The Bravery of Being Out of Range

Last updated
"The Bravery of Being Out of Range"
Single by Roger Waters
from the album Amused to Death
Released24 August 1992
Recorded1992
Genre Progressive rock
Length4:44
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Roger Waters
Producer(s) Roger Waters
Roger Waters singles chronology
"What God Wants, Part I"
(1990)
"The Bravery of Being Out of Range"
(1992)
"Three Wishes"
(1993)

"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. [1]

Contents

Overview

The song follows the point of view of a politician fighting the Gulf War from afar, as though it is a game, continuing the theme explored in the album's previous song, Perfect Sense, where live transmissions of wars are a form of entertainment. [2]

The song includes a reference to a song written by Waters on Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals , "Sheep", and to the 1909 song "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". [3] In "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", the lyrics say, "I looked over Jordan and what did I see? Coming for to carry me home". In "Sheep" Waters sings, "I've looked over Jordan and I have seen, things are not what they seem"; in "The Bravery of Being Out of Range," he sings "I looked over Jordan and what did I see? I saw a U.S. Marine in a pile of debris".

The song was part of the 2015 re-released and remastered edition of the album, this version featured a new lead guitar part performed by Jeff Beck. [4]

Personnel

Amused to Death version

The following people are credited with the original 1992 version, and the 2015 reissue: [5] [6]

In the Flesh – Live version

From video [7] and album credits [8]

Lockdown sessions version

From YouTube video and description [9]

Live performances

The song was performed as part of Waters' In the Flesh tour, playing a similar part to his original 12 string part on an electric guitar. In 2000, a recording of this was released as the sixth track of the second disk of the live album, In the Flesh – Live. This track has a length of 5:05, and features additional vocals by Katie Kissoon, P. P. Arnold, and Susannah Melvoin. Like other songs from Amused to Death performed on the In the Flesh tour, it featured differences, like a new lead guitar part played by Snowy White. [7] this new lead guitar part is similar to the parted added by Jeff Beck to the 2015 re-release. [4]

Waters performed the song at the Newport Folk Festival in 2015, for the first time in 13 years. [10] Waters played the acoustic guitar on this version with My Morning Jacket and G.E Smith [11] performing the rest of the instrumentation.

Waters subsequently performed the song as an encore at some shows during the Us + Them Tour. When performed, Waters sang an additional new verse, created to express his feelings of despair at the lack of change, regarding politics and war, in subsequent years. [1] The same arrangement was performed during his 2022—23 This Is Not a Drill concert series. Waters later released this version officially on The Lockdown Sessions .

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 on 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 becoming mentally ill.

<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 the English progressive 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.

"Outside the Wall" is a song written by Roger Waters. It is the final track on the 1979 Pink Floyd album, The Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Us and Them (song)</span> 1974 single by Pink Floyd

"Us and Them" is a song by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, from their 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon. The music was written by Richard Wright with lyrics by Roger Waters. It is sung by David Gilmour, with harmonies by Wright. The song is 7 minutes and 49 seconds, the longest on the album.

<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 progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It appears on their 1973 album 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.

"Wot's... Uh the Deal?" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1972 album, Obscured by Clouds. The song features multi-tracked vocals by David Gilmour, and lyrics by Roger Waters that describe taking advantage of certain opportunities life gives and how they affect a person later on. The lyric "Flash the readies, Wot's...Uh the Deal" is reported to be a phrase by roadie Chris Adamson.

"Poles Apart" is a song by Pink Floyd from the band's 1994 album, The Division Bell.

<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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What God Wants, Part I</span> 1992 single by Roger Waters

"What God Wants, Part I" is the first song in a series of songs written and released by former Pink Floyd bassist, Roger Waters on his third solo studio album, Amused to Death (1992). "What God Wants" is separated into three parts, similar to Pink Floyd's earlier "Another Brick in the Wall". "What God Wants, Part I" was released as a lead single from the album b/w Part III.

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.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Us + Them Tour</span> 2017–18 concert tour by Roger Waters

The Us + Them Tour was a concert tour by rock musician Roger Waters. The tour visited the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and countries in Europe and Latin America, showcasing songs from Waters' career with Pink Floyd and his 2017 album Is This the Life We Really Want? It opened on 26 May 2017 in Kansas City, United States and ended on 9 December 2018 in Monterrey, Mexico.

<i>The Lockdown Sessions</i> (Roger Waters album) 2022 studio album by Roger Waters

The Lockdown Sessions is an album by British musician Roger Waters, released on 9 December 2022 by Legacy Recordings. It compiles home recordings he made during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, later remastered for this release.

References

Citations
  1. 1 2 "Roger Waters 26-AUG-2018 Kaunas "The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range"". YouTube. wegotit. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  2. White 1992, p. 5
  3. "ATD Analysis". www.rogerwaters.org. Archived from the original on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 The Bravery of Being Out of Range , retrieved 2022-06-16
  5. Roger Waters – Amused To Death , retrieved 2022-06-16
  6. Roger Waters – Amused To Death , retrieved 2022-06-16
  7. 1 2 ROGER WATERS – The bravery of being out of range, Live In the flesh 2000 , retrieved 2022-06-16
  8. Roger Waters – In The Flesh , retrieved 2022-06-16
  9. 1 2 Roger Waters – The Bravery of Being Out of Range , retrieved 2022-06-16
  10. "The Bravery of Being Out of Range by Roger Waters song statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  11. Roger Waters – The Bravery of Being Out of Range , retrieved 2022-06-16
Sources