Lex basically nails it, think of the vocals as your struggles to accept death, belting out, then coming to terms and letting go. When you realize that and listen again it's truly transformative. Absolute masterpiece.
Yes, nicely said. And on top of the vocals making sense, it also isn't uncommon for a band to have a backup singer, (who is a part of the band), do a track, or participate on a duet. Especially with Floyd, the back up singers have been a major part of their shows since the 80's, and they and Waters always have stellar singers with them on tour. The Waters version of this song from Us and Them, with the starfield in the background, is a great visual, along with a nice duet version of the song.
Always reminds me of this poem: Alexander Pope. 1688-1744
442. The Dying Christian to his Soul
VITAL spark of heav'nly flame! Quit, O quit this mortal frame: Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flying, O the pain, the bliss of dying! Cease, fond Nature, cease thy strife, And let me languish into life.
Hark! they whisper; angels say, Sister Spirit, come away! What is this absorbs me quite? Steals my senses, shuts my sight, Drowns my spirits, draws my breath? Tell me, my soul, can this be death?
The world recedes; it disappears! Heav'n opens on my eyes! my ears With sounds seraphic ring! Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly! O Grave! where is thy victory? O Death! where is thy sting?
@@ThunderTaco206the first takes we’re “oh baby’s and yeahs”. Gilmore stopped her and said no words, they got it on the second take. It’s in the documentary.
The entire album of Dark Side of the Moon is only like 45 minutes long. You should do a live stream of the whole album. It’s one continuous piece of music.
almost true; there's a break/gap between side A and side B, ie between Great Gig and Money, even on the CD version (which is also the break between the two "storylines" so to speak)
Insane vocals without singing a word. It's pretty much based on the emotional cycle of dealing with grief. And Clare nails it to the core. It's not about digging for lyrical meaning. It's about closing your eyes and letting it flow through you. Great stuff!
And Clare only got minimum wage for a studio vocalist at the time and later had to sue Pink Floyd just for recognition on the album and to get royalties.
Brad loves music about as much as a computer would be able to love free form poetry. It just isn't in him. Lex, on the other hand, definitely has a fine sense of musical appreciation that starts a sparkle in her brain and ends up as a sizzle in her shizzle. That girl thinks and grooves.
I'm afraid Brad is lost when confronted with any depth in poetry or music. Every facet of life has to be literal in his brain. "Welcome to the Machine".
To me Lex nailed it. When they shut the machines off, you're not just dead, you're dying. The body goes through a process, and the breaths get fewer,and fewer until you're dead.
Yep. I always listen for the little piano peddle depression at the end, which Lex spotted. Makes the music tone curl up and down; the last moment of life...
@@izzonj Brad sometimes looks like he should get a standing 8 count when trying to interpret a song. Lex doesn't even listen to words and gets meaning :)
Damn Lex. I've NEVER heard anyone so completely "get it" after 1 listening. But you certainly did. It was good to get the story of Clare's performance, but at the same time I think it detracted from the appreciation of her work.
You shouldn't feel Hoodwinked Brad. This song comes in a larger context when you listen to the entire album. And dark side of the moon was never meant to listen to one song at a time or out of order. The Great gig in the sky was never meant to have lyrics it is based on the emotion of losing someone and the 4 stages of anger, grief, denial, and acceptance.
You have to consider that Dark Side Of The Moon is arguably the greatest rock album of all time, and in no small part because even something that was supposed to be a simple “interlude” turned into an all time iconic vocal performance. A young lady stepped to a mic with no real clue what to do and THAT came out. Truly amazing.
OH my god, I always cry when I hear this. The whole arc, from denial to anger to resignation to acceptance, no words, just perfect vocals... Music doesn't get any better than this. Lex, you get it -- and THIS TRACK CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD OUTSIDE THE CONTEXT OF THE WHOLE ALBUM. The album is one work of art, indivisible.
This song is meant to follow “Time” directly, and the two are one emotion. The girl who vocalized the song did it in one take, and made it up on the spot. Magic! You should read about it…
Lex nailed it. Don't really understand how one could say they were tricked or hoodwinked. This comes right after Time on the album which ended on death, flows perfectly.
Richard Wright was a great composer and musician. I am just now fully appreciating his piano and keyboard synthesizer sounds. He sets the "mood" for Pink Floyd.
Lex got it - it's about accepting death. btw on the album this song follows the song "Time" if you remember the ending in that lyric refers to a funeral bell from a church not far away. Clare Torry's vocal was awesome. Every time you do a Floyd song I typically keep posting you have to listen to an entire Album at a time... they're concept albums.
I've been a Pink Floyd fan since the mid-90s, and this has been one of my favorites from all their albums 'til now. No words needed. Just sing your pain for us sister. We all have to pass over at some point. She's singing the pain of letting go and welcoming the new afterlife.
Lex is the first person I've ever heard even mention the tonal modulation on the ending notes and she gave a great interpretation of what it might mean!
As soon as I saw this reaction I thought Brad won’t like this at all,no lyrics for him to deconstruct and analyse. This track,like most Floyd works,is all about the feel. You should try it sometime,it’s great over here,join us.
Most of us have seen the Clare Torry video interview where she talks about this song but I remember an interview she gave long before RUclips ,Google etc.(Probably in The NME) where she specifically says that Dave Gilmour took her to one side and asked her if she could improvise her singing to envisage how she would imagine what dying would feel like. I first heard The Great Gig in The Sky in 74 and had no idea what the song was about but I was left stunned into a deep mental silence. I thought the singer was a beautiful black soul singer who had gone unrecognised by me. The song still moves me deeply in a wonderful way to this day.(P.S.The other 4 females on the rest of TDSOTM were all session singers and the one who has the most prominent voice on the tracks "Time, Brain Damage/Eclipse was a lady called Doris Troy who was born in The Bronx
Claire Torrey was a session vocalist who was asked by PF to sing. She did one take and they used it. She was given a basic idea of what the music was supposed to convey and she nailed it. The song is about death. The beginning is about the disbelief and anger, then there comes the bargaining, eventually we hear the acceptance and the eventual death. This is a modern musical masterpiece.
I don't know how she does it either, but Lex has a gift. This song is all about interpretation and it's beautiful and painful at the same time. Great choice guys!
The 1st time I Iistened to this track "during a heightened sense of consciousness" it blew my mind. All Floyd is better under those conditions. Light a candle, light one up, and enjoy the journey.
The Great Gig in the Sky aka The One where the Pink Floyd were just the backing Band ~ I wore out my cassette of that album, because of this track, and I played this one track more than all the others put together; let alone the album as a whole. It was absolutely mesmerising. I've heard other singers performing this (via YT) at Pink Floyd gigs, but Clare Torry is/was an absolute magician that gripped my soul and flew away with it, kerk
Remember "Time" ends with, "Far away, across the field The tolling of the iron bell Calls the faithful to their knees To hear the softly spoken magic spell." Now you have heard the magic spell. In truth. because of the way Pink Floyd did things, this is supposed to be the fourth song on the album, it is actually just the final part of the only song on the first side of the album.
The look on Brads face at the 3:40 mark says it all. I tell my kids if it sounds like nothing you've heard before it probley Floyd give it time and it will all make sense
This is one of those songs that you don't know how to process the first time you hear it. Once you realize what it is, every time you listen afterwards is almost magical.
Brad, this girl, Claire, answered an ad in the paper as a walk in at the studio. She was told by Roger Watters to sing about pain and death , denial at first . re-found strength through surrender and acceptance. Then, they paid her and she was gone.
I believe she was recruited by Alan Parsons, but declined the first invite because she wanted to see a Chuck Berry performance. She didn't get a lot of direction from the band about what to sing, when she exited the booth, she was embarrassed and the band were astounded. They paid her the equivalent of a couple of hundred bucks and sent her on her way. Years later she sued for royalties and a writing credit
When I bought this LP in the early 70s my english still was very limited and I didn't understand most of the lyrics. I only was in it for the great music. This piece was allways my favorite, it's an instrumental and the voice is just one more instrument - one of the finest. I could listen to it over and over again. When they invented the CD I bought the album again, so I could listen to it non-stop from beginning to end.
My favorite scene in “school of rock” is when he tells the quiet shy girl to listen to this and learn it and sing it, cuz he knows she can, and all she needs is jack black to encourage her.
I've been listening to this song for almost 50 years and I still tear up everytime I hear the vocals on this track!! And once you learn the story behind it and the fact that this was done in one take, once they actually started recording, makes this a part of musical history as far as I'm concerned!!! Great reaction!!
Something people always forget about Pink Floyd is they did not write songs, they wrote albums. Most tracks out of the context of the album make no sense. There are examples of Pink Floyd singles but mainly concept albums. See "Wish You Were Here." 4 tracks. Wish you were here, welcome to the machine, have a cigar, and shine on you crazy diamond (parts 1-9.)
As much as I love David Gilmore's vocals and the band's lyricism as a whole, Pink Floyd is still a great band, instrumentally. Musical composition is a language itself. A language that can express emotion better than words in many cases. Pink Floyd is an experience. In my opinion, a great band can aid in the transcendence of conscious awarenes and filter your perception through vibration. Whether it's vibration from vocal cords, a cello, a guitar, drums, brass, etc. The "right" vibrations can help us snap out of a pessimistic attitude, click into mental focus, or simply fall into a groove. A groove where your perception of time changes and you feel eternally present and at peace. Pink Floyd, Chopin, George Harrison, Tool (Particularly Lateralus, Parabol/Parabola & Pneuma), good bluegrass and jammy reggae do the trick for me.
I made a 3 hour long continuous mix of PF's instrumentals, and it's really amazing, I've ended up listening to it way more than any of their albums. Their instrumental music is so great. I wish I could post it on RUclips but it just gets blocked due to copyright. Might try to post it elsewhere on the internet just to get it out there.
no lyrics-all vocals. Scat vocals were first popularized by the likes of jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong amongst others. Clare Torry's vocals on this track have helped DSOTM remain the masterpiece that it is and has been played at countless funerals and weddings.
You were right, it was a funeral with prayers as softly spoken magic spells and a toll of a church bell... all from the previous track "Breathe" and her "wailing" is the sadness that comes after a funeral... I guess. LOL Their songs aren't typically intended for singles, but part of a larger concept" album. Great content. You've got me binging and that says something.
That’s how I feel about music videos in general. The videos can often times accentuate the meaning of the song it’s for but I always think it’s best to hear it first then dive into the visual medium.
Lex does get this so right. She’s so perceptive. Before “Time” really even started, she commented that it was about living your life, and the time you have. She’s so good!
The random facts on the screen is probably the most irritating thing I’ve seen today. And Clare did this in two and a half takes, middle of the third she stopped and told them theirs going to have to pick their fav parts from those takes, she said if she did it again it wouldn’t be organic.
at the end you hear in her voice that she has come to a peace that surpasses understanding, which is why it sounds so lovely, soft and absolutely beautiful at the end and then fades off.
Dark Side of the Moon is one of those albums that's best when you listen to it all in one go. I've heard it a bunch of times and never even thought to try to interpret the meaning of this song. I always just saw it as an intermission between two other songs.. I suppose it has some meaning, but like I said, if you listen to the whole album without trying to figure stuff out, it all just flows together almost like one big song.
My husband is not much on music but I was playing the Pulse concert one night and he heard the singers there doing this and he said "this can't be the original woman. It is just different". That is how distinct Clare Tory's vocals on this are. She was phenomenal!
Believe me, if you listen to the whole album you will discover that The Great Gig stands out as brightest gem amidst other precious jewels. And the more you listen, the more you feel that it's the most beautiful song on that record. It's like David Gilmour's solo but on vocals, not guitar. Cheers. (DO listen to entire Album)
Lex you are amazing! You have a gift. Pink Floyd is better experienced by album, rather than individual songs. They are concept albums.... they flow from one track to the next.
This entire album can be played to the Wizard of Oz. You can find that content on RUclips it’s called the Darkside of Oz. This song appears on the record at the same time in the movie as the tornado that takes Dorothy from Kansas to oz
The song is basically about being told you are going to die.. going through the stages of anger, denial, etc all the way through to acceptance... no words... just emotions.
Before you listen to the track. . .Brad: "It sounds like a funeral." Me: "Yep." After you listen to the track: Lex: "It's about accepting death." Me: "Yep."
The real magic of this song to me is look up what the singer looks like. She is a tiny little thing, just not what I expected when I hear this incredibly powerful voice.
LEX!!! You GOT the Meaning of this song PERFECTLY!!! You're a Special Human!! You Need your OWN Channel!!!!!!! (BTW, Brad, No Disrespect to you Intended, I'm just Praising Lex!) Brad Doesn't have your "Gift" of Feeling & Analyzing Songs! Your Synesthesia is RARE for a Reactor and Gives US a Unique Version of Songs, that we have often, heard for Decades! I Get that Opposites Attract, but He DIStracts you from Expressing what you Feel. I Can't Count how many Times you've said, "You Know What I Mean?" and there's the Sound of Crickets.... Jus sayin'. Ask the Viewers if they Agree with some of my opinions here.
The whole point of the Clare's performance was to convey the meaning of the song without using words. She nails it for me. It's hard to understand the songs out of context of the album, but if you recall, by the end of the previous songs Time and Breathe Reprise the person singing might just be referring to their death. Home, home again I like to be here when I can And when I come home cold and tired It's good to warm my bones beside the fire Far away across the field The tolling of the iron bell Calls the faithful to their knees To hear the softly spoken magic spells Home -> Heaven (maybe) The last 3 lines are about people kneeling at church hearing prayer. Maybe a funeral? That's one interpretation at any rate which makes some sense because Great Gig is about the emotional process of grieving for someone who has passed that you love.
Analyse THOSE lyrics, Brad! And as far as "lead singer for a band" is concerned, how many modern songs are by an artist featuring ANOTHER artist? Some of those artists are bands, too... As for Lex, my "like" is for your brilliance in perception!
I wish i could hear this again for the first time... I got this album almost 40 years ago, as a kid in elementary school, cause i loved the cover artwork. Its still one of my most frequently played records. The whole album is a masterpiece
when you hear this song live, no matter how many times, no matter if it is floyd or one of the good tribute bands, this can give any man a tear to the eye. (by live i mean in person at a concert)
She’s not singing about anything, she’s singing about EVERYTHING
Perfectly Stated!
she was actually directed to sing about death. the music is written as life evolving into death
@@emz2969
You can hear her go through the five stages: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance.
Yes. They are singing their hearts and heads out. Amazing, huh?
She went primal.
Her instrument is her soul.. utter masterpiece.. the whole album is a journey
Lex basically nails it, think of the vocals as your struggles to accept death, belting out, then coming to terms and letting go. When you realize that and listen again it's truly transformative. Absolute masterpiece.
spot on Darth, damz I wish I had said that! Thank You
Yes, nicely said. And on top of the vocals making sense, it also isn't uncommon for a band to have a backup singer, (who is a part of the band), do a track, or participate on a duet. Especially with Floyd, the back up singers have been a major part of their shows since the 80's, and they and Waters always have stellar singers with them on tour. The Waters version of this song from Us and Them, with the starfield in the background, is a great visual, along with a nice duet version of the song.
well said Darth. death will come to all of us. this is a lesson on how to manage it respectfully.
Always reminds me of this poem:
Alexander Pope. 1688-1744
442. The Dying Christian to his Soul
VITAL spark of heav'nly flame!
Quit, O quit this mortal frame:
Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flying,
O the pain, the bliss of dying!
Cease, fond Nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life.
Hark! they whisper; angels say,
Sister Spirit, come away!
What is this absorbs me quite?
Steals my senses, shuts my sight,
Drowns my spirits, draws my breath?
Tell me, my soul, can this be death?
The world recedes; it disappears!
Heav'n opens on my eyes! my ears
With sounds seraphic ring!
Lend, lend your wings! I mount! I fly!
O Grave! where is thy victory?
O Death! where is thy sting?
Lex seems to get most of the songs and Brad always seems confused lol
She only heard the instrumental twice b4 & then sang this in 1 take. It is 1 of the Most soulful of any song I've ever heard.
And only got £25 for doing it at first 😮
She did 2 full takes, and part of a third. They stitched this together from those takes.
@@ThunderTaco206the first takes we’re “oh baby’s and yeahs”. Gilmore stopped her and said no words, they got it on the second take. It’s in the documentary.
The entire album of Dark Side of the Moon is only like 45 minutes long. You should do a live stream of the whole album. It’s one continuous piece of music.
Definitely worth it
It be a classic stream for sure 🤘🏼🤘🏼
I would watch this
With Rick Beato
almost true; there's a break/gap between side A and side B, ie between Great Gig and Money, even on the CD version (which is also the break between the two "storylines" so to speak)
Insane vocals without singing a word. It's pretty much based on the emotional cycle of dealing with grief. And Clare nails it to the core. It's not about digging for lyrical meaning. It's about closing your eyes and letting it flow through you. Great stuff!
If you take this in the context of the album, this is about the stages of death. Shock, anger, denial, acceptance, bliss. Thank you, Clare.
It’s so beautiful
100%!
And Clare only got minimum wage for a studio vocalist at the time and later had to sue Pink Floyd just for recognition on the album and to get royalties.
It's actually Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness, Acceptance... but close enough
Brad loves music about as much as a computer would be able to love free form poetry. It just isn't in him. Lex, on the other hand, definitely has a fine sense of musical appreciation that starts a sparkle in her brain and ends up as a sizzle in her shizzle. That girl thinks and grooves.
He has NO soul when it comes to Floyd. She gets it though.
Yes!!!!!!!! I agree! Great analogy.
Hehe, had a good chuckle at "sizzle in her shizzle" 😆
I'm afraid Brad is lost when confronted with any depth in poetry or music. Every facet of life has to be literal in his brain. "Welcome to the Machine".
I agree. .Brad is all about literal lyrics to a fault.Thank God he has Lex because she's gorgeous and gets it.!
You have to remember this song comes right after Time, on Dark Side Of The Moon. Lex nailed it.
The last line of Time is: To hear the softly spoken magic spell...then comes GGS and Claire goes to work!
No surprise that Lex nailed it!!!
Yeah, you really do have to listen to Time and this together. Separately, it’s not as powerful. It just flows so beautifully after Time.
This is why “Darkside of the Moon” needs to be heard as a whole and not in parts.
Well… it comes after Breathe (Reprise) which is the bit often stuck on the end of Time on these reaction videos but is actually a separate track.
Lexi is fucking unreal!! She understood the message immediately!
To me Lex nailed it. When they shut the machines off, you're not just dead, you're dying. The body goes through a process, and the breaths get fewer,and fewer until you're dead.
😓
Yep. I always listen for the little piano peddle depression at the end, which Lex spotted. Makes the music tone curl up and down; the last moment of life...
The Cheyne/Stokes is the ending of life.
Lex, the fact that you could interpret the meaning of this song on your first listen is amazing. You absolutely nailed it 👌
lex is a straight up baller in her interpretations , - Brad is like, "damn, i'm glad someone can think abstract here".
What is baller?
Brad is not Lex's league when it comes to music.
@@izzonj Brad sometimes looks like he should get a standing 8 count when trying to interpret a song. Lex doesn't even listen to words and gets meaning :)
@@simonmurphy8009 ying yang, me and my girl are the same way it’s kinda funny our tastes in music 😂
They do say opposites attract. Its just sad that minds like Lex get wasted on one track minds like Brads.
Damn Lex. I've NEVER heard anyone so completely "get it" after 1 listening. But you certainly did. It was good to get the story of Clare's performance, but at the same time I think it detracted from the appreciation of her work.
You shouldn't feel Hoodwinked Brad. This song comes in a larger context when you listen to the entire album. And dark side of the moon was never meant to listen to one song at a time or out of order. The Great gig in the sky was never meant to have lyrics it is based on the emotion of losing someone and the 4 stages of anger, grief, denial, and acceptance.
I was thinking he shouldn’t feel hoodwinked because of the amount of prep the viewers gave him when they reviewed “Time” prior to this.
Thank You!!
There's actually 5 stages, not 4. And it's denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But hey, you got 3 out of 5, and in the wrong order!
@@paulkane7771 LOL
@@paulkane7771 There are 7 stages.
You have to consider that Dark Side Of The Moon is arguably the greatest rock album of all time, and in no small part because even something that was supposed to be a simple “interlude” turned into an all time iconic vocal performance. A young lady stepped to a mic with no real clue what to do and THAT came out. Truly amazing.
Now that you know the meaning, go back, off camera, and listen again. It’s truly a magical piece.
OH my god, I always cry when I hear this. The whole arc, from denial to anger to resignation to acceptance, no words, just perfect vocals... Music doesn't get any better than this. Lex, you get it -- and THIS TRACK CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD OUTSIDE THE CONTEXT OF THE WHOLE ALBUM. The album is one work of art, indivisible.
Lex have the gift I agree….. Brad felt jipped cause the lack of words….. at this point I’m sure he doesn’t really enjoy music.
Seems like a really intelligent dude, but it seems like he struggles to understand what music really is about.
I feel like he tries to hard to understand the music and doesn't open up and feel the music.
Clare Torry’s vocals ARE the words for me. Magical.
@@ronparsons8786 Music means different things to different people.
@@anthonymalgiero4215 No, he tries hard to understand the lyrics, not the music.
This song is meant to follow “Time” directly, and the two are one emotion. The girl who vocalized the song did it in one take, and made it up on the spot. Magic! You should read about it…
Second take, Pink Floyd had her change from her original idea to something less "ooh baby"
In fact, this song follows Breathe reprise
Lex nailed it. Don't really understand how one could say they were tricked or hoodwinked. This comes right after Time on the album which ended on death, flows perfectly.
This is the perfect expression of death he said it sounds like a funeral but man this is more than a funeral.
Lex is 100% correct, that is exactly what this great track is about, the sound of dying, the struggle, the fear then finally acceptance. 👍
Richard Wright was a great composer and musician. I am just now fully appreciating his piano and keyboard synthesizer sounds. He sets the "mood" for Pink Floyd.
Lex is like some kind of genius she just seems able to break things down and get to the bottom of what things are really about.
Lex got it - it's about accepting death. btw on the album this song follows the song "Time" if you remember the ending in that lyric refers to a funeral bell from a church not far away.
Clare Torry's vocal was awesome. Every time you do a Floyd song I typically keep posting you have to listen to an entire Album at a time... they're concept albums.
Agree with the addition it is about different stages in dealing with death. Including fear, frustration, anger, and acceptance.
She does her homework
I've been a Pink Floyd fan since the mid-90s, and this has been one of my favorites from all their albums 'til now. No words needed. Just sing your pain for us sister. We all have to pass over at some point. She's singing the pain of letting go and welcoming the new afterlife.
Lex is the first person I've ever heard even mention the tonal modulation on the ending notes and she gave a great interpretation of what it might mean!
In my opinion she laid down the one of the best vocal tracks of all time without uttering a word.
Yeah, it's better to hear the whole album in one go with this one and the Wall. That's hard to do on a reaction channel, I know. 👍
My thoughts exactly.
Pausing this song at all is a crime!
As soon as I saw this reaction I thought Brad won’t like this at all,no lyrics for him to deconstruct and analyse.
This track,like most Floyd works,is all about the feel.
You should try it sometime,it’s great over here,join us.
"...because Pink Floyd is all about sound experience!". Damn right Lex.
Most of us have seen the Clare Torry video interview where she talks about this song but I remember an interview she gave long before RUclips ,Google etc.(Probably in The NME) where she specifically says that Dave Gilmour took her to one side and asked her if she could improvise her singing to envisage how she would imagine what dying would feel like. I first heard The Great Gig in The Sky in 74 and had no idea what the song was about but I was left stunned into a deep mental silence. I thought the singer was a beautiful black soul singer who had gone unrecognised by me. The song still moves me deeply in a wonderful way to this day.(P.S.The other 4 females on the rest of TDSOTM were all session singers and the one who has the most prominent voice on the tracks "Time, Brain Damage/Eclipse was a lady called Doris Troy who was born in The Bronx
Claire Torrey was a session vocalist who was asked by PF to sing. She did one take and they used it. She was given a basic idea of what the music was supposed to convey and she nailed it. The song is about death. The beginning is about the disbelief and anger, then there comes the bargaining, eventually we hear the acceptance and the eventual death. This is a modern musical masterpiece.
Please do "Shine on you Crazy Diamond".....one of their very best!!!
My favorite
Genius comes up In my mind every time I hear Pink Floyd !
I don't know how she does it either, but Lex has a gift. This song is all about interpretation and it's beautiful and painful at the same time. Great choice guys!
She gets it every time, while he's scratching his head, trying to work it out. No offence m8
This song makes more sense listening to the entire album as a whole…this song is right after “Time” .
The 1st time I Iistened to this track "during a heightened sense of consciousness" it blew my mind. All Floyd is better under those conditions. Light a candle, light one up, and enjoy the journey.
The Great Gig in the Sky aka The One where the Pink Floyd were just the backing Band ~ I wore out my cassette of that album, because of this track, and I played this one track more than all the others put together; let alone the album as a whole. It was absolutely mesmerising. I've heard other singers performing this (via YT) at Pink Floyd gigs, but Clare Torry is/was an absolute magician that gripped my soul and flew away with it, kerk
Remember "Time" ends with,
"Far away, across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spell."
Now you have heard the magic spell.
In truth. because of the way Pink Floyd did things, this is supposed to be the fourth song on the album, it is actually just the final part of the only song on the first side of the album.
The look on Brads face at the 3:40 mark says it all. I tell my kids if it sounds like nothing you've heard before it probley Floyd give it time and it will all make sense
Sometimes it seems anything unorthodox, unusual, or outside the box throws Brad for a loop.
This is one of those songs that you don't know how to process the first time you hear it. Once you realize what it is, every time you listen afterwards is almost magical.
Brad, this girl, Claire, answered an ad in the paper as a walk in at the studio. She was told by Roger Watters to sing about pain and death , denial at first . re-found strength through surrender and acceptance.
Then, they paid her and she was gone.
I didn't know the backstory. That is absolutely legendary. Thanks!
There was a lawsuit and she got writing credit, that changed what she got paid.
I believe she was recruited by Alan Parsons, but declined the first invite because she wanted to see a Chuck Berry performance. She didn't get a lot of direction from the band about what to sing, when she exited the booth, she was embarrassed and the band were astounded. They paid her the equivalent of a couple of hundred bucks and sent her on her way. Years later she sued for royalties and a writing credit
@@MichaelChylinski thank you I was just about to say that myself
She's representing a dying soul, and she goes through stages of fear and terror, then peace and calm. It's simply beautiful.
Brad, that's why you needed to listen to the whole album at once. It's a complete experience and when you split it up by songs, you lose a lot.
Lex nailed it, I have no words how astute that is
Ya’ll need to hear this album straight through. The songs fit better and make more sense this way.
When I bought this LP in the early 70s my english still was very limited and I didn't understand most of the lyrics. I only was in it for the great music. This piece was allways my favorite, it's an instrumental and the voice is just one more instrument - one of the finest. I could listen to it over and over again. When they invented the CD I bought the album again, so I could listen to it non-stop from beginning to end.
My favorite scene in “school of rock” is when he tells the quiet shy girl to listen to this and learn it and sing it, cuz he knows she can, and all she needs is jack black to encourage her.
I love that movie👍
I've been listening to this song for almost 50 years and I still tear up everytime I hear the vocals on this track!! And once you learn the story behind it and the fact that this was done in one take, once they actually started recording, makes this a part of musical history as far as I'm concerned!!! Great reaction!!
She is localizing the five stages of grief.
Localizing or vocalizing?
Something people always forget about Pink Floyd is they did not write songs, they wrote albums. Most tracks out of the context of the album make no sense. There are examples of Pink Floyd singles but mainly concept albums. See "Wish You Were Here." 4 tracks. Wish you were here, welcome to the machine, have a cigar, and shine on you crazy diamond (parts 1-9.)
As much as I love David Gilmore's vocals and the band's lyricism as a whole, Pink Floyd is still a great band, instrumentally. Musical composition is a language itself. A language that can express emotion better than words in many cases. Pink Floyd is an experience. In my opinion, a great band can aid in the transcendence of conscious awarenes and filter your perception through vibration. Whether it's vibration from vocal cords, a cello, a guitar, drums, brass, etc. The "right" vibrations can help us snap out of a pessimistic attitude, click into mental focus, or simply fall into a groove. A groove where your perception of time changes and you feel eternally present and at peace. Pink Floyd, Chopin, George Harrison, Tool (Particularly Lateralus, Parabol/Parabola & Pneuma), good bluegrass and jammy reggae do the trick for me.
Maybe a little Yes or Supertramp thrown in there with a side of Joe Bonamassa to " jazz" it up too.
@@johnalbert7526 Absolutely!
I made a 3 hour long continuous mix of PF's instrumentals, and it's really amazing, I've ended up listening to it way more than any of their albums. Their instrumental music is so great. I wish I could post it on RUclips but it just gets blocked due to copyright. Might try to post it elsewhere on the internet just to get it out there.
Pink floyd is all about feeling words aren't necessary to this beautiful song about your final moments ....denial, the struggle, acceptance ....peace
Brad would be totally lost without Lex.
He's lost with Lex - without her - he would wander, wonder, and stagnate.
That is soo beautiful... A stunning voice with such a nice piece of music...
no lyrics-all vocals. Scat vocals were first popularized by the likes of jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong amongst others. Clare Torry's vocals on this track have helped DSOTM remain the masterpiece that it is and has been played at countless funerals and weddings.
You were right, it was a funeral with prayers as softly spoken magic spells and a toll of a church bell... all from the previous track "Breathe" and her "wailing" is the sadness that comes after a funeral... I guess. LOL Their songs aren't typically intended for singles, but part of a larger concept" album. Great content. You've got me binging and that says something.
I wish you guys wouldn't read the lyrics during a song. You lose out on the experience of the music. This is an amazing Pink Floyd song about death!
Mind-boggling that someone even made that video.
That’s how I feel about music videos in general. The videos can often times accentuate the meaning of the song it’s for but I always think it’s best to hear it first then dive into the visual medium.
@@TheFablekid I think modern videos are awful, but in the 80s and 90s the videos were an art all on their own. I miss when videos were good.
"wish I was prepped going into this" GOOD ADVICE for each peace of music.
been waiting for this one Brad got it right away when he said sounds like a funeral.
I'm still wondering how Brad thinks he got Jipped ..........from what ,vocals !!! one of my fav songs
He should listen to slam poetry instead of music.
@@tomkat4480 Brads expression says he hasn`t got a clue about one of the greatest pieces of music and vocals ever written.
"Which ones Pink?"
Lex does get this so right. She’s so perceptive. Before “Time” really even started, she commented that it was about living your life, and the time you have. She’s so good!
If Lex didn't know that that piece immediately follows Tiime on the album, then she is an absolute intuitive genius.
I love watching you both and hearing what you're thoughts are about music that I've listened to for years. ♥
The random facts on the screen is probably the most irritating thing I’ve seen today.
And Clare did this in two and a half takes, middle of the third she stopped and told them theirs going to have to pick their fav parts from those takes, she said if she did it again it wouldn’t be organic.
My understanding is she did not even know it been put on the album until she walked past a music store and saw the album in the window.
@@Rick-or2kq yeah, and I think she had to sue to get money for it, the kids that sang on another brick 2 also had to sue.
at the end you hear in her voice that she has come to a peace that surpasses understanding, which is why it sounds so lovely, soft and absolutely beautiful at the end and then fades off.
I love this young lady by herself. She understands and appreciates the music. The man doesn't get it. Luckily I enjoy her reactions. Thanks 😊
Clare torry will forever be immortalized by this song
Dark Side of the Moon is one of those albums that's best when you listen to it all in one go. I've heard it a bunch of times and never even thought to try to interpret the meaning of this song. I always just saw it as an intermission between two other songs.. I suppose it has some meaning, but like I said, if you listen to the whole album without trying to figure stuff out, it all just flows together almost like one big song.
My husband is not much on music but I was playing the Pulse concert one night and he heard the singers there doing this and he said "this can't be the original woman. It is just different". That is how distinct Clare Tory's vocals on this are. She was phenomenal!
Believe me, if you listen to the whole album you will discover that The Great Gig stands out as brightest gem amidst other precious jewels. And the more you listen, the more you feel that it's the most beautiful song on that record. It's like David Gilmour's solo but on vocals, not guitar. Cheers. (DO listen to entire Album)
Lex you are amazing! You have a gift. Pink Floyd is better experienced by album, rather than individual songs. They are concept albums.... they flow from one track to the next.
This entire album can be played to the Wizard of Oz. You can find that content on RUclips it’s called the Darkside of Oz. This song appears on the record at the same time in the movie as the tornado that takes Dorothy from Kansas to oz
And if you take acid too…
I like when Money starts playing as soon as Dorothy opens the door to OZ.
I watched that. The music DOES NOT go with the visual images AT ALL. Whoever started that rumor either has a tin ear or a glass eye. Or both.
Omg one of my all time favorite I saw them live it was the best concert ever I still stand by that and saw them twice
Deep Purple Child in Time live 1970…proper epic music
The song is basically about being told you are going to die.. going through the stages of anger, denial, etc all the way through to acceptance... no words... just emotions.
Before you listen to the track. . .Brad: "It sounds like a funeral." Me: "Yep." After you listen to the track: Lex: "It's about accepting death." Me: "Yep."
The real magic of this song to me is look up what the singer looks like. She is a tiny little thing, just not what I expected when I hear this incredibly powerful voice.
LEX!!! You GOT the Meaning of this song PERFECTLY!!! You're a Special Human!! You Need your OWN Channel!!!!!!! (BTW, Brad, No Disrespect to you Intended, I'm just Praising Lex!)
Brad Doesn't have your "Gift" of Feeling & Analyzing Songs! Your Synesthesia is RARE for a Reactor and Gives US a Unique Version of Songs, that we have often, heard for Decades!
I Get that Opposites Attract, but He DIStracts you from Expressing what you Feel. I Can't Count how many Times you've said, "You Know What I Mean?" and there's the Sound of Crickets.... Jus sayin'. Ask the Viewers if they Agree with some of my opinions here.
Beautiful piece of music , the keyboards and Clare Torry's voice are haunting. Nice reaction
Check out little Lex, she got herself a Metallica shirt. Such a Headbanger.
metal up your ass shirt at that.
The thing is , Brad tries to put everything in a box. Every good musician will try to conquer new boundaries.
The whole point of the Clare's performance was to convey the meaning of the song without using words. She nails it for me.
It's hard to understand the songs out of context of the album, but if you recall, by the end of the previous songs Time and Breathe Reprise the person singing might just be referring to their death.
Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
And when I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells
Home -> Heaven (maybe)
The last 3 lines are about people kneeling at church hearing prayer. Maybe a funeral? That's one interpretation at any rate which makes some sense because Great Gig is about the emotional process of grieving for someone who has passed that you love.
Thing about Brad and Lex. They are special people. We all are. Strive to be better is my motto
Analyse THOSE lyrics, Brad! And as far as "lead singer for a band" is concerned, how many modern songs are by an artist featuring ANOTHER artist? Some of those artists are bands, too... As for Lex, my "like" is for your brilliance in perception!
The 5 stages of Grief...
Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.
Some of us have all been there.
Well done Lex, thats exactly how it's supposed to be interpreted
Lex's interpretation was beautiful and made tears well up and my throat tighten up, thank you.
I'm guessing Brad wouldn't have been a big fan of scat music.
Brad's not a big of music, period.
Omg, finally found my favorite version of this song. Your reaction is awesome thumbs up, already subscribed.
I've come to the realization that Lex is much more intelligent than she lets on. 🤔🤓
I wish i could hear this again for the first time... I got this album almost 40 years ago, as a kid in elementary school, cause i loved the cover artwork. Its still one of my most frequently played records. The whole album is a masterpiece
Brad, sumetimes you just need to relax and enjoy the music. Unclinch that jaw dud.
when you hear this song live, no matter how many times, no matter if it is floyd or one of the good tribute bands, this can give any man a tear to the eye. (by live i mean in person at a concert)
it's the passing away, leaving the physical . the anger then the acceptance , then the beauty of the great gig
Just brought me to tears.
Love this track and have so many good memories of listening to it as a teen
Its like the person going through the “dying” experience. The singer takes you through it. They talked about dying at the beginning of the song.