Pink Floyd dug into some tough subject matter on The Wall, their sprawling double album released in 1979. Maybe that was fitting, because the band was going through difficult times. It’s a wonder they were able to get anything out of that working environment at all, let alone a such an amazing combination of beautiful music and dark lyrical themes as “Goodbye Blue Sky.”
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What is the song about? What purpose did it serve in moving the story of The Wall along? And what kinds of struggles were the band undergoing while putting this mammoth project together? Let’s find out all there is to know about the classic Floyd track “Goodbye Blue Sky.”
Breaking Up Brick by Brick
When Pink Floyd made their 1973 masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon, they were still receiving musical contributions from all four members, even as bassist Roger Waters wrote all the lyrics. By the time of The Wall, that division of labor had changed drastically, with Waters writing much of the music as well, while also deciding the direction of the band with his concepts.
In fact, you could argue his chief collaborator on The Wall wasn’t a member of the group, but rather producer Bob Ezrin. Waters brought Ezrin in to help him hammer out the way the music would connect to the overall narrative. Meanwhile, the other Floyd members were largely relegated to sidemen status.
Longtime band member Rick Wright barely contributed anything, in part because he was frustrated by his lack of involvement. Waters eventually gave him an ultimatum to either leave the band or they would scrap the project completely. Wright decided to leave, although he did stay on as a hired hand for the album tour.
An Unhappy “Goodbye”
Even though the other members of Pink Floyd didn’t have a lot of say in the direction The Wall would take, that didn’t mean there were no key contributions. In particular, David Gilmour lifts “Goodbye Blue Sky” with his efforts. His gentle acoustic guitar contrasts the ominous synth, while his multi-tracked vocals make this song a thing of beauty.
“Goodbye Blue Sky” is used mainly as a transitional piece within the construction of The Wall. On Side One of the four-sided album, the main character, aka Pink, revisits some of the traumas of his childhood, including his father’s death, his mother’s overbearing caretaking, and his mistreatment at the hands of teachers.
With “Goodbye Blue Sky,” Pink is essentially bidding farewell to his childhood days as Side Two begins. He’ll soon be beset by more adult concerns, including romantic issues and a sense of disillusionment about his music. It’s a tribute to the writing and performances that the song is more than just exposition, but rather a winning track all on its own.
What is the Meaning Behind “Goodbye Blue Sky”?
After some wordless vocals that seem to represent a softening of the tone, the narrator starts to question Pink about some harsh realities, namely the death of his father during an air strike in World War II. Did-did-did-did you see the frightened ones? Gilmour sings, the repeated first syllable adding to the tension. Did you hear the falling bombs?
Waters’ lyrics also subtly imply the horrors of war don’t seem to gibe with an enlightened age on the planet: Did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter when the promise of a brave new world unfurled beneath a clear blue sky?
In the final line before the refrain, Waters hits at the point that reverberates throughout much of The Wall, that the past always seems to stick with us, especially the harder times: The flames are all long gone / But the pain lingers on. Fitting lines indeed, since Pink Floyd were dealing with their own kind of private pain as they created wondrous songs like “Goodbye Blue Sky.”
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Photo by Jamie Tregidgo/WireImage
