Before I go any further: I want to thank my friend Nikki for suggesting I do this one.
Now that I’ve said that, I write: Dark Side of the Moon is nothing less than legendary. At first I could not understand what the big fuss about it was. But now I seem to understand. Dark Side of the Moon is basically about all the little things in life that can make us go crazy. It’s not always the things that happen, though (though, as The Wall shows us later down the road, traumatic experiences can ruin our lives, even if they happened before we were born). Sometimes it’s just the process of living. This album represents Pink Floyd’s signature “sound”, and if you think about it, you can see how it lyrically leads up to The Wall. Also, each side of the record are like one big song, because they flow into each other so well. (It has also been said that strange things happen when you watch Wizard of Oz while listening to Dark Side of the Moon. But this has never been proven.)
Speak to Me/Breathe (Breathe in the Air): The album begins with almost total silence. Then, the sound of a heartbeat, and then other sounds. And then – the music. This song has an eerie quality about it, as though it means something else that it doesn’t seem to mean. (I don’t think it does; that’s just what it sounds like.) The lyrics seem to be introducing one to life, implying that later down the road they will not like it. This is the theme for the rest of the album.
On the Run: I’ve heard that this is the first piece of “techno” music. Although it has no lyrics, it still continues through the story that Dark Side of the Moon tells. Of the things that can cause us to go mad in life, this track is about the fear and pressure of travel, which can bring the fear of death (hence the crashing sound at the end). It’s a pretty cool listen.
Time: This is one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs, and some say it’s their best (I’ve got a friend who said this; I could understand this depending on how limited his Pink Floyd knowledge is). For some reason, listening to this song frightens me somewhat. It’s about how Time passes and sometimes we don’t even notice it. It also describes the way most people approach life, i.e. they spend life preparing for the next thing to happen, when we’re actually supposed to go and make things happen.
The Great Gig in the Sky: This is about someone wondering about death, and what happens when you die. This person also decides that he is not afraid of dying, as he’s got to die sometime. (At least, I think this is what it’s about; I’m not sure. It has no lyrics for me to tell from.) It’s very relaxing towards the end.
Money: When I first listened to this song, I knew something was not quite right about it. And then my dad figured it out for me; it’s in 7/4 time. Well there you have it then. It’s the first song in 7/4 time that I ever heard. Though I doubt I ought to keep rambling on about the time signature. (No, if I was going to “ramble on”, then that’s a whole different album, ha ha.) The song is about money, and how some of us feel the need to keep acquiring more money than we actually need, and how it causes us to become greedy, and then…well, you probably get the picture. I have had the odd experience of watching one of my friends trying to dance to this song, despite the fact that I told her you cannot dance to Pink Floyd.
Us and Them: I assume this song is about people taking sides and having an “us vs. them” mentality. It’s very relaxing (though not nearly as relaxing as Shine On You Crazy Diamond, which I might get around to reviewing!), and its length makes it a good song for me to, well, get relaxed to.
Any Color You Like: It’s funny how my music affects me. I now like to say “any color you like” just because of this song. It seems like it’s trying to show us all the emotions at once. But instead of getting muddled, it seems to be doing a rather good job of this. I don’t know if this is what Pink Floyd intended. That’s just what I see.
Brain Damage: Despite its rather serious title, I think this is the funniest song on the whole album. For some reason, I find this song about a lunatic to be humorous. Maybe it’s the way they talk about him, or how the lyrics suggest that anyone who disregards “Keep off the grass” signs must be mad (that’s what the first bit is about). Parts of this song were written for Syd Barrett (he was the guy in the band who went mad and they had to kick him out, and when I review Wish You Were Here, I’ll describe him in better detail). The song goes perfectly into the grand finale of…
Eclipse: This! This is the great finish to a terrific album! It’s got the qualities of a lot of the major songs on the album, and it basically sums up what this album is about. In short, there’s a lot of madness to be had in life and you’ll never understand it all! (How cheerful...I feel like a pessimist.) I’ve got memories of listening to this album at a party with some friends (yes, the one who danced to Money), and we were all swaying back and forth while singing the lyrics (never mind that some of us didn’t know it). “There is no dark side of the moon. Matter of fact, it’s all dark.”
Best tracks: Breathe, On the Run, Time, Money, and Brain Damage.
Send all questions and comments to: pippin_sparks@rocketmail.com