Pink Floyd: Things You Didn’t Know

Pink Floyd, a name synonymous with progressive rock and psychedelic music, is one of the most successful bands in the history of popular music. But how much do you really know about this legendary group? Here are some facts that might surprise you.

5 Facts about Pink Floyd:

1. A Musical Joke Turned Legendary Name

The band’s name was inspired by two blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, whose names were written on one of Syd Barrett’s records. Barrett, the original leader and founder of the band, came up with the name Pink Floyd as a joke, but it stuck.

2. An Iconic Album Record-Breaking

The band’s iconic album The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 45 million copies sold. It spent 741 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, from 1973 to 1988, the longest run in history. The album cover, featuring a prism and a rainbow, was designed by Storm Thorgerson, who also created many other covers for the band.

3. The Ban of “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)”

The band’s most famous song, “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” (1979), was banned in South Africa during the apartheid era, because it was seen as a protest song against the oppressive education system. The song features a chorus of children singing “We don’t need no education / We don’t need no thought control”, which was recorded at a school near the band’s studio in London.

4. Pink Floyd’s Last Album

The band’s last album, The Endless River (2014), was released 20 years after their previous one, The Division Bell (1994), and seven years after the death of keyboardist Richard Wright. The album consists mostly of instrumental and ambient music, based on unreleased recordings from the 1990s. It was dedicated to Wright’s memory, and features his posthumous vocals on one track, “Louder Than Words”.

5. Conflicts and Breakups

The band’s members have had a turbulent relationship over the years, with several conflicts and lawsuits. Barrett left the band in 1968 due to mental health issues and drug abuse, and was replaced by David Gilmour. Roger Waters, the bassist and main songwriter, left the band in 1985 after a bitter dispute with Gilmour over creative control. Waters sued the remaining members for using the name Pink Floyd without him, but lost the case in 1987. The band reunited briefly for a charity concert in 2005, but Waters and Gilmour have not performed together since then.