On the Turning Away

"On the Turning Away"
Single by Pink Floyd
from the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason
B-side	"Run Like Hell" (live version)
Released	14 December 1987
Recorded	October 1986–1987
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	5:42
Label	EMI
Writer(s)	David Gilmour, Anthony Moore
Producer	Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour
Pink Floyd singles chronology
"Learning to Fly" (1987) "On the Turning Away" (1987) "One Slip" (1988)
A Momentary Lapse of Reason track listing "One Slip" (4) "On the Turning Away" (5) "Yet Another Movie" (6a)

"On the Turning Away" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1987 album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason.^[1][2] Released as the second single from the album, it reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart in early 1988. In the United Kingdom, the song charted at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart. A live performance of the song was featured on both the video and double CD releases of Delicate Sound of Thunder. The song, a power ballad, references issues of poverty and oppression, lamenting on the tendency of people to turn away from those afflicted with such conditions. It ends on a hopeful note, with the last stanza beginning, "no more turning away ...". It is also a song that recovers the mysticism of songs like "Wish You Were Here" or "Us and Them", but this time treating topics like the suffering of people; the phrase "weak and the weary" portrays the suffering of people as a big problem in today's world.^[3]

The song was the fifth track from the album performed when A Momentary Lapse of Reason was played live from 1987 to 1989. The track was also performed sometimes during the band's 1994 Division Bell tour, as the song was a U.S. rock radio hit. Although a live version did not feature on the Pulse live album nor video which documented the tour, a version composed of bootleg footage appears among the bonus features of the DVD release of the film.

The music video for the track was made, featuring a live recording and concert footage filmed during the band's three night run at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia in November 1987 directed by Lawrence Jordan (who has directed concert films for Rush, Mariah Carey and Billy Joel). Promotional videos for "The Dogs of War" and "One Slip" were also used from footage of this concert. The video made it to number nine on MTV's Video Countdown in January 1988.

The five-disc deluxe and vinyl editions of David Gilmour's Live in Gdańsk also contain a recording of Gilmour singing "On the Turning Away" in Venice on August 12, 2006. Halfway through the song, Gilmour forgets the lyrics; however, he laughs it off, and with a little support from the crowd makes a recovery.

Personnel

• David Gilmour — guitars, vocals and sequencers
• Nick Mason — percussion

with

• Richard Wright — synthesizers and backing vocals
• Tony Levin — bass guitar
• Jim Keltner — drums
• Jon Carin — synthesizer

References

1. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5. 
2. ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X. 
3. ^ On The Turning Away, PinkFloyd.cl, Chile. (Spanish)