The Show Must Go On (Pink Floyd song)

Last updated

"The Show Must Go On"
Song by Pink Floyd
from the album The Wall
PublishedPink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd
Released
  • 30 November 1979 (1979-11-30) (UK)
  • 8 December 1979 (US)
RecordedApril November 1979
Genre
Length1:36
Label
Songwriter(s) Roger Waters
Producer(s)

"The Show Must Go On" (working titles "Who's Sorry Now", "(It's) Never Too Late") is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, from their 1979 album The Wall . [1] [2] It was written by Roger Waters and sung by David Gilmour. [2]

Contents

Recording and lyrics

Roger Waters wanted to create a "Beach Boys" type sound for the backing vocals, and got Bruce Johnston to come and help create it, but this was only after the Beach Boys themselves had agreed to do so, only to cancel at the last possible moment (the morning of the session, 2 October 1979). The song's chord patterns closely resemble those found in "Mother", "In the Flesh", and "Waiting for the Worms".

The track does not appear in the 1982 film version of The Wall [2] nor in Waters' post-Pink Floyd 1990 concert The Wall – Live in Berlin . [2] It also has an extra verse that was cut from the studio album, but is nevertheless included in the lyrics printed on its sleeve.

 Do I have to stand up
 Wild eyed in the spotlight
 What a nightmare
 Why don't I turn and run

After this, the line "There must be some mistake..." starts.

The full song was performed live in concert, and as such appears on Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81 . [2] It was also included on Waters' 2010-2013 solo Wall tour, and is included in the concert film and album of that tour.

It's the only song from the album which Waters does not perform any kind of instrument and vocal, although his voice is audible on unofficially released recordings of the demo. He is heard singing a verse that was cut from the final version and has never been played live, located right before David Gilmour's bridge:

 Am I really unsure,
 Wild eyed in the spotlight?
 Fuck me, what a nightmare
 Who's there?
 Have they all gone?

 It's okay, now you're in luck,
 The worms have fled the rising sun.
 Their evil power is on the wane.
 Forget the past and start again.

 There must be some mistake... [3]

Plot

As with the other songs on The Wall, "The Show Must Go On" tells a segment of the story of Pink, the story's protagonist. This song leads into "In the Flesh", where the show is performed by Pink as he begins to mentally unravel and hallucinate that he is a fascist dictator.

Personnel

Music & lyrics by Roger Waters

with:

Personnel per Fitch and Mahon. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wall</i> 1979 studio album by Pink Floyd

The Wall is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imposed isolation from society forms a figurative wall. The album was a commercial success, topping the US charts for 15 weeks and reaching number three in the UK. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom found it overblown and pretentious, but later received accolades as one of the greatest albums of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comfortably Numb</span> 1980 single by Pink Floyd

"Comfortably Numb" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on their eleventh studio album, The Wall (1979). It was released as a single in 1980, with "Hey You" as the B-side. The music was composed by guitarist David Gilmour while the lyrics were written by bassist Roger Waters, who based them on an experience of being injected with tranquilisers before a live performance in 1977. Waters and Gilmour argued during the recording, with Waters preferring an orchestral arrangement and Gilmour preferring a more stripped-down arrangement. They compromised by combining both versions; Gilmour said the song represented the last time he and Waters were able to work together constructively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Brick in the Wall</span> 1979 three-part song by Pink Floyd

"Another Brick in the Wall" is a three-part composition on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera The Wall, written by bassist Roger Waters. "Part 2", a protest song against corporal punishment and rigid and abusive schooling, features a children's choir. At the suggestion of producer Bob Ezrin, Pink Floyd added elements of disco.

"The Trial" is a track from Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera/concept album The Wall. Written by Roger Waters and Bob Ezrin, it marks the climax of the album and film.

"Empty Spaces" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It appears on the 1979 album The Wall. It contains a backmasked message.

"In the Flesh?" and "In the Flesh" are two songs by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on their 1979 album, The Wall. "In the Flesh?" is the opening track, and introduces the story concept of the album. "In the Flesh" is the twenty-first song of the album, and is a reprise of the first with a choir, different verses and more extended instrumentation.

"The Thin Ice" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. it is the second track on their 1979 album The Wall.

"The Happiest Days of Our Lives" is a song by Pink Floyd. It appeared on The Wall album in 1979.

"Mother" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It appeared on Their 1979 album The Wall.

"Goodbye Blue Sky" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It appears on their 1979 double album, The Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Lust (song)</span> 1979 song by Pink Floyd

"Young Lust" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released in 1979. It is the ninth track on the band's eleventh studio album The Wall (1979). The lyrics to the song are about the band throwing themselves into the headlong of hedonism, sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hey You (Pink Floyd song)</span> 1979 single by Pink Floyd

"Hey You" is a power ballad by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on their 1979 double album The Wall. It also appeared as the B-side to the "Comfortably Numb" single in 1980. The song, along with "The Show Must Go On", was edited out of Pink Floyd – The Wall to prevent the film from running too long; however, a rough version is available as an extra on the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD of The Wall.

"Nobody Home" is a song from the Pink Floyd album The Wall. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.

"Vera" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd which appears on their 1979 double album, The Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bring the Boys Back Home</span> Original song written and composed by Roger Waters

"Bring the Boys Back Home" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd released on their 1979 album, The Wall. The song was released as a B-side on the single, "When the Tigers Broke Free".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run Like Hell</span> 1980 single by Pink Floyd

"Run Like Hell" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters. It appears on the album The Wall. It was released as a single in 1980, reaching #15 in the Canadian singles chart and #18 in Sweden, but it only reached #53 in the U.S. A 12" single of "Run Like Hell," "Don't Leave Me Now" and "Another Brick in the Wall " peaked at #57 on the Disco Top 100 chart in the U.S. To date, it is the last original composition written by both Gilmour and Waters, the last of such under the Pink Floyd banner, and is the last composition ever recorded by all four members of the classic 70s-era Floyd lineup together, within their traditional instrumental roles of Waters on bass, Gilmour on guitars, Nick Mason on drums, and Richard Wright on keyboards, on the same song.

"Waiting for the Worms" is a song from the 1979 Pink Floyd album The Wall. It is preceded by "Run Like Hell" and followed by "Stop".

"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">The Wall Tour (1980–1981)</span> 1980–1981 concert tour by Pink Floyd

The Wall Tour was a concert tour by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd throughout 1980–1981 in support of their concept album The Wall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wall Live (2010–2013)</span> 2010–13 concert tour by Roger Waters

The Wall Live was a worldwide concert tour by Roger Waters, formerly of Pink Floyd. The tour is the first time the Pink Floyd album The Wall has been performed in its entirety by the band or any of its former members since Waters performed the album live in Berlin 21 July 1990. The first leg of the tour grossed in North America over $89.5 million from 56 concerts. It was the second-highest-grossing concert tour in North America in 2010 and the third-highest-grossing concert tour worldwide as of 2013. In 2013, the tour held the record for being the highest-grossing tour for a solo musician, surpassing the previous record holder, Madonna. It is currently the 7th highest-grossing tour of all-time.

References

  1. Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN   1-84195-551-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN   0-7119-4301-X.
  3. "Pink Floyd – 22) The Show Must Go On (Who's Sorry Now? Its Never Too Late)". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2016 via YouTube.
  4. Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, Comfortably Numb – A History of The Wall 1978–1981, 2006, p. 103.

Further reading