"Time"is a song by EnglishrockbandPink Floyd.It is included as the fourth track on their eighth albumThe Dark Side of the Moon(1973) and was released as a single in the United States. With lyrics written by bassistRoger Waters,guitaristDavid Gilmourshares lead vocals with keyboardistRichard Wright(his last until "Wearing the Inside Out"on the band's 1994 albumThe Division Bell).
| "Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 USHarvest Recordssingle | ||||
| SinglebyPink Floyd | ||||
| from the albumThe Dark Side of the Moon | ||||
| A-side | "Us and Them" | |||
| Released | 4 February 1974(US) | |||
| Recorded | 3 June 1972 – 1 February 1973[1] | |||
| Studio | EMI,London | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock[2] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Harvest | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | Roger Waters | |||
| Producer(s) | Pink Floyd | |||
| Pink Floyd US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Time"onYouTube | ||||
The lyrics deal with the passage of time. Waters got the idea when he realised he was no longer preparing for anything in life, but was right in the middle of it. He has described this realisation taking place at ages 28 and 29 in various interviews.[3]It is noted for its long introductory passage of clocks chiming and alarms ringing. The sounds were recorded in an antique store made as aquadrophonictest by engineerAlan Parsons,not specifically for the album.[4]
The album track also includes a reprise of the song "Breathe".It is the only song on the album to credit all four principal members for songwriting, and the last to do so in the band's discography.[5]
Composition
edit"Time" is in the key ofF♯ minor.Each clock at the beginning of the song was recorded separately in anantiques store.These clock sounds are followed by a two-minute passage dominated byNick Mason's drum solo, withrototomsand backgrounded by atick-tocksound created byRoger Waterspicking two muted strings on his bass.David Gilmoursings lead on the verses, whileRichard Wrightsingsleadon the bridges with female singers and Gilmour providing backup vocals. The song's lyrics deal with Roger Waters' realization that life was not about preparing yourself for what happens next, but about grabbing control of your own destiny.[3]The recording was recorded quadraphonically by sound engineer Alan Parsons in an antique shop and begin with a homage to the songKlingklang(1971/1972) by the groupKraftwerk,or rather, are reminiscent of it.[6]
He [Alan Parsons] had just recently before we did that album gone out with a whole set of equipment and had recorded all these clocks in a clock shop. And we were doing the songTime,and he said "Listen, I just did all these things, I did all these clocks," and so we wheeled out his tape and listened to it and said "Great! Stick it on!" And that, actually, is Alan Parsons' idea.
The drums used on theTimetrack are roto-toms. I think we did some experiments with some other drums calledboo-bans,which are very small, tuned drums, but the roto-toms actually gave the best effect.
According to an interview by Phil Taylor in 1994, David Gilmour had been using aLexiconPCM-70 to store the circular delay sounds heard in "Time", which could duplicate the kind of echo he used to get from his oldBinsonecho unit.[8]
The verse chords cycle through F♯ minor,A major,E major,and F♯ minor again. During this section, Gilmour's guitar and Wright's keyboards are panned to the extreme right and left of the stereo spectrum, respectively. Gilmour sings lead during this section.[9]
The bridge section, with Wright singing lead, has a notably "thicker" texture, with the female backing vocalists singing multi-tracked "oohs" and "aahs" throughout, and Gilmour singing harmony with Wright in the second half. The chords of this section are Dmajor seventhto Amajor ninth,which is repeated. The second half progresses from D major seventh toC♯ minor,thenB minortoE major.[9]
The first bridge leads to a guitar solo by Gilmour, which plays over the verse and bridge progressions. The solo is followed by another verse sung by Gilmour. When the bridge is repeated, it does not conclude on E major as before. Instead, the B minor leads to anF majorchord, while Waters's bass stays on B, resulting in an unusualdissonanceas a transition to the key ofE minorfor "Breathe (Reprise)".[9]
Pink Floyd performed the song live from 1972 to 1975, and after the departure of Waters, from 1987 to 1994. Waters began performing the song in his solo concerts, singing the verses himself, beginning in 1999 withIn the Fleshand again withThe Dark Side of the Moon Livefrom 2006 to 2008 (occasionally featuring guest appearances from Nick Mason) and theUs + Them Tourfrom 2017 to 2018. Gilmour has performed the song live on every one of his solo tours since Pink Floyd'sPulsetour, with the late Richard Wright sharing vocals until his death.
Reception
editIn a contemporary review forThe Dark Side of the Moon,Loyd GrossmanofRolling Stonegave "Time" a positive review, describing the track as "a fine country-tinged rocker with a powerful guitar solo by David Gilmour".[10]BillboardandLouder Soundranked the song number nine and number five, respectively, on their lists of the 50 greatest Pink Floyd songs.[11][12]
Film
editDuring live performances, the band back-projected a specially-commissioned, animated film byIan Emes.[13][14]The film was subsequently included as an extra on thePulseDVD.[13]
Personnel
edit- David Gilmour– electric guitars, co-lead (verses and "Breathe (Reprise)" ) and backing vocals (bridges and "Breathe (Reprise)" )
- Richard Wright–Farfisa organ,[15]Wurlitzer electronic piano,[15]EMS VCS 3,co-lead vocals (bridges)
- Roger Waters– bass guitar, EMS VCS 3[1]
- Nick Mason– drums,rototoms
with:
- Doris Troy,Lesley Duncan,Liza Strike, &Barry St. John– backing vocals
Live versions
edit- Live versions of the song are on the Pink Floyd albumsDelicate Sound of ThunderandPulse.TheDelicate Sound of Thunderversion does not feature the reprise of "Breathe".
- A Roger Waters solo version is on the albumIn the Flesh: Live,sung by Waters,Doyle Bramhall IIandJon Carin.
- Live versions with Richard Wright appear on the David Gilmour soloRemember That NightDVD andLive in Gdańskalbum.
In popular culture
editTelevision, films and video games
edit"Time" was used several times in the seventh episode ofThe Crowded Room,anApple TV+series.
"Time" was used in the opening of theMarvel Cinematic UniversefilmEternals.[16]
"Time" was used in the final trailer of theDC Extended UniversefilmThe Flash.[17]
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[18] sales since 2009 |
Gold | 25,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[19] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[20] sales since 2009 |
Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Roger Waters version
edit| "Time" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyRoger Waters | ||||
| from the albumThe Dark Side of the Moon Redux | ||||
| Released | 24 August 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 7:19 | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Roger Waterssingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Time"onYouTube | ||||
"Time"is a single by English musician and Pink Floyd cofounder Roger Waters, which serves as the second single to his albumThe Dark Side of the Moon Redux,a full re-recording ofThe Dark Side of the Moon.
Around early 2023, Waters announced that in celebration of the 50th anniversary ofThe Dark Side of the Moon,he would be releasing a full-length re-recording of the record not featuring the rest of Pink Floyd that would try and re-address the political and emotional statements made on that record.[21]The record's name, cover, and lead single, "Money"was released on 21 July 2023." Time "would be released 2 months later alongside a lyric video on 24 August 2023.[22]
Similar to lead single "Money", Waters strips back much of thepsychedelicinstrumentation and heavily slows it down from the original, putting a greater emphasis on Waters' crooning vocals, atmospheric production, and in general a more mellow sound.[23][24][25]
Personnel
edit- Roger Waters– vocals
- Gus Seyffert – bass, guitar, percussion, keys, synth, backing vocals
- Joey Waronker– drums, percussion
- Jonathan Wilson– guitars, synth, organ
- Johnny Shepherd – organ, piano
- Via Mardot –theremin
- Azniv Korkejian– vocals
- Gabe Noel – string arrangements, strings,sarangi
- Jon Carin – keyboards, lap steel, synth, organ
References
edit- ^abGuesdon, Jean-Michel (2017-10-24).Pink Floyd: all the songs: the story behind every track.Margotin, Philippe,, Elliott, Richard George,, Smith, Jackie (Translator) (First English-language ed.). New York. p. 306.ISBN9780316439244.OCLC972386567.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Murphy, Sean (22 May 2011)."The 25 Best Progressive Rock Songs of All Time".PopMatters.Retrieved31 July2016.
- ^ab"PINK FLOYD'S DARK SIDE OF THE MOON 4".Utopia.knoware.nl. Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2012.Retrieved10 September2012.
- ^Schaffner, Nicholas (2005). "The Amazing Pudding".Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey(New ed.). London: Helter Skelter. p. 157.ISBN1-905139-09-8.
- ^"Pink Floyd, Time, 2023 Master, Single".
- ^"Klingklang".1971/1972.
- ^abKendall, Charlie (1984)."Shades of Pink - The Definitive Pink Floyd Profile".The Source Radio Show.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-09-27.Retrieved2011-07-26.
- ^Tolinski, Brad (September 1994)."Welcome to the Machines".Guitar World.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-06-17.Retrieved2011-07-29.
- ^abcPink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon(1973 Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., London, England,ISBN0-7119-1028-6[USAISBN0-8256-1078-8])
- ^Grossman, Loyd (24 May 1973)."Dark Side of the Moon".Rolling Stone.Retrieved14 August2017.
- ^Unterberger, Andrew (August 4, 2017)."The 50 Greatest Pink Floyd Songs: Critic's Picks".Billboard.RetrievedMay 25,2023.
- ^"The 50 greatest Pink Floyd songs ever".Louder Sound.September 20, 2022.RetrievedMay 25,2023.
- ^abMabbett, Andy (2010).Pink Floyd - The Music and the Mystery.London: Omnibus.ISBN978-1-84938-370-7.
- ^Jackson, Lorne (2010-08-06)."The wild ideas of Birmingham film-maker Ian Emes".Birmingham Post.Retrieved7 August2010.
- ^ab"Wrightish | Watersish.com".
- ^Burt, Kayti (2021-11-04)."Eternals Soundtrack List: Every Song From the Movie".Den of Geek.Retrieved2023-06-10.
- ^"What Song Plays During The Final Trailer For The Flash?".Looper.2023-05-25.Retrieved2023-06-10.
- ^"Italian single certifications – Pink Floyd – Time"(in Italian).Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.Retrieved26 November2020.Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Time" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^"New Zealand single certifications – Pink Floyd – Platinum".Radioscope.Retrieved20 January2025.TypePlatinumin the "Search:" field.
- ^"British single certifications – Pink Floyd – Time".British Phonographic Industry.Retrieved8 February2021.
- ^"Roger Waters / The Dark Side of the Moon Redux – SuperDeluxeEdition".2023-07-21.Retrieved2023-08-08.
- ^Rapp, Allison (2023-08-24)."Listen to Roger Waters' New Version of Pink Floyd's 'Time'".Ultimate Classic Rock.Retrieved2023-08-27.
- ^"Roger Waters Unveils New Version of Pink Floyd's" Time "".2023-08-24.Retrieved2023-08-27.
- ^Skinner, Tom (2023-08-24)."Roger Waters shares reworked version of Pink Floyd's 'Time'".NME.Retrieved2023-08-27.
- ^"Roger Waters: Hear His New Version of Pink Floyd's 'Time'".WDHA FM.2023-08-24.Retrieved2023-08-27.
External links
edit