Speak to Me

"This article is about the Pink Floyd song. For the Audio Adrenaline song, see Lift."

"Speak to Me" is the first track [Some CD pressings merge "Speak to Me" and "Breathe".] from British progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, "The Dark Side of the Moon", on which it forms an overture. Drummer Nick Mason receives a rare solo writing credit for the track; Roger Waters subsequently claimed this was a "gift" to Mason, one which Waters came to regret after his acrimonious departure from the group. [http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/ptr/pfloyd/interview/dark4.html]

Composition

The song itself features no lyrics (although it contains parts of the conversation tapes that Pink Floyd recorded, as well a short snippet of Clare Torry's vocal performance on "The Great Gig in the Sky"), and consists of a series of sound effects. It leads into the first performance piece on the album, "Breathe". As a result, they are usually played together on the radio.

ound Effects

Noticeable sound effects include:

*Heartbeat; this can also be heard at the end of "Eclipse"
*Clock ticking; reflecting the song "Time"
*Manic laughter; reflecting the song "Brain Damage"
*Cash register; reflecting the song "Money"
*Helicopter noise; reflecting the song "On the Run"
*Wailing/screaming; reflecting the song "The Great Gig in the Sky"
*Synthesizer note; goes into Breathe

poken parts

Personnel

*Rick Wright - piano
*Nick Mason - Bass drum

Notes