The Bands Background
In the 1960s a band would be renamed Pink Floyd by Syd Barrett with members Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright. Pink Floyd would go on to peak during the 1970s releasing songs like Wish you Were Here, The Dark Side of the Moon, etc. Although Syd Barrett would form the band he would not be present during the band’s peak because in April of 1968 the band would announce that Syd would no longer be a member. Instead, it would be Richard Wright that would lead the band during its peak with David Gilmour being the guitarist and vocalist. David Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in 1967 as a backup vocalist and guitarist for Syd as Syd would often be absent or unable to play during shows.
Shining like the Sun
Syd and Roger Waters had been friends since high school and had performed gigs with each other for local events. Syd and Roger being friends would lead to Syd joining the group that would become Pink Floyd. Not only did Syd know rogers before joining the band but Syd also knew David Gilmour before his eventual joining of the band. Before joining the band Syd had always expressed his interest in art writing music and poems and playing all kinds of instruments. Syd’s creativity would help him form his friendships and songs for the bands. Syd had an undeniable effect not only on his friends in the band but on the band itself giving it its iconic name. Syd was the band.
Black Holes in the Sky
It was during the summer of 1965 that Syd would have the first LSD trip. Syd would deal with an abusive relationship with drugs which would be the reason for his departure from the band. Although David Gilmour joined the band as just a writer he would need to be frequently used as a backup for Syd as he would be away or unable to play because of drug use. The band tried to deal with Syd’s eccentric behavior for as long as it could but this behavior could only last for so long. In 1968 Syd’s departure from Pink Floyd was officially announced with David being the permanent replacement for Syd. Syd would go on to have a solo career for a while but in 1972 he would retire from the music industry and public life.
The band’s Tribute to Syd
Although Syd and pink Floyd would be going in different directions it did not mean that the band was happy with what happened. In the album Wish You Were Here there was a 2 part song dedicated to Syd written by Roger, David, and Richard titled Shine on You crazy Diamond. The song talks about the way Syd would shine in the past with lyrics like “Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun” comparing him to the Syd they knew while writing the song “Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.” Other lyrics like “Nobody knows where you are, how near or how far.” talk about the disconnect between Syd and the rest of the band members. During the recording of Shine on You crazy Diamond, Syd actually showed up but looked so different from when the band knew him that they essentially didn’t recognize him (as pictured above). Seeing what was once a bandmate and former friend in Syd’s condition was shocking for the rest of the members. Syd once felt like and was a leader of the band that wrote, sang, and played songs with the band and now Syd had become an uncanny version of himself that the band could no longer recognize. Pink Floyd would go on to dedicate more songs and albums to Syd but the most notable homage to Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd will always be Shine on You crazy Diamond (S.Y.D.)
Mason, Nick. Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd. United Kingdom: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Illustrated, 2004. Print.
“Syd Barrett – Official Website.” Syd Barrett, 12 May 2022, www.sydbarrett.com.