Outside the Wall (song)

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For the 1950 American film, see Outside the Wall (film).
"Outside the Wall"
Song by Pink Floyd
from the album The Wall
PublishedPink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd
Released30 November 1979 (UK)
8 December 1979 (US)
RecordedApril – November 1979
Genre
Length1:41
LabelHarvest (UK)
Columbia (US)
Songwriter(s)Roger Waters
Producer(s)Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour, James Guthrie, Roger Waters

"Outside the Wall" (working titles "Bleeding Hearts", "The Buskers")[1][2] is a song written by Roger Waters. It is the final track on the 1979 Pink Floyd album, The Wall.[3][4]

Overview[edit]

This song is meant as a dénouement to the album. The story ends with "The Trial", in which a "judge" decrees, "Tear down the wall!". An explosion is heard to signify the wall's destruction, and "Outside the Wall" quietly begins. It is not explicitly stated what happens to Pink, the protagonist, after the dismantling of his psychological "wall". At the end, the song cuts off abruptly, as the man says "Isn't this where...", leading into the voice clip at the beginning of "In the Flesh?" that states "...we came in?", giving a sort of circularity to the album.

Composition[edit]

The song is the quietest on the album. It is a diatonic song in C major, in 3/4 and is 1:41 in length. In the original demo version of this song, a harmonica was used in place of the clarinet heard on the album version.

Plot[edit]

Unlike the other songs on the album, this particular song offers little to the plot involving Pink as a whole. It notes that "the ones who really love you" are standing outside the wall and warns that, if you do not tear down your metaphorical wall, some might eventually give up on you and leave you to live out a lonely life instead of "banging [their] heart against some mad bugger's wall". This is what happens to the main character, Pink, during the course of the album.

Roger Waters himself has refused to provide any explanation when asked for one.[5]

Film version[edit]

A longer and more elaborate version was recorded for the film which runs for a little more than four minutes and includes the National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pontarddulais Male Choir and Waters singing the lyrics melodically, rather than reciting them as on the album version. Helping extend the song through the entire end credits is an instrumental bridge, composed of the chords and melody from "Southampton Dock", from The Wall's eventual successor, The Final Cut. This version was never released officially, but was later reused for the credits for The Wall – Live in Berlin. It is in E-flat major for the film rather than C, and the Live in Berlin version is done in E major, while "Southampton Dock" would be finalized in F major.[6][7]

Stage performance[edit]

The stage performances of The Wall ended with "Outside the Wall" after "The Trial", where the performers came walking over the stage in front of the now demolished wall, playing acoustic instruments and singing the vocal tracks. Waters played clarinet, and recited the lyrics, while the backing singers sang the lyrics in harmony. David Gilmour played mandolin, Richard Wright played accordion, Willie Wilson played tambourine, Andy Bown played 12-string acoustic guitar, and Snowy White (replaced by Andy Roberts for the 1981 shows), Peter Wood and (unusually) Nick Mason played 6-string acoustic guitars. A similar format was used for the track during Waters' 2010-2013 tour, The Wall Live, including the appearance of Gilmour playing the mandolin and Mason playing a tambourine.

The song was performed again as the closing number for Waters' This Is Not a Drill, with Waters starting on piano while the rest of his band gathers on acoustic instruments and parades around the stage before walking off, with the cameras projecting the final closing moments of the song from backstage onto the LED monitors above the stage.[8]

Personnel[edit]

Pink Floyd[9]

with:

Pink Floyd - Live version, 1980 & 1981:

with:

Roger Waters - Live Version 2010-13

with:

Roger Waters - This Is Not A Drill Tour 2022-2023

Further reading[edit]

  • Fitch, Vernon. The Pink Floyd Encyclopedia (2005). ISBN 1-894959-24-8.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Pink Floyd – The Wall (Immersion Edition) (2012, CD)". Discogs.com. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  2. ^ Pink Floyd - The Bleeding Hearts, The Buskers (Working Title For Outside The Wall). YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11.
  3. ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
  4. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
  5. ^ "Wall Interview - Jim Ladd". Angelfire.com. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  6. ^ Pink Floyd: The Wall (1980 Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., London, England, ISBN 0-7119-1031-6 [USA ISBN 0-8256-1076-1])
  7. ^ Pink Floyd: The Final Cut (1983 Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., London, England.)
  8. ^ "Roger Waters - the Bar ( Reprise ) + Outside the Wall ( Forum Assago, MI - Italy = 27 March 2023 )". YouTube.
  9. ^ Vernon Fitch & Richard Mahon. Comfortably Numb – A History of The Wall 1978–1981 (2006), p. 113.
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