Signs of Life (instrumental)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2012) |
| "Signs of Life" | |
|---|---|
| Instrumental by Pink Floyd | |
| from the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason | |
| Published | Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd |
| Released | 7 September 1987 (UK) 8 September 1987 (US) |
| Recorded | 1987 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:23 |
| Label | EMI (UK) Columbia (US) |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
|
"Signs of Life" is the opening track on A Momentary Lapse of Reason,[1][2] the first Pink Floyd album headed by David Gilmour, in the absence of ex-member Roger Waters.
Music[]
It is an instrumental piece, although on the album version, the electronically processed voice of drummer Nick Mason can be heard for a few seconds reciting two verses of an unknown poem. The screen film used to accompany the song during concert performances featured Langley Iddins, caretaker of David Gilmour's Astoria houseboat-studio, rowing through Grantchester Meadows.
The piece is Pink Floyd's first instrumental piece (excluding the live-only "The Last Few Bricks") since 1973's "Any Colour You Like", from The Dark Side of the Moon. Its roots go back to the 1970s.
Part Two of Signs of Life was actually done in 1977, I think. The guitar and the whistling answers was actually a demo that I did in '77 or '78. We had to replace the actual guitar, but the backing chords are from an ancient thing I did. Most of the rest of it was written within the past two years.
David Gilmour, http://www.pink-floyd.org/artint/crm021988.htm
The song segues directly into "Learning to Fly". "Signs of Life" ends on an E minor chord, while "Learning to Fly" opens with the parallel chord of G major.
A live recording has been released as part of the concert film Delicate Sound of Thunder. The accompanying live album did not include the track until the 2019 remix, which contains the entire live setlist.
The piece is shortened on all official releases of Delicate Sound of Thunder. On the 2019 album and video version, parts of Mason's spoken vocal were re-inserted into the track even if live recordings from the tour show that it was not part of the original concerts.
Personnel[]
- David Gilmour – guitars, synthesizer, sequencer
- Nick Mason – spoken vocals
Additional musicians:
- Bob Ezrin – synthesizer, sequencer, sound effects
- Jon Carin – synthesizer
- Richard Wright – Kurzweil synthesiser
References[]
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
External links[]
Authority control  |
|
|---|
 | This 1980s rock song–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- 1987 songs
- Pink Floyd songs
- Rock instrumentals
- Songs written by David Gilmour
- Songs written by Bob Ezrin
- Song recordings produced by Bob Ezrin
- Song recordings produced by David Gilmour
- 1980s rock song stubs