Is There Anybody Out There?

Song infobox
Name = Is There Anybody Out There?


Artist = Pink Floyd
Album = The Wall
Released = 30 November 1979 (US), 8 December 1979 (UK)
track_no = 2 of disc 2
Recorded = April-November, 1979
Genre = Art rock/Progressive rock/Progressive folk
Length = 2:44
Writer = Waters
Label = Harvest Records (UK)
Columbia Records (US)/Capitol Records (US)
Producer = Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour and Roger Waters
prev = "Hey You"
prev_no = 1 of disc 2
next = "Nobody Home"
next_no = 3 of disc 2"Is There Anybody Out There?" is a mostly instrumental song on the Pink Floyd album, "The Wall". The first half has the same concept of "Hey You", being a distress call from Pink. The second half is fully instrumental. An interesting part of the song is the classical guitar solo, as it is widely uncertain who played it. In several interviews, David Gilmour said that he tried to perform it, and was not satisfied with the final result ("I could play it with a leather pick but couldn't play it properly fingerstyle." ["Careful With That Axe", interview with David Gilmour by Matt Resnicoff, "Musician" magazine, August 1992] ) Accordingly, the classical music sessionman Ron di Blasi [Fitch, Vernon, "The Pink Floyd Encyclopedia", p. 155] was brought in by Michael Kamen to play with the rest of the orchestra. Gilmour also says that the song was composed by Bob Ezrin, with the understanding that Roger Waters would receive credit. [Schaffner, Nicholas, "A Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey", p. 228] The shrill siren-like sound effect used during this song is also used in an earlier Pink Floyd work, "Echoes". The noise was originally used as a sort of whale call for the deep-water-based "Echoes", and is created by Gilmour using a backwards-wired Wah Pedal.

Plot

At this point in the plot, the album's protagonist, Pink is attempting to reach anybody outside of the wall he has built throughout the album. The repeated question "is there anybody out there?" suggests that no response is heard.

TV Excerpts

There are two excerpts from the TV programmes "Gunsmoke" and "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." overlaid in the background of the track.

The "Gunsmoke" excerpt is from the episode entitled "Fandango" (1967); the dialogue is as follows:

Marshall Dillon: Well, only about an hour of daylight left. We better get started.
Miss Tyson: Is it unsafe to travel at night?
Marshall Dillon: It'll be a lot less safe to stay here. Your father's gonna pick up our trail before long.
Miss Tyson: Can Lorca ride?
Marshall Dillon: He'll have to ride. Lorca, time to go! Chengra, thank you for everything. Let's go.
Miss Tyson: Goodbye Chengra!
Chengra: Goodbye Missy!
Miss Tyson: I'll be back - one day.
Chengra: The bones have told Chengra.
Miss Tyson: Take care of yourself.

The "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." excerpt is from the episode entitled "Gomer Says "Hey" to the President" first aired: 10/20/1967 dialogue is as follows:

Sgt. Carter: Alright, I'll take care of them part of the time. But there's somebody else that needs taking care of in Washington.
Enlisted Man: Who's that?
Sgt. Carter: Rose Pilchitt.
Enlisted Man: Rose Pilchitt? Who's that?
Sgt. Carter: 36-24-36. Does that answer your question?
Enlisted Man: Who is she?
Sgt. Carter: She was Miss Armoured Division in 1961.
Enlisted Man: How'd you get to meet her?

Rose Pilchitt was played by "Allison Hayes", she was also the star of the movie "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" (1958) and was the 1949 Washington, D.C. entry into the Miss America pageant.

Personnel

*David Gilmour - seagull sound, backing vocalsFitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, "Comfortably Numb - A History of The Wall 1978-1981", 2006, p. 93]
*Roger Waters - bass guitar
*Richard Wright - prophet-5 synthesizer
*Bob Ezrin - synthesizer, string synth
*Ron di Blasi - classical guitar

Versions

*A cover of "Is There Anybody Out There" by TBL featuring Stevie Z appears on 2003 Pink Floyd tribute album "A Fair Forgery of Pink Floyd". TBL guitarist Steve Zukowsky is a member of Los Angeles based Pink Floyd tribute band Which One's Pink? as well as lead guitarist for Led Zeppelin tribute band Led Zepagain.
*DJ Junior Vasquez created a bootleg remix that has never had an official release.
*The song, "Ode to the Wall", by Oliver Hart on the album The Many Faces of Oliver Hart, samples this song extensively.

References