The Show Must Go On (Pink Floyd song)

Song infobox
Name = The Show Must Go On


Artist = Pink Floyd
Album = The Wall
Released = 30 November 1979 (US), 8 December 1979 (UK)
track_no = 7 of disc 2
Recorded = April-November, 1979
Genre = Art rock/Progressive rock
Length = 1:36
Writer = Roger Waters
Label = Harvest Records (UK)
Columbia Records (US)/Capitol Records (US)
Producer = Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour and Roger Waters
prev = "Comfortably Numb"
prev_no = 6 of disc 2
next = "In the Flesh"
next_no = 8 of disc 2"The Show Must Go On", a song by popular British rock band Pink Floyd, that appeared on their 1979 rock epic "The Wall". It was written by Roger Waters.

It is probably the fictional character Pink's comment on the control the managers and record companies now have over his already ruined life.

Alternatively, "the show" could be a metaphor for, essentially, life. Pink is debating what to do after building his wall: he realizes that an isolated life is dull. He decides that "the show must go on," but the stress of continuing creates the hallucination beginning in In the Flesh.

Roger Waters wanted to create a "Beach Boys" type sound for the backing, and actually got Bruce Johnston to come and help create it. The song also closely resembles chord patterns found in Mother, In the Flesh, and Waiting for the Worms. The song strongly resembles Queen's music not only through the harmonizing voices but through its lyrics and title as well. (Queen would record a song of the same name in 1991, which starts with the line "Empty Spaces", a song from "The Wall").

This track does not appear in the 1982 film version of "The Wall" nor in Roger Waters's post-Pink Floyd 1990 concert "The Wall Live in Berlin".

It also has an extra verse that was cut from the studio album, but nevertheless appears on its sleeve.

:"Do I have to stand up:"Wild eyed in the spotlight:"What a nightmare Why!:"Don't I turn and run"

After this, the line "It must be some mistake..." starts.

The full song was performed live in concert, and as such appears on Is There Anybody out There? The Wall Live 1980-81.

Personnel

*David Gilmour - vocals [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, "Comfortably Numb - A History of The Wall 1978-1981", 2006, p. 103] , guitars [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103] bass guitar [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*Nick Mason - drums [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103] , roto toms [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*Richard Wright - synthesizer [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*Bob Ezrin - synthesizer [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103] . piano [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*Joe Chemay - backing vocals [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*Stan Farber - backing vocals [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*Jim Haas - backing vocals [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*Bruce Johnston - backing vocals [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*John Joyce - backing vocals [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]
*Toni Tennille - backing vocals [Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, p. 103]

References

* Fitch, Vernon. The Pink Floyd Encyclopedia (3rd edition), 2005. ISBN 1-894959-24-8