PINK FLOYD - Great Gig In The Sky | Millennial Reacts 

Someone once said "When words will not do, there is always Clare Torry." I bought that album when it first came out. I was a young teenager. That song brought tears to my eyes then and it still does now that I am in my 60's.

Clare Torry's vocals are to represent the 5 stages of grief mourning: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. She improvised the entire vocal portion and she basically just let it rip. Also, Claire Torry's vocal is astonishing, but the chord progressions that Rick Wright plays (and wrote) on piano are unique. He was the soul of Pink Floyd.

Happy 50th to all us Floyd fans who wore this album out. And this day we found 50 yrs got behind us, WE WERE THE STARTING GUN.

This song is about death. The realization, fear, resistance and finally acceptance of dying - a masterpiece.

One thing likely missed by young folk is the placement in the album. It ends side one on the vinyl version, so if you're laying on the floor between your speakers when this ends, you can just lay there coming to terms with your mortality for a bit before you get up and play it again or flip it over. If you're listening to the cd or streaming it, you don't get to do that because you're immediately hit in the head by Money.

Clare Torry's vocals gave me an outlet after my husband died suddenly at 48. I wailed along with her many times over many months. It was a powerful release.

One of the single greatest vocal performances ever caught on tape. Blessings.

As everyone else will say, this album is really one long composition that tells the arc of a life (and acceptance of death) from beginning to end. Taking one song out of context is never quite as awesome as hearing it in its place in the arc. This song captures a big piece of that arc, working through all the stages of mourning via the immaculate, never to be matched vocals of Claire Torry -- all without words.

Pink Floyd sonically plays with your emotions, space, and time. It reaches in and touches you from the inside.

Surely the most expressive song without lurics EVER! The band was speechless after Clare Torry's performance: in 1972, she received 30 pounds as a studio vocalist, but settled with the band & EMI in 2005 for a undisclosed amount for co-authoring the song w/ Wright. Totally deserved!!!

And, for all you younger viewers out there, this is not `auto-tuned`. It`s a real person. Using her own voice.

All RIGHT, young lady!! As an "OG" listener to this album, watching someone in this generation carrying on the tradition... is heartwarming. Nice reaction!

The keyboards and her voice is the best duet in rock history. I've been listening to rock sense the dawn of my life, I'm now 68 yrs young. Keep digging into progressive rock you will not be sorry.✌️

Most of Floyd’s albums should be listened to start to finish. But in particular each of the four consecutive albums of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall are cohesive works in their entirety and should be listened to as one work in many parts. A quiet, dark room with good headphones and no interruptions is best.

It is 100% worth listening to the whole album in one go. That's how Pink Floyd intended and 'The Great Gig in The Sky' doe follow 'Time' in the album progression like you suspected.

As somebody who bought this Album with his pocket money when it was first released and has listened to it too many times to remember, it always amazes me when people tell me they've never heard it, but it makes me smile when I watch first time reactions to this critically acclaimed Album that a new generation of listeners are picking up the torch from us oldies and appreciating this masterpiece

I start crying about 1 minute into it, and can really not stop till the end

"There's also a big Pink Floyd community" is truly an understatement even in light of the great British tradition of 'understatement'. If you're doing Pink Floyd Fridays, then I'll be here for it every single time. In this song, they convey emotion so clearly, using nothing but harmony and melody. It's absolutely stunning, and is a level of artistry we almost don't see anymore in music.

I always love how Claire “ Grabs them every time”. Great band Greatest album EVER MADE! 13 YEARS IN THE TOP TEN, STILL IN THE TOP 100.

Claire expressed the entire emotional gamut from Joy to Despair without a single word. I'm not aware of many people who can do that. Incredible.

The gentleman talking about not being afraid of dying and you have to go sometime was a gentleman named Jerry O'Driscoll the doorman at Abbey Road studios. Rodger Waters the Pink Floyd Lyricist went around interviewing people with several questions like where you violent recently? were you in the right ? Those two questions were asked and you hear the response at the end of the song Money. For Great Gig in the sky he asked are you afraid of dying? The people who are talking throughout Dark Side of The Moon are people such as Roadies, doorman Jerry O'Driscoll and other people not associated with the band. Roger Waters even asked Paul McCartney and his wife Linda questions but they didn't get on the album because they wanted to perform instead of just giving normal answers which is what Rodger actually wanted!!!

This is also one of the the songs that prominently features Richard Wright on piano, who is greatly underrated on keyboards and piano.

Looking forward to this, when my daughter was at Performing Arts college she sang the vocal part on this for the end of term concert, the whole thing was the whole album; it was really good!

I remember a documentary saying that when she came out of the vocal booth, she was very apologetic, and embarrassed about her performance like she had screwed up and wasted everyone's time.. But the band absolutely loved it. Also, the whole album is only 40 mins long. More people need to hear it

Quite simply one of the finest songs in modern music history.

Most of us have seen the Clare Torry video interview where she talks about this song , but I remember an interview she gave long before RU-vid ,Google etc.(Possibly in The NME) where she specifically says that Dave Gilmour took her to one side and asked her if she could improvise her singing to envisage how she would imagine what dying would feel like. After the recording was finished, she also said how completely embarrassed she felt when she realised how far she'd let herself go. Clare only sang on this one song. .(P.S.The other 4 females on the rest of TDSOTM were all session singers and the one who has the most prominent voice on the tracks "Time, Brain Damage/Eclipse was a lady called Doris Troy who was born in The Bronx).

Great reaction! Yes, I think everyone feels sad when they listen to this. It is basically the 5 stages of grief when someone dies (In the song "Time" it ends with the death of the main character). The GGITS is that feeling of the dying soul from anger to acceptance. Beautiful :)

This song is about the stages of grief , The whole album is about life and death and money and madness. Pink Floyd do what they do best in every song, And that's making you feel. Lovely reaction can't wait for more! :) x

My favorite band. Period. They changed my life and opened my mind to new music. Ms. Torry has a gorgeous voice. Art evokes emotion, if it is good art.

We grew up with this ❤😊🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 She's fighting death in the beginning & then welcomes it. She was paid 30.00 dollars at first, but received millions later in her lawsuit with Floyd. She asked the guys if her performance was "okay", imagine that!!!

Pink Floyd has everything you will ever need in music.

Yes, it's a song about dying. It goes through all the emotions; denial, fear, possibly pain, rejection, finally acceptance, probably a calm, finally a demise and your soul ascends ... and probably a couple I left out. This chokes me up every time, one of the most emotional songs ever sung, without a single word - universal amongst all language. And what I wouldn't give to meet Clare Torry, just for 1 minute, give her a huge hug!

As someone has already mentioned, the song is about Death or grieving/mourning and Clare takes you through the different stages. Does Death make me sad? Almost without exception but I can think of a couple people I'd like to see bugger off. LOVELY you found the original studio version 🙏! "Watching" someone turned on to Pink Floyd is one of my life's little pleasures so I'll see you every Friday 🍄🎉☮️👍!

Pink Floyd is not just music it is an entire Experience.... must listen to full albums as songs bleed into eachother.

I get emotional and also goose bumps EVERY time I listen to this song. Clare Torry was paid 40 pounds for 2.5 takes and she totally improvised the vocals. She did 2 takes, then stopped on the 3rd take thinking it was the same as the others. I believe Pink Floyd used parts of all 3 takes, but the 2nd take was used the most. She didn't know if her cut was going to be on the album, until the album was released and she saw her name on the album in a store.

It's really an amazing story. Clare was hired for 30 pounds to go into the studio and riff as a place holder for someone else who they hadn't yet hired. She did 2 1\2 takes and left. She had no idea that they used her takes until she saw the album in a store and saw her name on the jacket. This remains one of the most amazing and powerful vocals that literally penetrates the soul.

Clare Torry was approached to lay down some vocals for PF. She had never heard of the band and had no idea what they wanted. She thought that she was laying down a background vocal and sang all this "baby baby" stuff and PF said, "Not that. Have another go." She had another go; and when that was done she said she'd like to try again. So she started again but was interrupted by the band saying, "I think we got it last time". So there you have it. This outstanding, emotionally moving vocal delivery captured in the second take! It has gone on to become one of the iconic tracks of the era. The entire Dark Side album is a journey from birth to death and is well worth your time listening to the whole album from start to finish. peace from Australia.

Your already in love with them after the first song your just now realizing it, and you only fall deeper and deeper after each song, life will never be the same in music from here on out for you. Welcome to the greatest gift in music for humanity , Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd with vocalist Clare Torry just awesome! The Dark Side of the Moon album is just an absolute Masterpiece. But absolutely should check out a track from just before Dark Side Check out Pink Floyd "Echoes" (Part 1) live at Pompeii 1972 No Audience, No Lights, No Pyrotechnics and a Dave Gilmour with No Shirt!

Great reaction to a great song. As someone mentioned below, the second quote at about 3:32 (around 5:32 of your reaction video) is often misheard: The actual spoken portion is "I never said I was frightened of dying." Some think it says something about if you're hearing a whisper you're dying, or words to that effect, but the actual words, imho, are much more profound in their simplicity. In any case, I'm so pleased you're going to be doing Pink Floyd Fridays, and I will be here for the ride! Thank you again for the time you put into this and the sensitivity to the music; we fans really appreciate it!

Tonalities create emotions that can lead you where the artist wants you to go. Minor chords tend toward sadness and major chords bring you back up with brightness and joy. Watch the tonals and you will see them asking questions with the minors and answering them with the majors. Pink Floyd were masters of this.

Lisa Gerard is another amazing singer who basically vocalizes and in her music and sends emotion to you.If you ever have seen the film Gladiator she is the one singing in the end moments of the film.

Lovely reaction. I follow a lot of people reacting and I must say your grasp of the marriage of lyric, emotion and musical genius is a breath of fresh air! Very well done!

This is rock music's answer to "the professional mourner"...I want this played at my funeral.

The Great Gig in the sky one more timeless pink floyd song a classic. No words only emotions and feelings and flying in space and time.

React to their album ANIMALS. It's a MASTERPIECE, and it's only 5 songs. 🤞✌️

By the by, your eyes really emote well. You are timeless and your appreciation of real music before the companies took contro is appreciated.

A bunch of us were fresh out of high school when this album dropped in 1973, would get together on Friday nights, get stoned, turn out the lights, and Crank it up and jam out to the killer bands of that Era. Saw practically all of them live. Those were the days. Great reaction, glad to see you passing the tourch. 😁😌

To truly understand and appreciate this, you HAVE to listen to the album from front to back in one go.. it brings everything together in their concept

This is a masterpiece. Glad you found it and liked it. This will be rediscovered by future generations for a long time to come. As someone who loved this when it came out it is nice to know we weren't wrong.

The voice of Clare Torry is what I imagine the angel of death would sing whether to welcome you to Heaven or mourn the loss of your soul to the underworld. Her voice takes you on a journey of emotions; joy, sorrow, anger, forgiveness, sadness, love, loss.

Dark side of the Moon, fifty years this year - 2023 and still brilliant!! Growing up with this beautiful music was great and special.

Love the idea of Pink Floyd Fridays. The depth of music is amazing. Must listen from start to finish to really appreciate.

66 years old,and still in love with this absolute classic, hits where the heart is...

Clare Torry was the singer on this song. It sucks that she had to sue Pink Floyd to be compensated for her work. She was never even informed that her part made it on the album. She thought her recording was just a place holder on the song for another singer. She only found out in a music store when she read the credits.

I've been listening to them since the 60's and attended concerts dating before DSOTM. I once heard them in a rectangular hall with them performing in quad sound. Try listening to Careful With That Axe, Eugene or Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun but most especially Echos live in quad sound with the music circling around you. That was a truly special concert.

I laughed when you said it made you feel sad. It’s about the phases of dying. First panic and fear and then ultimately resolve for the inevitable. ❤

How great it must be to hear Clare for the first time. i don't really remember but she still breaks my heart after zillions of times

No lyrics needed for this song, its obvious what its about. The photography in the video is superb.

Please check out the LIVE version of Great Gig In The Sky from the PULSE CONCERT.

What a song. The first part of the singing part reminded me of someone fighting tragedy or death with anger, then the second part of the singing was after the tragedy and/or death, sadness, then acceptance. Just my personal feelings and interpretations. So much with very few words.

Great idea to have Pink Floyd Fridays. With so many of their songs to not just listen to, but to take in and experience them. This is one of best songs I remember putting the headphones on, lay back on a bean bag chair, and chillout to. As others have said, Clare Torry is simply amazing. Keep up the great work, Becky.

How many times can you hear it and still get chills? 65 tomorrow, still get them every time.

I usually do Pink Floyd Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but I will gladly join you Pink Floyd Friday's. No band transport you away like the Floyd does. And feeling a bit sad is right on since this song is about the stages of death.

There is nothing better than the true magic that is Pink Floyd!! Thank you for reacting to the album version.

A small vivacious English lady with a cut-glass accent. Some say it is the 2nd best vocal performance in rock. They are out by 1.

I feel moved when I listen to this and several other songs of pink floyd like us and them, brain damage/eclipse, two suns in the sunset (after I learnt the concept behind it) and others. In Roger Water's concert in a a few of these songs I was close to crying. Pink floyd music has often this effect. I would suggest you listen the whole Dark side of the moon at some point, it's a powerful experience.

The beauty and simplicity of the piano, mixed with the pedal steel guitar makes for an amazing intro to the organ and Clare's improvisation. I honestly feel that the quite parts of this song, at the beginning and end, showcasing Richard Wright's incredibly tasteful piano. I realize I said this in another of your videos, but if you get a chance, PLEASE check out the song "Echoes" from the concert video, "David Gilmour, Live at Gdansk." The interplay between David Gilmour's guitar and Richard Wright's organ is so amazing.

I absolutely loved your reaction to this piece of brilliance - so human🖤❤

It is actually three different women doing the ooohs and aaaahs. I saw them in concert back in 1996 or so for the Pulse Concert. The music and the light/stage show blew me away!

Hi Becky, greetings from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I was 13 when, *Darkside of The Moon* was released. The album had a profound effect on the way I viewed the world that I'm privileged to live in. *Great Gig in The Sky* is absolutely sublime. Clare Torry captures so many emotions that define our mortality. I wouldn't call the track sad. it's more of a poetically melancholy reflection, of our fragile existence.. The late Richard Wright's beautiful keyboards, cannot be forgotten, as a huge part of the beauty of the track. You should listen to *Echoes* from *Pink Floyd's* 1971, *Meddle* album. The track is twenty three and a half minutes of pure musical genius; it really is a masterpiece. Give it a go. I know it'll blow your mind. Have a great one!

The "whispering" quote (which is heard between the second and third verse) is incorrect. The correct quote is: "I never said I was frightened of dying." The band set up a mic in the studio and asked passersby to answer questions based on the albums themes. This is the source material of the spoken parts heard throughout 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Nice reaction! Send more Pink Floyd!

Coming up to 70 and firmly in God's Waiting Room, so privileged to have first seen them in 1971 when they were playing pieces of what was to become the album released in 1973. I have seen them many times since culminating in the Pulse Concert in London. So very pleased the legacy lives on and young people are discovering and enjoying such wonderful music by such a unique band. Stay safe everyone.

ohh I'm subscribing for Pink Floyd Fridays...

That's the sound of your soul with unimaginable grief and sorrow

When i first heard this, i didnt know why i had tears falling. I was a teenager then, and it still does shed me tears in my 40s....and i still dont know why i shed tears 🥹😭

These are concept albums. I do hope that you'll listen to it in its entirety. ✌️

I'm looking forward to "Pink Floyd Friday"! Loved the reaction video. Shall definitely check the others.

Death or 'The Great Gig In The Sky' - Clare Torry's vocals describe the five stages. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance. Great reaction.

This is the best recording of a human singing as a saxophone ever!

The great Clare Torry. Watch a video on how she did this. She was given almost no direction and did this in basically two takes. And was only paid 30 pounds. Best vocalization ever.

This is not just my favourite Pink Floyd track, it is my favourite piece of music of all time.

This is my favourite album of all time and the only one I’ve owned on vinyl, tape, cd and digital.

I used to play this on piano with my violist friend playing the vocal improv. Was heaps of fun. The piece is very moody and intense.

This album was in the Billboard Top 100 for ten years! Then came Wish You Were Here, Animals, and the Wall, and it was still in the charts.

Hi, I've just recently rediscovered Pink Floyd but I found I've always been a fan,. The music certainly means more now than it did in 1967 (Piper). I'm only 73 now and have all their music and love every track. Nice too see someone so young appreciating this fabulous music. Please keep the music, plus, your comments going - Thanks Mark (Australia)

Yes, incredibly sad, but also incredibly beautiful. She sings the value of life. Death isn't meant to be easy.

You can play a solo on a guitar, a keyboard, a sax, trumpet, violin, piano, even a drumkit or whatever. Now this is one of the very rare moments where a voice is the solo instrument. And it is done in only two takes, on the spot. Do something here, they said. She thought she was mediocre at best, so apologized to the musicians in Pink Floyd. They were just awestruck. Years later, she got a writing credit. About the spoken words: when they were making the album The Dark Side Of The Moon (which is considered a MASTERpiece, as you will understand when you listened to the whole 42 minutes of it) they gave pieces of paper to a lot of friends, asking questions like: when was the last time you were mad and were you in the right, are you afraid of death, etc. They then used the answers as background pieces throughout the album. Before they recorded the album, they already toured and played it in its original form. Some parts were still missing or differently arranged, other parts were quite different, like this one. It was originally called The Mortality Sequence. Played on a hammond organ with voices of tv-preachers. Spooky and weird. Later they used a piano and it slowly changed into this. But the vocal by Clare Torry was only introduced in the studio, live, right there. In the morning they had no idea, a few hours later this was the result. Oh, by the way, if you are going to listen to Pink Floyd on a regular basis, like you said, you are embarking on a journey that will go so deep... There will be tears here and there. But you will fall in love with this forever. Keep listening!

One of the greatest vocals ever added to music and not a word was said nor needed to be said. What Claire Torry used was pure passion and raw emotion! Needless to say knowing what the song is about and after all these years she still brings me to tears. Like I said, one of the greatest vocals ever added to music.

I'm 50, and have heard this song many times, everytime I listen to it I cry......I've heard this played at a funeral and there wasn't a dry eye in the house...welcome to real music. Great channel. 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Your reaction to this version of this song is the same as everyone else...disbelief in what you are hearing!

Hi Looking forward to this, as long as it the studio version!

This entire album, "The Dark Side of the Moon", is intended to be listened to from start to finish. It is indeed about life, struggle, and death. When I learned, about two years ago, of the sudden and unexpected death of my sister-in-law, I put on my headphones, cranked up this song, and cried my eyes out. The raw emotion in this vocal performance is enthralling. Also, listen very carefully at about 4:08 in the song, there is a very slight whisper. It contains an important message.

Listening to Pink Floyd makes you more intelligent. I grew up on this stuff, all of their albums.

This album was the anchor of my college soundtrack, and this song was the highlight. You can see why. Thanks for checking it out.

Pink Floyd is an emotional state of mind. It has been said that David Gilmour's wife Polly Sampson who wrote a lot of the lyrics said that David expresses his emotions best through his guitar. Gilmour has a unique talent that can illicit emotions across a wide spectrum in one piece of music. The music is not listened to it is felt, it is absorbed like oxygen for the soul. It's of another dimension within. You live Pink Floyd, you don't listen to it.

Rick Wright on keys, David Gilmour on steel guitar, and Clare Torry blowing your mind.

Pink Floyd Fridays NEEDS a full album listen of any of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, or The Wall. Or all 4 ;) Loved this reaction as usual!

Yes, sadness, fear, resignation, anger...death's emotions all without words.

Tears. Every single damn time. And that is how it should be.