Perfect Sense (song)

Last updated
"Perfect Sense"
Song by Roger Waters
from the album Amused to Death
Released7 September 1992
Recorded1987-1992
Genre Progressive rock
LengthPart I: 4:16
Part II: 2:51
Both: 7:07
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Roger Waters
Producer(s) Roger Waters, Nick Griffiths, Patrick Leonard

"Perfect Sense, Part I" and "Perfect Sense, Part II" are the third and fourth tracks from the concept album Amused to Death by ex-Pink Floyd member Roger Waters. The songs are sung partially by Roger Waters but mainly by PP Arnold on both the original album and live shows.

Contents

Overview

Part I of the song begins with a loud and unintelligible rant cutting out the noise of the previous track, "What God Wants, Part I". Following this is a backwards spoken message:

Julia, however, in the light and visions of the issues of Stanley, we changed our minds. We have decided to include a backward message. Stanley, for you, and for all the other book burners...

The message climaxes with Waters yelling in the aggressive Scottish voice he used to depict the character of the teacher in The Wall . This is not the first example of Roger Waters using reversed messages in his musical work. In an interview with Rockline on 8 February 1993 Roger Waters stated that he had wanted to use samples of HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey on the album. Stanley Kubrick, the director, turned him down on the basis that it would open the door to too many other people using the sound sample. [1] Since this incident Waters has used the audio of HAL describing his mind being taken away during the introduction of "Perfect Sense, Part I" in live performances, such as the In the Flesh tour in 2002, after Kubrick had died.

The opening lines of the song begin with a reference from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey in which "The monkey sat on a pile of stones and stared at the broken bone in his hand". This monkey – the human being – is referred to continuously throughout the album.

In Part II, famed sportscaster Marv Albert commentates a war as if it were a basketball game.

Both parts of the song were performed as part of Waters' In the Flesh tour. In 2000, a recording of this was released as the fifth track of the second disk of the live album, In the Flesh – Live . Both parts were released as one track, titled "Perfect Sense, Pt. 1 & 2", with a length of 7:26.

In the 2015 re-released and remastered edition of the album, the samples of HAL 9000 were finally included, and the backwards message omitted.

Personnel

Amused to Death Version [2] [3]

In the Flesh tour version [4]

The Dark Side of the Moon Live Version [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In the Flesh (Roger Waters tour)</span> Series of concert tours by Roger Waters

In the Flesh was a series of worldwide concert tours by Roger Waters that spanned three individual tours over the course of three years. Returning from a 12-year-long hiatus from the road, In The Flesh was a showcase of his best known work from his days with Pink Floyd, with that material dominating shows. Songs were also performed from Waters' most recently released solo album, 1992's Amused to Death, being played live for the first time. The tour's name is an allusion to the 1977 Pink Floyd tour for the Animals album, as well as the two songs so titled on the album The Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shine On You Crazy Diamond</span> 1975 composition by Pink Floyd

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a nine-part Pink Floyd composition written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright, which appeared in Pink Floyd's 1975 concept album Wish You Were Here. The song is written about and dedicated to founder member Syd Barrett, who departed from the band in 1968 after dealing with mental problems and substance abuse.

<i>Amused to Death</i> 1992 studio album by Roger Waters

Amused to Death is the third studio album by English musician Roger Waters, released 7 September 1992 on Columbia. Produced by Waters and Patrick Leonard, it was mixed in QSound to enhance its spatial feel. The album features Jeff Beck on lead guitar on several tracks. The album's title was inspired by Neil Postman's 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time (Pink Floyd song)</span> 1973 song by Pink Floyd

"Time" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd. It is included as the fourth track on their eighth album The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and was released as a single in the United States. Bassist Roger Waters wrote the lyrics. Keyboardist Richard Wright shares lead vocals alongside guitarist David Gilmour.

<i>Flickering Flame: The Solo Years Volume 1</i> 2002 compilation album by Roger Waters

Flickering Flame: The Solo Years Volume 1 is a compilation album of former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters' solo material, released in Europe and Australia in 2002. It was not released in the US and UK until 30 May 2011, when this album along with the rest of the Waters' solo material was released as part of "The Roger Waters Collection" Boxset. The album will be sold separately from the compilation, for a 12-month term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Carin</span> Musical artist

Jon Carin is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. He has collaborated with acts including Pink Floyd, the Who, Eddie Vedder, Kate Bush and Richard Butler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breathe (Pink Floyd song)</span> 1973 song by Pink Floyd

"Breathe" (sometimes called "Breathe (In the Air)") is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd. It appears on their 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.

<i>Back Against the Wall</i> 2005 studio album (tribute album) by Billy Sherwood

Back Against the Wall is an album released in 2005 by Billy Sherwood in collaboration with a number of (mostly) progressive rock artists as a tribute to Pink Floyd's album The Wall. A year later, Sherwood followed it with the release of Return to the Dark Side of the Moon, a tribute to Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon.

The Bleeding Heart Band was the name Roger Waters gave his backing band for a brief period of his post-Pink Floyd solo career.

<i>The Wall – Live in Berlin</i> 1990 live album by Roger Waters

The Wall – Live in Berlin was a live concert performance by Roger Waters and numerous guest artists, of the Pink Floyd studio album The Wall, itself largely written by Waters during his time with the band. The show was held in Berlin on 21 July 1990, to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall eight months earlier. A live album of the concert was released 21 August 1990. A video of the concert was also commercially released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Layne</span> 1967 Pink Floyd single

"Arnold Layne" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd. Released on 10 March 1967, it was the band's first single and was written by Syd Barrett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dark Side of the Moon Live</span> 2006–08 concert tour by Roger Waters

The Dark Side of the Moon Live was a worldwide concert tour by Roger Waters, lasting two years. Waters and his band performed the titular album in its entirety at each show, beginning at the Rock in Rio festival on 2 June 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac and Katie Kissoon</span> Musical artist

Mac and Katie Kissoon are a pop soul duo, consisting of brother and sister Mac Kissoon and Katie Kissoon.

<i>In the Flesh – Live</i> 2000 live album by Roger Waters

In the Flesh – Live is a two-disc live album that captures performances from Roger Waters' three-year In the Flesh tour. He states to Classic Rock that "I've been involved in two absolutely classic albums – The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. And if you haven't got Amused to Death, you haven't got the full set. So this album – the live one, which pulls together songs from all three albums – hopefully redresses the balance." The album features selected songs from a number of Pink Floyd albums, Waters' solo efforts and a new song, "Each Small Candle".

"A Great Day for Freedom" is a song by Pink Floyd from their 1994 album, The Division Bell.

K.A.O.S. On the Road was a concert tour performed by Roger Waters in 1987 in support of the album Radio K.A.O.S. (1987). The shows included material from the album as well as songs from well known Pink Floyd albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975) and The Wall (1979). The tour started in North America on 14 August 1987 and ended on 22 November 1987 with two performances at Wembley Arena in London, England.

The In the Flesh Tour, also known as the Animals Tour, was a concert tour by the English rock band Pink Floyd in support of their 1977 album Animals. It was divided in two legs: one in Europe and another in North America. The tour featured large inflatable puppets, as well as a pyrotechnic "waterfall", and one of the biggest and most elaborate stages to date, including umbrella-like canopies that would rise from the stage to protect the band from the elements.

"The Bravery of Being Out of Range" is the fifth song and second single from the album, Amused to Death, released by former Pink Floyd bassist, Roger Waters. According to Waters, the song was written as a criticism of the neoliberal policies adopted by Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester Kamen</span> Musical artist

Chester Kamen is an English session guitarist, whose work has included performing with Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry, Bob Geldof, Madonna, Duran Duran, Robbie Williams, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Seal, Massive Attack, Kirsty MacColl, Belouis Some and Gabrielle.

References

  1. ↑ "ROCKLINE. MONDAY FEB.8,1993". Pinkfloydonline.com. 28 February 1993. Archived from the original on 30 March 2003. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Perfect Sense, Pt. II, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-08-09
  3. ↑ "Amused to Death", Wikipedia, 2021-08-08, retrieved 2021-08-09
  4. ↑ Perfect Sense, Pt. 1 & 2 (Live), archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-08-09
  5. ↑ "The Dark Side of the Moon Live", Wikipedia, 2021-07-26, retrieved 2021-08-09
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.