A Rockstar’s Guide To Processing Grief: ‘Wish You Were Here’ Turns 50

“Two men in suits shaking hands one man is on fire.” The stark line appears in white capital letters against what looks like black plastic wrapping — the new digital album cover for Pink Floyd’s 1975 album “Wish You Were Here.” Sept. 12 marked the album’s 50th anniversary. The artwork nods to its original release, when the album was sealed in black plastic wrap, inviting listeners to uncover its mysteries. With its intimate lyrics and bold soundscapes that advanced Pink Floyd’s signature style, the project continues to resonate as a timeless statement from one of rock’s most visionary bands.

“Wish You Were Here” was released at a crucial moment for Pink Floyd’s career. In 1973, just two years earlier, they came out with their now-iconic album “The Dark Side of the Moon,” receiving massive commercial and critical acclaim. Pink Floyd was immediately thrust into the spotlight, and everyone was questioning whether the band would live up to their previous greatness or succumb to the commercial drive.

Besides having the eyes of the musical industry on them, Pink Floyd had to deal with personal grievances. The band’s co-founder Syd Barrett had left seven years earlier in 1968 due to his deteriorating mental health as a result of extensive LSD use. Though Barrett’s loss was referenced in “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here” functioned as a musical rebirth for the band, offering closure to a turbulent past and proving they had more to offer.

The bulk of the album is taken up by “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” a nine-part epic that bookends the album, divided in parts I-V and VI-IX. Totaling in almost 26 minutes, the track features various instruments from electric and bass guitars to an intricate ecosystem of synthesizers which create a distorted and alien sound.

The first half, parts I-V, ends in a remarkable saxophone solo performed by Dick Parry. The saxophone creates the feeling of the tempo doubling up, while simultaneously offering a mournful, dejected feeling to an otherwise tumultuous and loud cry for help. At the same time, the lyrics implore a fallen legend and martyr to shine once again.

The inclusion of outsider contributors — musicians other than the band members — is a recurring theme in “Wish You Were Here.” Most notably, the album’s third track “Have a Cigar” is sung by English folk-rocker Roy Harper, making the song one of only three Pink Floyd recordings with a guest singer on lead vocals.

The band’s frontman David Gilmour refused to sing the song, while bassist and songwriter Roger Waters didn’t have the required vocal range. The addition of a guest voice puts a layer of distance and alienation from the band to the listener. It is moreover amplified by the fact that the song is written from the perspective of a cynical businessman that tries to lure the band while undermining it, with lyrics such as “Oh by the way, which one's Pink?” questioning their musical identity.

Yet “Have a Cigar” isn’t the only track that critiques the music industry. “Welcome to the Machine” is the second, electrifying track that paints a throbbing, claustrophobic landscape with its industrial, clashing sounds. Besides poignant lyrics that invite the listener into a world of decay, such as “It’s alright we told you what to dream,” “Welcome to the Machine” carries a legacy of innovation through synthesizer use, apparent throughout the album. “Wish You Were Here” includes several iconic synthesizers of the era, which were integral to the album’s sound, and helped create the otherworldly sonic textures Pink Floyd became famous for.

The record is coherent not only in sound but also concept. Songs aren’t truly separate tasks, but lead into one another through effects and samples that create the illusion of tuning radio stations after a song finishes. In between songs, speaking and even a few notes from Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony can be heard. The album is meant to be listened to as a singular, continuous piece of work. In the digital age where streaming and playlisting question the importance of track order, “Wish You Were Here” is an important example of why intentionality improves music longevity.

While electronic and mechanical-sounding, an acoustic stream permeates the album. The acoustic guitar takes center stage in the album’s eponymous track. Embellishments are stripped as the instrument echoes in the first opening notes of the album.

“Wish You Were Here” occupies a singular space in Pink Floyd’s discography. Compared to the album’s other more conceptually, musically, and politically diverse themes, the album is melancholic and down to earth. The lyrics reference nature, blue skies and green fields, and the song ends without a decisive statement, rather noting how both singer and listener are “two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl, year after year.” The emotional paralysis in the song is inescapable and eternal.

Some might consider the title track cheesy or unremarkable, a simple composition that pales in comparison to the force and intensity of the rest of the album. Yet “Wish You Were Here” not only shows Pink Floyd’s range, but that the members could sit down, look back, and grieve the loss of a friend and their youth in a turbulent industry.

At just under 45 minutes total, “Wish You Were Here” is a tour de force of grief and disillusionment. The album’s conceptual organization cements its inquiry into what is lost and gained in musical communication. Half a century later, the record remains both a personal elegy for a lost friend and a landmark in progressive rock.

—Staff writer Erlisa Demneri can be reached at erlisa.demneri@thecrimson.com.