Claire Torry improvised the entire vocal portion. They told her told her to express the emotions of learning that you are dying and the stages of grief, and she basically just let it rip. A timeless classic. Cheers!
I could understand someone doing a lyrics video as a joke, but it's mood killer for a first reaction tho. Still you guys listened and got some of the meaning anyway. I just don't get why folks need to watch something while they listen to music. Most videos, unless it's a real live performance, just get in the way of the original audio performances.
I'm a grown man who has heard this song SO MANY TIMES however sometimes depending on where my head is at, tears start running down my face, need to find a napkin.... It means to me life is over and hopefully you left no stone unturned...... Peace and God Bless....
that's true for me for many Pink Floyd Songs. I've been listing for about 35 years, heard some of these songs literally thousands of times. And every time feels like the first time.
Same here Jesse. I musta heard this tune 100 times or more. But depending on my mood it still brings tears to my eyes sometimes. I'm 62 and have been through a few deaths of family and friends. This is a timeless classic that can be as personal therapy.
@@bpagan7781 I'm 60 and I'm right there. I thank God we got to live and experience this era of music. My kids were born in the early 90's and they are hooked, in this whole era, too.
When you’re listening to songs on Dark Side of the Moon, it’s very difficult to get the context of a song by itself, especially one like Great Gig. You really have to listen to that album in its entirety. It’s a collection of music that they cut into songs. Even if y’all don’t do it for the channel, listening to it from beginning to end makes these songs SO much better.
@@antichoice1 who said money didn’t fit the theme? I said listen to the album in its entirety. Great gig is much more powerful when it’s heard directly after “Time”.
Originally, The Great Gig in the Sky was an innocuous track that was supposed to be used to fill the void ending the side A. In the first demos, a passage from the Bible was read over the piano instrumental, then it was communications from NASA astronauts on mission. With the end result unsatisfying the band members, Alan Parsons enlisted the help of Clare Torry, a studio singer. They ask her to provide them with a vocal improvisation with the only indication of thinking about death and the fear it inspires. What a wonderful way to fill a void.
It took her 2 & 1/2 takes ( She said that's it!").& was originally paid 500£. Later was reimbursed 'with a substantial' amount. Her trying to impress a boyfriend, I have not confirmed.
It's about the process of dying and when I lefty mom's hospital bed sitting with her for 2 weeks while she slowly died it was exactly like this but in a song. Amazing and beautiful!
Peace to you and your mom! My mom died, peacefully in her bed, on the 23rd. Last week. I was alone with her, holding her hand, as she took her last breath. And you're right. 😞
Claire Torry spoke about her session on this song in an interview. It is available on RU-vid and is quite interesting! ONE TAKE! She was asked to do another take and began to do so. Half way through the take she stopped and told them that they had what they need, the first take is always the best, and with that, she said her good-byes and left. At the time she didn't know what the project was going to be called and didn't know she was on the album until she saw the newly released album in a record store window. She went inside and read the songs and song credits to then discover she was on the "Dark Side of The Moon" album! Clair eventually sued Richard Wright for writing credits and back royalties as every one that performed this at their live shows copied her part, so it became just as much a part of the song as Richards piano. She won and received several million dollars.
I'm actually disappointed to hear that she had to take them to court. They should have given her a writing credit from the very start. Glad she got her money because her performance was brilliant and worth every penny she got!
@@MikeytheGeek7711 She didn't suit Pink Floyd, she sued Richard Wright for song writing credits and half of what he made as the song writer, and she won!
Understanding the five stages of grief. The five stages - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance - are often talked about as if they happen in order, moving from one stage to the other. Listening to The great Gig in the Sky we can almost feel the sequence...
I think you are both right. It's all about that inevitable transition between mortal and spiritual... shuffling off this mortal coil and ascending to the afterlife.
You forgot "Bargaining." You can definitely hear the strains of a desperation of bargaining!! If you're in the dark listening to this piece...and you don't start sobbing? You can't be human!
Actually if you watch the interview with Claire that's here on RU-vid, she said it was the 3rd take. The first take she sang a lot of "Ooooh baby"s. She then did part of this song as a complete second take, but when she walked out the band was in total silence. She without direction she went back in, did half of a 3rd take, and then stopped and walked out, again without a word from Pink Floyd (they were obviously in stunned silence by the performance). She thought they hated it and she never expected it to see the light of day. It was only when the album came out that she found out that the track was on it. So I believe the final track you hear on the album is a combination of the 2nd and 3rd takes.
It took Claire Torry until 2004 to get recognition on this track as a co-writer as she was told to ad-lib and express herself. She was paid a flat fee of £25 pounds and left. She walked past a record shop years later and saw the cover in the window, went in and looked at the album and saw she was credited with the lyrics. I don't think the stages of death could ever be represented any better, from fear to acceptance and beyond, the emotion has it all. This track still has the power to take me from zero to tears in 60 seconds and this is why The Dark Side of the Moon is widely recognised as one of, if not the most important abum in music history.
@Dave Parker It was done in two and a half takes but not mashed. They told her they wanted no words and her first take was a bunch of "ooh baby"s and things like that. They told her it was no good so she had another go. She stopped herself half way through not liking how it was turning out. The third take is where she found her footing and that unaltered third take is what ended up on the record. It's well documented. Peace, brother.
The album this is on, "Dark Side Of The Moon", was on Billboard's "Top 200 Albums" chart for more than 800 weeks...that is more than 15 years! The longest of any album in rock and roll history.
I can't help but to hear "Money" in my mind as Claire's voice has faded, and the slight drag at the end, knowing that some incredible sax is about to take you over. Guitar Solo!
BJ's grunts say it all, you can map the heart rush by them, and then Asia actually chimed in at the end with a grunt of her own. So special, so real, and totally authentic! Thanks muchly guys... Long Live Pink Floyd!
BJ .. you are so on point! That’s the most accurate and by far the best and truest reaction I’ve heard!! You are soo right. There’s an interesting backstory to this… check it out when can. Thank you both! Y’all get it❤️❤️
I knew from the thumbnail I was going to enjoy this reaction, and I just knew the expression would be written all over Asia's face of just how much she enjoyed the track. I hit the like button before I hit the play button. It was in the bag, done...before it ever started. Now that you have listened to this masterpiece of vocals without lyrics expressing grief and loss...you must watch the Pulse Live remastered version of this song, where 3 beautiful and talented ladies put on a show. Their expression giving visuals to the emotion in the song...seeing David Gilmour's smile at the end, representing the entire band's feelings at that moment, that they nailed that song. You don't have to view it for a reaction and wait the many weeks before what is already on your schedule gets completed ahead of it...just do it for yourself, you won't regret it, as it is worth the time spent.
She was paid around $150 for this. They did it in two takes...the first time she did it, she did a lot of "oohh baby baby" type of vocals....they told her "no not that...just imagine your vocals as an instrument...no words...just sounds"....the second take is what you are hearing. She said the whole process lasted about 30 minutes "and I got my 50 quid and walked home"
I think most vocalists would be quite reasonably terrified to attempt this song, trying to live up to the original, whilst putting your own spin on it, very very intimidating prospect.
The first time the singer heard the finished song was when she got off a bus months later and seen it in a record store window and bought it, took it home and listened
In case nobody has said it, the audio of the men speaking are from before they recorded the music for the whole album “Dark Side of the Moon” they asked random people such as the janitor in the studio the same questions : Roger Waters would ask them questions and record it on the 8 track first like “What’s your name”, “favorite color”, etc and then he would ask questions “have you ever started a fist fight and we’re you right or in the wrong” and “are you afraid of dying?” and throughout the entire album they used those voices, at the beginning of this song you’re hearing the janitor answering the question “are you afraid of dying?”. You can find the list of questions online. Listen to the answers after reading that. There is an amazing documentary called “American Classic Albums “Dark Side of the Moon” I believe by VH1 Classics.
Hits you right in the spot it should ,this woman cries her heart out but poetically.and I feel the pain so so much .makes me think of my mum ,the youngest of 7 children ,she watched and cared for all of her brothers and two sisters until they passed away.god bless you mum,I didn't realise the pain and stress you went thro. ❤️❤️🙏
Please thank especially Alan Parsons, a music engineer who has a huge part in the creation of the album "The Dark Side Of The Moon", for this musical gem. He was the one who suggested to Pink Floyd members that Clare Torry sing this part. She was not a well-known singer at all, she only earned extra money in the Abbey Road studio (where the album was recorded) as a backing vocalist. She herself had a problem with not having to sing any lyrics, and only when David Gilmour advised her to use her voice as another musical instrument did she understand. She sang it and left. She never thought that this song would be included on the Pink Floyd album. Later, when the album came out, she bought it and found out that the song was there ... I think your reasoning is correct. In my opinion, it is something like this: the first part = horror, fear, pain, the second part = calming, the third part = reconciliation and relief. I apologize for the bad English - I'm from the Czech Republic ...
I loved y'all's interpretation of the song. It was good. This song takes me to another place and always makes me get emotional even after all these years. I'm 37 now heard this song when I was just a kid. My mom has great taste in music and grew up in the 60's and introduced me to alot of great music.
I heard Pink Floyd back i the 70's. I wasa kid but had 2 older brothers. I never got to stop the music at will,......we had record players.VINYL.round records.
So glad you’re feeling this, I’ve got tears in my eyes, and I usually do listening to this, I’ve been listening to this for 40 years 🥲🥲🥲🥲👍👍🏴🏴
The entire Dark Side of the Moon album is one of several Floyd albums that tell an entire story from beginning to end, and also one of several Floyd albums where the primary theme of the album deals with mental illness. Pink Floyd's founder and original lead guitarist, Syd Barrett, was considered one of the brightest young songwriters to come along in a long time. He wrote most of the songs on their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. However, like many songwriters of the time, he experimented with psychedelic drugs quite heavily. During the process of recording their second album A Saucerful of Secrets, Syd went on an acid trip that he basically never came back from. He completely lost his mind and began behaving so irrationally that the group just had to let him slip away. He would soon become a recluse, one of the more tragic stories of rock excess gone wrong. This was one of the albums that was based on Syd's life story. A few years later, they would record the album Wish You Were Here. This album also had strong connections to Syd, including most famously the long song that both opens and concludes the album (in several movements) called Shine On You Crazy Diamond. In a strange twist of fate, the day the group was in the studio working on Shine On, Syd showed up out of nowhere. The group members hadn't seen him in years and they barely even recognized him. He hung around for a while, listened to the music they were working on, then disappeared again just as quickly as he appeared. Supposedly, this was the last time any of the other members of Pink Floyd ever saw him. He would die at the age of 60 in 2006 after having lived as a virtual hermit for the last 30 years of his life.
I’m a big fan of Floyd and you guys had a great commentary on the meaning. I never considered the meaning behind it until you talked about their tour life. Much love 🤙❤️
As the others have noted in the comments the song is a vocalization of somebody dying. Realization. Anger and denial. Acceptance. Then finally, release at peace. It's beautiful.
Richard Wright composed the music for this, he's playing the piano and Hammond organ. Richards piano on Us and Them is brilliant, that is another great song off of Dark Side of the Moon.
If you listen to the song on the cd before this song and then listen to this song together it kind of comes together. They should be listened to at the same time. When the singer Clare Torry reported to the studio for this session, she asked for the lyrics and was told there were none. She just needed to sing the song. She went in and with some minor touch ups after nailed it in one take.
I'm old enough to have heard this as the Album was released.....Also, I remember an interview Clare Torry gave in The NME(New Musical Express) or The Melody Maker, in which she categorically states that Dave Gilmour took her to one side and asked her if she could express how she would feel what dying would feel like......and afterwards she said how embarrassed she felt about how she had let herself go whilst recording the track.
You both are very tapped in !! I love your reactions. You are both very knowledgeable!! Thanks. PF is a great great band! The Dark Side Of The Moon is a treasure trove!! Must listen to the whole album !!
Thx! This feels like listening to classical music like Beethoven etc. where the music paints the picture for you if you take the time to sit back and hear the music speak. Amen! -Terry
I'm very glad you listened to the studio version. This was improvised by Clare Tory so when you listen to this version you are hearing her compose as she sings. It's amazing. I love this song as the words at the beginning of the song is the lie we all tell ourselves about death...that it's no big deal...but then we get Clare Tory come in and sing her heart out telling us the truth about death instead. It's extraordinary. She is dying throughout...it doesn't take you to the afterlife...it's all about the very painful process of death and just hearing the weakness in her as she dies.
This song has evoked emotion for over 50 years now. Originally titled "Mortality Sequence" when they used to perform the entire album live ... 2 years before it was ever recorded and actually even became an album! Clare Torry was a session singer and made a whole $30 for a couple hours of work that day, improvised on the spot over a handful of takes and actually apologized when she left because she didn't think she gave them what they were looking for. (She finally did get what was due her about 20 years ago in a lawsuit.)
Claire Torry had no idea she was on the album until coming home one day. She saw the album in the window of a record store. And stopped in to look and saw her name in the credits for this song. She was surprised. She hadn't heard from them since she recorded it. And she didn't want to do it. They accommodated her to do it late on a Sunday night. She was happy the way her career was going. Singing TV commercials and bit parts. She wasn't famous. She's about 5ft tall. A young little young girl. Amazing! I've seen the great tribute band "Brit Floyd" and they've had some wonderful woman sing this part. Brit Floyd is the closest you will get to Pink Floyd since its very unlikely we'll see them together again. David Gilmour and Roger Waters are very much impressed with Brit Floyd. They said at times Brit Floyd sounds better then they did on certain songs. I've seen Brit Floyd.. They are outstanding in the world of tribute bands. They go beyond. That's why their shows sell out in Europe and the America's. Great musicians!
Love you twos reactions. I’m glad you finally did this song. You two did a great job of figuring out the meaning of it. Keep up the good work. I made sure to subscribe today. Thanks
I watched a documentary that said Claire did this in one take and came out of the booth and apologized for her performance and they were like, "Are you kidding me?"
Yeah u guys got it and nailed it. This song is the 3 phases of departure and resolution of the transitory soul headed for its new destination.. So beautiful, glad u guys got into it..
You are 100% correct on that Asia! She just freestyled that, I think they did 2 or 3 takes... When she left the studio, they thanked her for contribution, and she didn't even get any feeling like she just BLEW THEIR MINDS!!
From what I understand, this was her audition tape and Floyd was so impressed they didn't want her to do a second take. One of those magical moments in music
My favorite Pink Floyd song ever!!! I know that’s a bold statement to make. It’s just always been the one I will listen to on repeat. I was listening to it in high school in my chorus class. Our director came in and was overwhelmed by it. When he found out it was a Pink Floyd song he was blown away
There is a video of an interview with Clare Torry, the woman that sang Great Gig in the Sky, where she talks about going in an being told not to use any words when she sang it. She did one take and they told her thank you. And that was the last she heard of it. She didn't know they used her til she read the album cover in a music store.
