Us And Them
From Pink Floyd
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Song Name: Us And Them
Artist: Pink Floyd
Album: The Dark Side Of The Moon, Shine On, Echoes: The Best Of Pink Floyd
Run Time: 7:34
Year: 1973
Track Number: 7
Sung By: David Gilmour, Richard Wright (Harmony)
Written By: Richard Wright, Roger Waters
| Echoes: The Best Of Pink Floyd | ||
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Info:
- "Us and Them" is rather quiet in tone and dynamics. It has two saxophone solos in it, one at the beginning and another towards the end of the song. Rick Wright introduces the song with harmonies on his Hammond organ and put a piano chordal backing and short piano solo afterwards on the arrangement. The verses have a unique almost jazzy chord sequence: D sus 2, D 6, D minor major 7 and G (with D in the bass sustained as a pedal point throughout) Especially the D minor chord with a major 7 is a rarity in 1970s pop music. In the middle, there is a break during which several characters including Pink Floyd roadie "Roger the Hat" speak (during the recording of this a number of interviews were laid down, including with Paul and Linda McCartney who were recording in the same studio). Before its release, the song was known as "The Violent Sequence" which is available on bootlegs.
- The song describes the tendency of people to partition themselves from those who are different, in cases such as war, politics, and social class. Moreover, it is a description of the battle between citizens desires and their government; the battle between, "us and them." Some fans believe the song was influenced by Roger Waters' father dying in World War II, and this is created by the fact that the music has the slow jazz style, which is usually related to the 40s. Hence, the song is in fact a time warp to the 40s culture in Britain, and the rise of the pacifists.
- The tune was originally written on the piano by Rick for the movie Zabriskie Point in 1969; this is where the "Violent Sequence" title came from. Director Michelangelo Antonioni rejected it on the grounds that it was too unlike their "Careful with That Axe, Eugene"-esque work; as Waters recalls it in impersonation, Antonioni's response was, "It's beautiful, but too sad, you know? It makes me think of church." The song was shelved until Dark Side Of The Moon.
- The song has been covered by Between the Buried and Me on the album The Anatomy Of.
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