through different things. Yet we all connect in the feelings brought about by those things. I could go on. This entire album is a beautiful realistic work of art.
@@35daphni I think you're reading your thoughts into it, which is fine, that's the beauty of music. Each of us can adapt the meaning to our experiences. Everything they did had Syd's influence but Waters has said it was about building a wall between he and the audience. There is a solid write up on Wikipedia about it. It's pretty much what I've seen Waters say many times about it too. The song Mother to me, always represented an overprotective mother. But that's just my interpretation, it's probably something entirely different. If you get to see the movie Roger Waters: The Wall, which is a live production of The Wall, it has some cutaway scenes of Roger the really gives an insight as to the way he is and what formed him. The rest is the concert and is well worth watching.
@@5yearsout I've always felt like The whole story of his childhood is him thinking back on his life. It's not happening at that time, he is simply thinking back over his life trying to figure out where he went off track. I absolutely think she was an overbearing Mother. And I'm aware of Roger's huge contribution to this album. David Gilmour was reported as saying it was a very self serving album for Roger. A lot of what Pink did in that hotel room were things Syd had done to himself also, shaving his head, eyebrows etc. I feel like Roger was telling his own story but adding Syd's breakdown into the mix. However people interpret it according to what they've experienced in some way. That's the genius of Pink Floyd's music. Thanks for responding, I'm open to discussion. I think we are basically on the same side. Maybe the Dark side of the moon LOL
@@35daphni Interesting, your thought about looking back on his life to figure out where he went off track. My thoughts have changed several times through the years, but the theory I've settled on is Pink just went crazy, now heavily medicated is imagining it or even maybe having a bad acid trip. Tomorrow I may have a completely different theory, but only Roger really knows I guess but it's fun to think about. I remember getting this album when it came out and all these years later I still love talking about it. One of the interesting things about Rogers split from the band is he got %100 ownership of The Wall, I think he had to give up some other claims to get it, but I'm not positive on that. Don't get me started on DSOTM, I could wax poetic about that classic for hours.
Thanks for sharing your reaction and thoughts about this album. Mother is my favorite song on this album. that last line mother does it need to be so high just breaks my heart every time.❤️✌️🌼
I feel the need to explain a tiny bit. The Wall is a rock opera. It's the story of a performer named "Pink". Based on some experiences of its author Roger Waters and things that happened to the band's founder Syd Barret ( who actually lost his mind.) Pink is alone in his hotel room. Too many concerts. Too many hotels. Too much work and well too many drugs. He has brought home a groupie but scares her away. He calls home, overseas to England to have a strange man answer his home phone. Isolated he relives his traumas in his mind. Sadistic teachers , overbearing mother. Losing his father in the war. His managers break down the door to find him unresponsive, comatose. They dose him with drugs ( Comfortably Numb) to get him going for the concert . Under the influence of the drugs he conjures images that his concert is a fascist rally. In his mind he puts himself on trail. Convicting himself of having feelings he sentences himself to the worst punishment he can imagine. Exposing his feelings to the world. This is a more frightening story than any hollywood horror film. Its a depiction in real time of a man going insane.
The wall is the story of the main character “pink” and how all his hardships “bricks” force him to create a wall around himself, and isolate himself from others
The plot thickens as the story moves on and Pink grows up. You don't see song writing like this every day, that's for sure. Can't wait for side 2. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
Great reaction guys. The Wall is an amazing album and it is also very much a Roger Waters album. His vocals are also prevalent throughout the record including this song. David Gilmour does also sing in many of the songs but there is definitely a lot of Roger Water vocals which is characterized by the high pitch screams. If you want to get better understanding about what this album is about you might be better off just searching for it online. The movie might just confuse you more as it's not exactly explanatory at all. The Wall movie is great and a cult classic but it's also an art piece so don't expect to understand the meaning of the album by watching the movie.
I think if you listen to the album and then see the movie later it helps explain things. But seeing the movie having never heard the album would be every bit as confusing. This is art. The questions are answered over time and contemplation. It's one of the things that makes the album so brilliant. Those of us who were around when the album came out had no movie to go to for years. And we figured it out. It was all part of the experience.
I’m a music first/lyrics later guy. This explains (to me) why I’ve had some trouble with this album. This is lyrics first. A lot of the music so far is what I’d call more or less straight ahead. To see people here explain the concept has been helpful.
This opus was a lot to take in, especially first time through back in 79. But its a milestone in the Floyd pantheon, and credit to you guys for taking it on and picking up on the basic vibe.
@@julienmarquet8612 Water's father was an infantryman who died in Italy on the Anzio beachhead, which is mentioned on "The Final Cut" This song has nothing to do with Oedipus, so stop projecting
Roger Waters father was originally a conscientious objector at the beginning of world war2 , he later had a change of heart and signed up. He was killed in action in Anzio ,Italy , Waters was unborn or a very young baby at the time and didn’t know his biological father. A lot of Waters songwriting comes from the angst of this tragedy and the repressed emotions he experienced growing up. The Wall reflects this and the negative feelings he had towards audiences during the North American tour of the Animals album, where he imagined performances behind a wall to avoid interaction with the fans. I’ve heard Waters in interviews explain how his fathers death is inspiration for the lyric “ did you exchange a walk on part in a war for a lead role in a cage “ from Wish you were here, as well as former band mate Syd Barrett’s descent into psychosis. Waters father Eric Fletcher ( Waters took his step-fathers surname )would also feature as subject matter for Waters last album with Pink Floyd The Final Cut. The last line in the song “ Mother , did it have to be so high “ he means did the wall she built around him, have to be so high” ( over protective)
I hope nobody is telling you the actual story behind it in the comments, because it's fun watching you trying to piece it together. You're close, and getting warmer, but not quite there... yet.
one of the most heartbreaking yet beautiful songs ever released,all the way through the album gilmour is the ying to roger's yang.the sweet relief if you will,the touches in this song from gilmour's melodic break,roger's two note bassline,the ride cymbal nuances and then the ending "you'll always be baby to me" has to be the most beautiful audible hug you'll ever hear.best band ever lived
The most impresive thing about The wall is that it meens SO many difrent things to everyone... Its all depenting on what you have seen and felt and thougth and how your veiw on the world is that will make your mind intepret the songs and what they are aboute..
I’m a mother of 3 sons and i caught myself being this way never thinking any woman was gonna be good enough, not wanting their hearts broken! It was hard not to want to protect them ! I knew how women could be lol! But I finally did! But that’s just a mother’s love! Great reaction ❤
Absolutely one of my favorite albums of all time. This album is such a ride different types of music that they do on it. It’s just so incredible so happy I got to see them live in 94. It was such a treat. Also Natalie means of the Dixie chicks does a version of this that’s not awful decent.
I had heard of Pink Floyd before this album but The Wall was the first of their albums I bought. I was 11 and the first song I heard was Another Brick In the Wall. After that I was hooked. I got to see them in Germany in 1988 for their Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. To this day the best concert I’ve ever been to.
Great listen…but what was “so high” was the wall. Keeping Pink safe made Pink isolated. This is an epic album…deep and meaningful. How we build walls to keep safe but then they keep you apart. Everything that happens; tragedy (father dying), overly protective mother, nasty teachers and school experience…adds another brick in the wall.
To really appreciate #PinkFloyd music .. especially the albums #Animals, #Dark Side of the Moon and #TheWall .. its a must that you take it in as if you are watching a opera. There is a lyrical story within the music. #TheWall is a story about a fictional rock star named Pink. Its also partially true. Both Roger Waters and 'Pink' lost their fathers during WWII. As Pink grows up, he's tormented by other classmates and abused by the 'establishments' teachers. Dealing with her own issues and fears, Pink's mom smothers him by basically being way to over protective. He can't make a move w/o her knowing about it. He's unable to make some of life's decisions w/o needing mother's approval. So Pink then begins to self-isolate, falling into depression and then gradually goes insane. He also self-medicates. The more he isolates, the more his drug abuse increases. As in the song #Comfortably Numb, Pink is 'dope sick' and needs a "fix" to go on stage during a tour. Reacting to any of the songs out of order and context can make for a confused listening experience for most. 😎✌ ... P.S. Ya should tackle their #Dark Side of the Moon album next.
One of the best songs on this album!!!!!!! If you like this you must listen to the live version from the 2010 concerts! He does a duet with himself on the big screen from 1980’s live version at Earls court! I know I seen it live it is amazing!!!!!’
I always like it when younger people discover Pink Floyd's songs and make up their own minds about the lyrics. The reactions to the sound are also interesting and I like that you both listen to the album and don't just pick one song. Keep it up and thanks for sharing. Best regards @all from hamburg (germany)
Oddly enough, not my favorite Floyd album but certainly one of their best and most important. The album is not an easy listen with its great variety and demand of the listener. This is really an autobiography of the genius of Rodger Waters. All those war references are of a kid who was in that great war, seeing many in the previous generation suffer and die in one of the darkest times in world history. Imagine living in a time when the end of the world as you knew it was a real possibility? I think it was this darkness and trauma that almost did Rodgers in. Imagine the level of exposure of being in one of the most successful bands ever. Rodgers said it all began to break down one concert with an interaction with an unruly fan. At that point, he began to feel a great distance between himself and the audience, a wall, if you will. He literally had a nervous breakdown and thought he was going nuts. I believe the fame, distance, and tension he felt triggered that darkness he had experienced as a child, a delayed response, if you will. Sorry, this shit gets me emotional. Back in the day, this was our life, our experience, our music, and often that which kept us alive, awake, and aware. I love this shit.
Hey guys. This album is an auto biography of Roger Wsters life in post WWII England. The reference to "Momma did it need to be so high" at the end of the song refers to The Wall that she helped hom build to cope with the trauma of war and life afterwards. It is an extremely personal ode to his mother who is the only person he trusts. Keep in mind the time frame of when he was a child and how society didn't allow any thinking out of the box. Ç
When this album came out it stopped life for a while. To damn busy listening to it cranked or even better with killer headphones which we had. Top 5 band ever assembled i think. Thanks
Great rxn as usual, guys. This track and album (in general) is a nod to Roger's personal life (and perhaps a little of Syd's, as well). Here's some context; Roger's father died in WWII when Roger was a very young infant (5 months), so he never knew his dad. Because she'd lost her husband, his mother tended to be quite over protective of her 2 children, it would seem. His father's death also likely drives what you picked up on as "anti-military" sentiments; again, understandable given his own personal experiences...
If you try and listen for the drums, you realize they're pretty much there the entire time. Very few times there are zero drums going. But it's the genius of Nick Mason. Dude was a master of knowing when the drums just need to be a solid anchor for the rhythm, and not much more. That's the sign of a good drummer, with no ego problems.
Except Nick Mason did not play percussion/drums on this song. This song is in 9/8 time. Roger Waters had Jeff Porcaro play percussion/drums on this song. Jeff Porcaro was an ace session drummer who played on thousands of songs in the 1970s and 1980s and also was the drummer for Toto.
When I saw Roger live he sang this song and when he says "Mother should I trust the government" behind him the words No Fucking Way flash on the wall 🤣
The DECODER Strikes again... 100% right on, it is the story of a Man's life. Sid Barret the former band member. At least when we first listened, we had the inside Album Cover to help us figure out the Story..!
To get a better understanding of The Wall,as i did after so many times listening to the album,nothing compares to Roger Waters concert The Wall.Played out,and performed as The Wall is being built while the concert proceeds.Visually astounding.
This album is a story. it needs to be listened to in its entirety to make sense. its about post ww2 Europe and the damage the war did to what we used to think was real life.
so much of the over protective mother is insanely accurate. My son has a friend who's mother has sole custody of him. And even as HS kids he's rarely allowed outside of her sight. Cannot leave the the sight of their home, cannot walk to school(we live in the midwest/suburbia and you can see the school from where we live. Add in the trauma of wwII, and losing your husband to that war to boot. It's also a good analogy for the govt, who goes far outside the allowed boundaries to keep us safe. Living in a guilded cage nice and safe, but not free to fly as we wish. Great song, super deep, even if not necessarily as intended at the time by the artist.
if it hasn't hit you before this point in the album, this song is where you definitely go, "oh shit" the first time you hear it and you start listening to it differently.
Just my opinion, but due to the nature of this album, and its structure of related or lead-in songs, it will probably be most effective if you (more or less) concentrate on finishing the album in a shorter time rather than stretching it out like some others. And there are stretches where a couple of shorter tracks should be featured together rather than separately
"Mother did it need to be so high?" I believe he's referring to the wall again. But you guys are doing great getting the storyline together. I was a teen so I'll cut myself some slack, but it took me years to figure out what's going on here. And I saw the movie. I was usually so disoriented when I went to the theater that I had no idea what was on the screen. Just there for the music. 😎😎 You guys rock 🤘🏻🤘🏻
For all these decades I mistakenly thought the last line was, "Mother didn't mean to be so high"! only to learn now that it is actually "Mother, did it need to be so high?" meaning did the wall have to be built so high around him. Wow!
Hello fellas, lovin you guys here in Detroit. Yeah, PF always invokes cinematic images to me. Telling the story in those lyrics. Another great artist from the ‘70’s was Elton John, who’s lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote in the same cinematic style. If you dare to dive into the SEVENTIES Elton hole, check out deeper cuts like Ballad of Danny Baily or All The Girls Love Alice. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Blues For Baby and Me, or earlier Burn Down The Mission, Have Mercy On The Criminal, Country Comfort…. Close your eyes and enjoy a movie for your mind!
Also the war themes are always ever present in Pink Floyd's music, keep in mind these are men from England born in the 40s or early 50s where everyone's life was impacted by WWII
Watching the movie will explain a lot! That being said when this movie opened up. My buddy and I went opening night all stoned out of course. When we walked out we looked at each other and said did you get it. We both answered NO! We went the second night all stoned out and when it was over we asked again did you get it. We both said I think so. We went a third night all stoned out (had to be stoned it’s PINK FLOYD). We walked out and said I GET IT!!! This is not an I GET IT by listened to individual chapters.
The Last line in this song. "Mother did it need to be so high" Is a reference to the Metaphorical Wall that he has been building around his mind since he was a child..
Roger Waters (bassist, main lyrics for album) wrote this on part about his life. He was born in 1943. His father was killed in WWII in 1944. His mother was overprotective. He was also inspired by an incident during the Animals tour where he spit on a fan in the audience and realized he had built a mental wall around him. So The Wall is the wall we build around ourselves to protect ourselves. He shows the various things that contribute to building the wall. There are many later bits, and parts in the album and in the film inspired by founding member and original lead songer/songwriter Syd Barrett who left the band after a mental collapse. Syd showed up during recording Wish You Were Here completely bald (including eyebrows) and the band didn't recognize him. But, yeah, Roger is anti-war because he never git to know his father. The next (and worst and his last) Pink Floyd album, The Final Cut, was all about that. Do every other album first.
mother did the wall need to be so high. For me this double album is everything that music is all about and the dips and heights in this album just makes you feel like you've had a physical and mental workout. enjoy gentlemen!
I had said before this album was epic and large and also personal and deep in its storytelling. One almost needs to let is play all the way thru and bath in it, get out, dry off and then let it run again so that you can understand it. Have heard and read that The Final Cut was Roger Waters sequel to the Wall, and even tho Final Cut is listed Pink Floyd, it was Roger's album. I just listen in awe at the ability to write music like this.
When it came out, I took my gf to see the movie... she didn't like it, but I married her anyway. We divorced 7 years later... I _KNEW_ I shoulda dumped her ass right then and there! lol
……..Given Pink’s new found “disdain” for his unfortunate beginning, Mother, rushes in to protect her “innocent son” from the harsh realities of an unforgiving world…..Her genuine attempts to shield her son from “the world”, crumble, as Pink misinterprets her “blanket”, for one more reason to build more…..Bricks…And Momma succumbs to the needs of her son, and contributes to his introverted ideal….She helps him, with his “Wall”…
Stick with it guys, this one in PF fashion is an experience just like the others but completely different and it will have its peaks and valleys. The movies is so interesting but watching them play it live they bring the music and the movie to stage and screen and the 1980 tour, it’s on TH-cam, brought it all to life in a way that I am not sure it had ever been done before. I was 11, couldn’t go see it live but watched it on TH-cam several times, did last night after watching you guys do the first 3 reactions!
Yes the 1980 Live at Earls court is good but if you really want to watch a live version watch the 2010 live tour. Not even close when it comes to the visuals. Ok I do know David Gilmour is not on that tour. Yes he is the man but Snowy White plays very well. But the projections are out of this world. When the wall is pulsating in awesome. Visually there is no comparison. Vocally David is missing.
@@LesSmith45 understood and I agree BUT, it’s 1980, the caliber, quality and ahead of it’s time creativity is what still blows me away. Even Roger Water recent tour performing the Wall is amazing to me, but 1980? Phenomenal !!!
Just a little help here so you know where to place things on a time line: His (we will call him ‘Pink’) Pink’s dad died in WWI so there is about 20yrs between WWI and WWII so that is going to be when Pink is growing up and becoming an adult. Rough time in history, probably just another brick in his wall.
What a classic album! I bought it the day it came out. I've seen the movie I don't know how many times. It's a bit dark. I'll give you the short explaination since the movie may be just as confusing as the album. It's a combination of ideas that are rooted in real events in Roger Water's life. His father was killed in WWII by the Germans. Thuis all the war is madness references. And the rock star elements stem from Sid Barrett. An original member of Pink Floyd who (supposedly) took too much LSD and went mad forever. This is when David Gilmore joined Pink Floyd. Some said Sidwas leaning that way anyway. He was a mad genius. So the movie and the record are a combo of these two themes. The movie is worth seeing. Heads up! Not a date movie!
Side 1 = birth/adolesence...the foundation and first layers of the wall. Side 2 gonna add some more rows of bricks for ya. Now he's gonna become a rock star, get married, and well, you know where THAT usually ends up... 😂😂😂 Side 3 tracks details his isolation. Side 4 is coming out of it. Helluva ride...strap in. There are some rockers on this album, but it is very deliberate in telling the tale.
Another great album in the same vein, but much more up-tempo (and with the virtuoso drums you have noted are subdued on this album) is Porcupine Tree's "Fear of a Blank Planet".
The 70s was filled with protests of the war and a lot of artists wrote songs against the war. I unfortunately did a tour in nam and it wasn’t pretty when we flew into Oakland I was not for the war myself but I served honorably and couldn’t see the anger for the guys that went when it was our government
He's a young, sensitive boy growing up without a father. He builds his own psychological "wall" to protect himself, not only from his overprotective mother, but from the vicissitudes of life. Everything he experiences is yet "another brick in the wall."
Perfectly said.
Beautiful and devastating. It's about an overly protective mother
Mother was a victim of WW2 and the planes and sirens reference the Blitz when Hitler continued to bomb the UK in 1940/41. She has ptsd and is fearing for her son so she builds a wall around him. He ask about it as a child. Waters was born 1943. I like that he shows some understanding of mom for the wall she built of fear around herself and him. War ends up being the real villain. Of course.
Love how Roger Waters and David Gilmore go back and forth on the vocals and they nailed it live too!!!
David Gilmour plays some of the most emotional guitar I have ever heard. It's amazing how well fitted his solos are with the story of the song.
During the live performances of The Wall a 40ft high styrofoam wall that runs the full width of the stadium is slowly built brick-by-brick during the course of the concert. By the time we get to the end of side 2, the band is completely walled off from the audience. "Hey You" which begins side 3, is performed completely behind the wall. Surrealistic nightmarish animation is projected upon the wall and from time-to-time sections are removed to reveal Roger and or David singing and playing. It is truly something to behold. It is a mind-bending visually stunning 'rock opera' in every sense of the word. With full 360° sound that swirls all around you.
@@vincentschmitt7597 the show was one of the biggest spectacles ever performed in rock and roll. Roger last toured with it in 2012-13 hitting all the outdoor baseball and football stadiums in the US. (It was performed at Wrigley Field in Chicago). The wall and the spectacle was as enormous as ever. You can find clips of it on TH-cam: Roger Waters The Wall tour.
I saw it in Hartford CT on that tour, both the sound system and the entire show, was incredible, the graphics shone on the Wall were updated and your head was spinning at times, great performance, only could have been better if all of Pink Floyd was there...
I seen the concert in 2010 and there will NEVER EVER EVER be anything like it EVER! The projections alone is off the charts! I once read it cost $500,000 just to produce one concert. That’s not even mentioning the airplane that crashes into the wall on the song in the Flesh!!
So lucky this music was in my hey day- great to look back on😊
One of the best songs on the album for sure, this is absolutely killer stuff. I can't count how many times I've listened to this and it still hits me every time. The live version from the In The Flesh Tour is a frikking masterpiece and definitely worth checking out as well. Awesome song, awesome reaction as always - much love from Canada!
Also a non purist version but great performance is sinead O'Conner at the berlin wall show roger did in 1990. Really great.
@@MrAitraining Absolutely, that's an awesome performance!
The live version is a must.
The DECODER Strikes again... At least when we first listened, we had the inside Album Cover to help us figure out the Story..!
The backing vocals on the live 1980 versions take the song to another level, along with a blistering solo compared to the album. 👍
I was stationed in the Philippines when the movie came out. I took my wife and kids to the theater. Pink Floyd is the music group that when you are stressed out it brings you back to calm.
@@vincentschmitt7597 my son was 7 and my daughter was 4, she still listens to Pink Floyd, she’s a teacher my sons a IT guy. He likes Japanese and Korean music. Go figure….
Clark AB here 90-91…Pinatubo evac
@@calecollins8110 me too, ended up at Luke
Such a thought-provoking song✌🏽☮️🤲🙏❤❤
"Mother did it need to be so high?" is a reference to the wall she helped build around him. Everything which frightens him or worries him leads to his adding "another brick in the wall". At this point, he realizes that the wall is so high that he is, in effect, isolated from reality.
This song hits hard when you have an anxious, ultra-protective and obsessive mother
Great reaction. Glad you perceived the connection to earlier sins. It's why the album needs to listened to in its entirety
Waters, who wrote most of the Lyrics for the Wall started with the feeling he had of a wall between himself and his audience and expanded that to explore the walls we all build around us derived from our experiences with education, our parents, relationships, etc. and how we break down these walls to live better lives.
Yes because during the animals tour, he spat on one of the fan in the crowd and felt bad about it. So therefore he wrote The Wall for the next album.
I’m not sure how far y’all have actually gotten with how they’ve had issues releasing, but the rest is a ride and half. I hope you guys are having a great week. The movie 100% puts things into a deeper perspective and I can’t wait to hear about it when you get to it!! ✌🏽💚-Amber
This is the first song I played for my mother when she bought me my first guitar around 1986. She sang along with me. She was a Pink Floyd fan like me.
@@wiredhorn87 Ironic right?
Each brick in the wall represents a trauma, a key symptom of depression and mental illness is isolationism, "building the wall" represents the slow regression back into oneself and a way to protect yourself from further trauma
Excellent observation.
The film is a chronicle of the life of rock musician Pink, teetering on the brink of insanity. Remembering his childhood without his father who died in the war, school years, unsuccessful marriage, concerts, Pink builds a wall that protects him from the cruel world. After each painful memory, he lays a new brick in his wall. As a result, the hero is left alone with the worms - what Waters called the dark side of man.
Great analogy! Spot on!!!! Well said!
YOU'VE GOT IT!!!! This album is absolutely genius in the way it's put together. It was inspired by Syd Barrett who started Pink Floyd then succumbed to the illness of schizophrenia. He was their friend and extremely talented. The beautiful thing about this album is that you listen and feel this story, not try to take words literally but to see deeper into how he (Pink) got here. What caused him to build a wall that he doesn't know how to break out of now. Anyone who has ever experienced depression in an extreme form or any mental illness will FEEL this and relate. It touches people differently, because we've all gone through different things. Yet we all connect in the feelings brought about by those things. I could go on. This entire album is a beautiful realistic work of art.
@@35daphni I think you're reading your thoughts into it, which is fine, that's the beauty of music. Each of us can adapt the meaning to our experiences. Everything they did had Syd's influence but Waters has said it was about building a wall between he and the audience. There is a solid write up on Wikipedia about it. It's pretty much what I've seen Waters say many times about it too. The song Mother to me, always represented an overprotective mother. But that's just my interpretation, it's probably something entirely different. If you get to see the movie Roger Waters: The Wall, which is a live production of The Wall, it has some cutaway scenes of Roger the really gives an insight as to the way he is and what formed him. The rest is the concert and is well worth watching.
@@5yearsout I've always felt like The whole story of his childhood is him thinking back on his life. It's not happening at that time, he is simply thinking back over his life trying to figure out where he went off track. I absolutely think she was an overbearing Mother. And I'm aware of Roger's huge contribution to this album. David Gilmour was reported as saying it was a very self serving album for Roger. A lot of what Pink did in that hotel room were things Syd had done to himself also, shaving his head, eyebrows etc. I feel like Roger was telling his own story but adding Syd's breakdown into the mix. However people interpret it according to what they've experienced in some way. That's the genius of Pink Floyd's music. Thanks for responding, I'm open to discussion. I think we are basically on the same side. Maybe the Dark side of the moon LOL
@@35daphni Interesting, your thought about looking back on his life to figure out where he went off track. My thoughts have changed several times through the years, but the theory I've settled on is Pink just went crazy, now heavily medicated is imagining it or even maybe having a bad acid trip. Tomorrow I may have a completely different theory, but only Roger really knows I guess but it's fun to think about. I remember getting this album when it came out and all these years later I still love talking about it. One of the interesting things about Rogers split from the band is he got %100 ownership of The Wall, I think he had to give up some other claims to get it, but I'm not positive on that. Don't get me started on DSOTM, I could wax poetic about that classic for hours.
"Of course mama's gonna help build the wall"
He's referring to her contribution to his emotional alienation Wall.
"Mother did it need to be so high?"
"Mother did it need to be so high..." The Wall.
Thanks for sharing your reaction and thoughts about this album. Mother is my favorite song on this album. that last line mother does it need to be so high just breaks my heart every time.❤️✌️🌼
I feel the need to explain a tiny bit. The Wall is a rock opera. It's the story of a performer named "Pink". Based on some experiences of its author Roger Waters and things that happened to the band's founder Syd Barret ( who actually lost his mind.) Pink is alone in his hotel room. Too many concerts. Too many hotels. Too much work and well too many drugs. He has brought home a groupie but scares her away. He calls home, overseas to England to have a strange man answer his home phone. Isolated he relives his traumas in his mind. Sadistic teachers , overbearing mother. Losing his father in the war. His managers break down the door to find him unresponsive, comatose. They dose him with drugs ( Comfortably Numb) to get him going for the concert . Under the influence of the drugs he conjures images that his concert is a fascist rally. In his mind he puts himself on trail. Convicting himself of having feelings he sentences himself to the worst punishment he can imagine. Exposing his feelings to the world. This is a more frightening story than any hollywood horror film. Its a depiction in real time of a man going insane.
The wall is the story of the main character “pink” and how all his hardships “bricks” force him to create a wall around himself, and isolate himself from others
Yes but this track is right from Roger's own life.
The plot thickens as the story moves on and Pink grows up. You don't see song writing like this every day, that's for sure. Can't wait for side 2. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
Great reaction guys. The Wall is an amazing album and it is also very much a Roger Waters album. His vocals are also prevalent throughout the record including this song. David Gilmour does also sing in many of the songs but there is definitely a lot of Roger Water vocals which is characterized by the high pitch screams. If you want to get better understanding about what this album is about you might be better off just searching for it online. The movie might just confuse you more as it's not exactly explanatory at all. The Wall movie is great and a cult classic but it's also an art piece so don't expect to understand the meaning of the album by watching the movie.
I think if you listen to the album and then see the movie later it helps explain things. But seeing the movie having never heard the album would be every bit as confusing. This is art. The questions are answered over time and contemplation. It's one of the things that makes the album so brilliant. Those of us who were around when the album came out had no movie to go to for years. And we figured it out. It was all part of the experience.
And like all of David Gilmour’s guitar solo, even though very short, is heart -wrenching
I’m a music first/lyrics later guy. This explains (to me) why I’ve had some trouble with this album. This is lyrics first. A lot of the music so far is what I’d call more or less straight ahead. To see people here explain the concept has been helpful.
This opus was a lot to take in, especially first time through back in 79. But its a milestone in the Floyd pantheon, and credit to you guys for taking it on and picking up on the basic vibe.
Roger wrote this about a loving but an over smothering mother in absence of his father
Helocopter mom
I wonder how his mom thought about this song?
@@julienmarquet8612 yeah you didn't interpret my comment correctly but I like your passion!
@@julienmarquet8612 all good 👍
@@julienmarquet8612 Water's father was an infantryman who died in Italy on the Anzio beachhead, which is mentioned on "The Final Cut" This song has nothing to do with Oedipus, so stop projecting
Roger Waters father was originally a conscientious objector at the beginning of world war2 , he later had a change of heart and signed up. He was killed in action in Anzio ,Italy , Waters was unborn or a very young baby at the time and didn’t know his biological father. A lot of Waters songwriting comes from the angst of this tragedy and the repressed emotions he experienced growing up. The Wall reflects this and the negative feelings he had towards audiences during the North American tour of the Animals album, where he imagined performances behind a wall to avoid interaction with the fans.
I’ve heard Waters in interviews explain how his fathers death is inspiration for the lyric “ did you exchange a walk on part in a war for a lead role in a cage “ from Wish you were here, as well as former band mate Syd Barrett’s descent into psychosis.
Waters father Eric Fletcher ( Waters took his step-fathers surname )would also feature as subject matter for Waters last album with Pink Floyd The Final Cut.
The last line in the song “ Mother , did it have to be so high “ he means did the wall she built around him, have to be so high” ( over protective)
I hope nobody is telling you the actual story behind it in the comments, because it's fun watching you trying to piece it together. You're close, and getting warmer, but not quite there... yet.
It's the wall that was built so high
i love the back and forth between 3/4 and 4/4 in this song.
Went see this concert in 1981 😊awesome day
Great reaction guys, thank you
one of the most heartbreaking yet beautiful songs ever released,all the way through the album gilmour is the ying to roger's yang.the sweet relief if you will,the touches in this song from gilmour's melodic break,roger's two note bassline,the ride cymbal nuances and then the ending "you'll always be baby to me" has to be the most beautiful audible hug you'll ever hear.best band ever lived
Notably in Comfortably Numb too as Doctor and Patient.
@@cherylwoodward spot on cheryl,another masterpiece
So glad you guys are editing this one and really excited to hear your thoughts and breakdown of it!
Listening to this one not freakin editing
The most impresive thing about The wall is that it meens SO many difrent things to everyone... Its all depenting on what you have seen and felt and thougth and how your veiw on the world is that will make your mind intepret the songs and what they are aboute..
I’m a mother of 3 sons and i caught myself being this way never thinking any woman was gonna be good enough, not wanting their hearts broken! It was hard not to want to protect them ! I knew how women could be lol! But I finally did! But that’s just a mother’s love! Great reaction ❤
Absolutely one of my favorite albums of all time. This album is such a ride different types of music that they do on it. It’s just so incredible so happy I got to see them live in 94. It was such a treat. Also Natalie means of the Dixie chicks does a version of this that’s not awful decent.
I had heard of Pink Floyd before this album but The Wall was the first of their albums I bought. I was 11 and the first song I heard was Another Brick In the Wall. After that I was hooked. I got to see them in Germany in 1988 for their Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. To this day the best concert I’ve ever been to.
Great listen…but what was “so high” was the wall. Keeping Pink safe made Pink isolated. This is an epic album…deep and meaningful. How we build walls to keep safe but then they keep you apart. Everything that happens; tragedy (father dying), overly protective mother, nasty teachers and school experience…adds another brick in the wall.
This came out my Sr year of HS. Its the most played album Ive ever had. I still pick up on new things after all these years.
Mine to 1979 baby!!!
To really appreciate #PinkFloyd music .. especially the albums #Animals, #Dark Side of the Moon and #TheWall .. its a must that you take it in as if you are watching a opera. There is a lyrical story within the music. #TheWall is a story about a fictional rock star named Pink. Its also partially true. Both Roger Waters and 'Pink' lost their fathers during WWII. As Pink grows up, he's tormented by other classmates and abused by the 'establishments' teachers. Dealing with her own issues and fears, Pink's mom smothers him by basically being way to over protective. He can't make a move w/o her knowing about it. He's unable to make some of life's decisions w/o needing mother's approval. So Pink then begins to self-isolate, falling into depression and then gradually goes insane. He also self-medicates. The more he isolates, the more his drug abuse increases. As in the song #Comfortably Numb, Pink is 'dope sick' and needs a "fix" to go on stage during a tour.
Reacting to any of the songs out of order and context can make for a confused listening experience for most. 😎✌ ... P.S. Ya should tackle their #Dark Side of the Moon album next.
I really like the fact that you guys are really excited and enjoying stuff that you probably wouldn't have given a chance 👍🔥
One of the best songs on this album!!!!!!! If you like this you must listen to the live version from the 2010 concerts! He does a duet with himself on the big screen from 1980’s live version at Earls court! I know I seen it live it is amazing!!!!!’
I always like it when younger people discover Pink Floyd's songs and make up their own minds about the lyrics. The reactions to the sound are also interesting and I like that you both listen to the album and don't just pick one song. Keep it up and thanks for sharing. Best regards @all from hamburg (germany)
Oddly enough, not my favorite Floyd album but certainly one of their best and most important. The album is not an easy listen with its great variety and demand of the listener. This is really an autobiography of the genius of Rodger Waters. All those war references are of a kid who was in that great war, seeing many in the previous generation suffer and die in one of the darkest times in world history. Imagine living in a time when the end of the world as you knew it was a real possibility? I think it was this darkness and trauma that almost did Rodgers in. Imagine the level of exposure of being in one of the most successful bands ever. Rodgers said it all began to break down one concert with an interaction with an unruly fan. At that point, he began to feel a great distance between himself and the audience, a wall, if you will. He literally had a nervous breakdown and thought he was going nuts. I believe the fame, distance, and tension he felt triggered that darkness he had experienced as a child, a delayed response, if you will. Sorry, this shit gets me emotional. Back in the day, this was our life, our experience, our music, and often that which kept us alive, awake, and aware. I love this shit.
Hey guys. This album is an auto biography of Roger Wsters life in post WWII England. The reference to "Momma did it need to be so high" at the end of the song refers to The Wall that she helped hom build to cope with the trauma of war and life afterwards. It is an extremely personal ode to his mother who is the only person he trusts. Keep in mind the time frame of when he was a child and how society didn't allow any thinking out of the box. Ç
When this album came out it stopped life for a while. To damn busy listening to it cranked or even better with killer headphones which we had. Top 5 band ever assembled i think. Thanks
To get the full message this album is best listened to in it’s entirety. If you listen very closely, it ends right where it begins.
"we came in...isn't this where..." :)
Yeap! In the double-CD version one starts when the other ends and it is Perfect!
The Wall double-album! Masterpiece!
This is one of my favorite songs on this album guys and one of the most beautifully simplistic but brilliant solos of the Gilmore library!!
Ma certo che si sente Nick Mason 🥁...ed è il percussionista giusto per l'album giusto.
Grande Nick The Best Mason 🥁😘
Great rxn as usual, guys. This track and album (in general) is a nod to Roger's personal life (and perhaps a little of Syd's, as well). Here's some context; Roger's father died in WWII when Roger was a very young infant (5 months), so he never knew his dad. Because she'd lost her husband, his mother tended to be quite over protective of her 2 children, it would seem. His father's death also likely drives what you picked up on as "anti-military" sentiments; again, understandable given his own personal experiences...
If you try and listen for the drums, you realize they're pretty much there the entire time. Very few times there are zero drums going. But it's the genius of Nick Mason. Dude was a master of knowing when the drums just need to be a solid anchor for the rhythm, and not much more. That's the sign of a good drummer, with no ego problems.
Except Nick Mason did not play percussion/drums on this song. This song is in 9/8 time. Roger Waters had Jeff Porcaro play percussion/drums on this song.
Jeff Porcaro was an ace session drummer who played on thousands of songs in the 1970s and 1980s and also was the drummer for Toto.
When I saw Roger live he sang this song and when he says "Mother should I trust the government" behind him the words No Fucking Way flash on the wall 🤣
The DECODER Strikes again... 100% right on, it is the story of a Man's life. Sid Barret the former band member. At least when we first listened, we had the inside Album Cover to help us figure out the Story..!
More Roger with a nod toward Syd.
To get a better understanding of The Wall,as i did after so many times listening to the album,nothing compares to Roger Waters concert The Wall.Played out,and performed as The Wall is being built while the concert proceeds.Visually astounding.
This album is a story. it needs to be listened to in its entirety to make sense. its about post ww2 Europe and the damage the war did to what we used to think was real life.
The GOAT on display here
Basically this song is about an over protective mother building a wall around her son...
I absolutely meant to be this high. Fortunately, my mother is cool as a fan. She got me a phat gift card to my favorite dispensary for my birthday.
so much of the over protective mother is insanely accurate. My son has a friend who's mother has sole custody of him. And even as HS kids he's rarely allowed outside of her sight. Cannot leave the the sight of their home, cannot walk to school(we live in the midwest/suburbia and you can see the school from where we live. Add in the trauma of wwII, and losing your husband to that war to boot.
It's also a good analogy for the govt, who goes far outside the allowed boundaries to keep us safe. Living in a guilded cage nice and safe, but not free to fly as we wish.
Great song, super deep, even if not necessarily as intended at the time by the artist.
Great guys, looking forward to listening to side 2 with you. Album is so fucking deep. They don't make music like this anymore
👍
Mother is where this started hitting me in the feels. Too many coincidences.
if it hasn't hit you before this point in the album, this song is where you definitely go, "oh shit" the first time you hear it and you start listening to it differently.
live' version is something else tho 1980, david does a double solo
Pink Anderson and Floyd Counsel.
..makes...me...sob..Momma protects her children!
Just my opinion, but due to the nature of this album, and its structure of related or lead-in songs, it will probably be most effective if you (more or less) concentrate on finishing the album in a shorter time rather than stretching it out like some others. And there are stretches where a couple of shorter tracks should be featured together rather than separately
Absolutely. The Wall is like a play or an opera with lead ins and interludes. Its Not track based.
"Mother did it need to be so high?" I believe he's referring to the wall again. But you guys are doing great getting the storyline together. I was a teen so I'll cut myself some slack, but it took me years to figure out what's going on here. And I saw the movie. I was usually so disoriented when I went to the theater that I had no idea what was on the screen. Just there for the music. 😎😎 You guys rock 🤘🏻🤘🏻
Seeing the movie helps give a better understanding and appreciation of this album
Mother did it need to be so high?
the wall
Since it's inception Waters said, "This is meant to be seen."
For all these decades I mistakenly thought the last line was, "Mother didn't mean to be so high"! only to learn now that it is actually "Mother, did it need to be so high?" meaning did the wall have to be built so high around him. Wow!
Hello fellas, lovin you guys here in Detroit. Yeah, PF always invokes cinematic images to me. Telling the story in those lyrics. Another great artist from the ‘70’s was Elton John, who’s lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote in the same cinematic style. If you dare to dive into the SEVENTIES Elton hole, check out deeper cuts like Ballad of Danny Baily or All The Girls Love Alice. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Blues For Baby and Me, or earlier Burn Down The Mission, Have Mercy On The Criminal, Country Comfort…. Close your eyes and enjoy a movie for your mind!
I've heard many say that mother within this song is actually the government
Also the war themes are always ever present in Pink Floyd's music, keep in mind these are men from England born in the 40s or early 50s where everyone's life was impacted by WWII
Watching the movie will explain a lot! That being said when this movie opened up. My buddy and I went opening night all stoned out of course. When we walked out we looked at each other and said did you get it. We both answered NO! We went the second night all stoned out and when it was over we asked again did you get it. We both said I think so. We went a third night all stoned out (had to be stoned it’s PINK FLOYD). We walked out and said I GET IT!!! This is not an I GET IT by listened to individual chapters.
The Last line in this song. "Mother did it need to be so high" Is a reference to the Metaphorical Wall that he has been building around his mind since he was a child..
Roger Waters (bassist, main lyrics for album) wrote this on part about his life. He was born in 1943. His father was killed in WWII in 1944. His mother was overprotective. He was also inspired by an incident during the Animals tour where he spit on a fan in the audience and realized he had built a mental wall around him. So The Wall is the wall we build around ourselves to protect ourselves. He shows the various things that contribute to building the wall. There are many later bits, and parts in the album and in the film inspired by founding member and original lead songer/songwriter Syd Barrett who left the band after a mental collapse. Syd showed up during recording Wish You Were Here completely bald (including eyebrows) and the band didn't recognize him.
But, yeah, Roger is anti-war because he never git to know his father. The next (and worst and his last) Pink Floyd album, The Final Cut, was all about that. Do every other album first.
Splendid
mother did the wall need to be so high. For me this double album is everything that music is all about and the dips and heights in this album just makes you feel like you've had a physical and mental workout. enjoy gentlemen!
I had said before this album was epic and large and also personal and deep in its storytelling. One almost needs to let is play all the way thru and bath in it, get out, dry off and then let it run again so that you can understand it. Have heard and read that The Final Cut was Roger Waters sequel to the Wall, and even tho Final Cut is listed Pink Floyd, it was Roger's album. I just listen in awe at the ability to write music like this.
When it came out, I took my gf to see the movie... she didn't like it, but I married her anyway. We divorced 7 years later... I _KNEW_ I shoulda dumped her ass right then and there! lol
I can’t count the times that I’ve been stoned outa my gord and heard that last line. It’s like a kick in the head!
The live version in 1980 is amazing
for understand the wall you have to listen the entire album beacause each song is closely linked to the previous one and introduces the next one
……..Given Pink’s new found “disdain” for his unfortunate beginning, Mother, rushes in to protect her “innocent son” from the harsh realities of an unforgiving world…..Her genuine attempts to shield her son from “the world”, crumble, as Pink misinterprets her “blanket”, for one more reason to build more…..Bricks…And Momma succumbs to the needs of her son, and contributes to his introverted ideal….She helps him, with his “Wall”…
Overprotective mother is smothering him after the death of his father in the war.
Stick with it guys, this one in PF fashion is an experience just like the others but completely different and it will have its peaks and valleys. The movies is so interesting but watching them play it live they bring the music and the movie to stage and screen and the 1980 tour, it’s on TH-cam, brought it all to life in a way that I am not sure it had ever been done before. I was 11, couldn’t go see it live but watched it on TH-cam several times, did last night after watching you guys do the first 3 reactions!
Yes the 1980 Live at Earls court is good but if you really want to watch a live version watch the 2010 live tour. Not even close when it comes to the visuals. Ok I do know David Gilmour is not on that tour. Yes he is the man but Snowy White plays very well. But the projections are out of this world. When the wall is pulsating in awesome. Visually there is no comparison. Vocally David is missing.
@@LesSmith45 understood and I agree BUT, it’s 1980, the caliber, quality and ahead of it’s time creativity is what still blows me away. Even Roger Water recent tour performing the Wall is amazing to me, but 1980? Phenomenal !!!
Just a little help here so you know where to place things on a time line: His (we will call him ‘Pink’) Pink’s dad died in WWI so there is about 20yrs between WWI and WWII so that is going to be when Pink is growing up and becoming an adult. Rough time in history, probably just another brick in his wall.
What a classic album! I bought it the day it came out. I've seen the movie I don't know how many times. It's a bit dark. I'll give you the short explaination since the movie may be just as confusing as the album. It's a combination of ideas that are rooted in real events in Roger Water's life. His father was killed in WWII by the Germans. Thuis all the war is madness references. And the rock star elements stem from Sid Barrett. An original member of Pink Floyd who (supposedly) took too much LSD and went mad forever. This is when David Gilmore joined Pink Floyd. Some said Sidwas leaning that way anyway. He was a mad genius. So the movie and the record are a combo of these two themes. The movie is worth seeing. Heads up! Not a date movie!
Side 1 = birth/adolesence...the foundation and first layers of the wall. Side 2 gonna add some more rows of bricks for ya. Now he's gonna become a rock star, get married, and well, you know where THAT usually ends up... 😂😂😂
Side 3 tracks details his isolation. Side 4 is coming out of it. Helluva ride...strap in.
There are some rockers on this album, but it is very deliberate in telling the tale.
Another great album in the same vein, but much more up-tempo (and with the virtuoso drums you have noted are subdued on this album) is Porcupine Tree's "Fear of a Blank Planet".
The 70s was filled with protests of the war and a lot of artists wrote songs against the war. I unfortunately did a tour in nam and it wasn’t pretty when we flew into Oakland
I was not for the war myself but I served honorably and couldn’t see the anger for the guys that went when it was our government
Random Fact: Jeff Porcaro from Toto did the drums for this song
So haunting. Apron strings and the beginning of barriers. Did the wall need to be so high.
She built the wall high is what she did.