You outdid yourself on this one, Rick! I'm impressed, really. I thought you'd analyze this song as good, but sort of basic and over played. I'm SO glad you accentuated all the intricacies about this song and how perfectly it all fits together to create something so much bigger than all its parts. This song has been my favorite song for as long as I can remember, my whole life almost - well, I guess since the wall came out haha. I NEVER get tired of listening to it. I definitely thank you for explaining to the public some of the things that make this song sound so good. 👍🎸🎵✔
I'm giving you a thumbs up not only because you love this song -- which is one of my all-time favs also -- but because your moniker is a railroad (I'm a railfan).
Fans from China, I like your channel very much. I appreciate your explanation of the song Comfortably Numb. This is also one of my favorite songs. I really like the first guitar solo. I know many people feel that the second The guitar solo is very classic, but I've always preferred the first verse. The first time I heard it was in 1991 when I was 17 years old. At that time, the only Pink Floyd album that could be bought in China was The Wall. My brother bought it for me. He knew that I like rock music. This album has no Chinese lyrics, and I don't know what it means, but when I first heard David Gilmour's extraordinary singing and introduced the first guitar solo, I burst into tears, and I don't know why. In the following years, I still listen to it occasionally. Every time I hear the first guitar solo, I still cry like the first time I heard it. I guess this is the magic of music. Without words, the melody can tell a story. Thank you for your explanation and analysis, let me understand more, thank you!
I'm not a musician but I don't know why I like it when Rick gets all technical with F minor G flat jargons. I guess I just appreciate all the musicians who sprinkle salt into this world.
@JustKeith don’t give up yet! We can’t possibly know what the future holds for musical artists. There might be some radical shift in themes and complexity. I mean, ‘50s and early ‘60s music was pretty poppy and fluffy, then along came the 1970s.
The outro solo is my favorite solo of all time. Pure genius. I'm a drummer myself, and whenever I play to it, I keep wishing I could be the one on guitar.😂
WOW. You read my mind!!! I'm a drummer too and I always think the same exact thing !!!!! I processed the song and removed the drum track. Then I played the drum track myself and recorded a video of me playing it so I can always remember the incredible beauty of this song........ even though I secretly wish I was playing the guitar instead of the drums.
Thank you Rick for transmitting your love of Pink Floyd , I'm a 68 years old , and I'm a great fan of Pink Floyd since the beginning , ummugumma was my first musical schock,.Comfortably numb is so moving deeply, I got the chance to play this song, of course I cannot equalize David Gilmour , but it was an hommage to this great guitarist and great singer. I was moved . One of my favourite version of this song is the PULSE version. Each time I listen to it , I m in the edge of tears. It's a sad song .hello from France , hello from Paris.. Thank tou again for sharing your love of music.
It's an AMAZING album. I can still smell the plastic as I ripped it off on Christmas day back in 1979 when I was 15. There's been nothing like this before or after. Side question: How does rick separate out the tracks like that?
My guess is that he has some sort of software program which allows him to separate the tracks, on other videos he also mentions that he can sometimes get the original track recordings from the band or studio since he has many connections in the music industry
David Gilmour did that legendary second solo as a first take. He thought he could do a better one, but no matter how much he tried he couldn’t top it. Producer Bob Ezrin said “You got it in the first take”, and that’s the one they used. Genius.
I know this first hand working on the film Sully. Clint Eastwood does that too. One take, maybe two but he likes to roll the camera during dress rehearsal as well. Catch us when we're not looking. Awesome
@Mutant Squirrel The first take she improvised solo with words like 'baby baby...' , the band then said no, try again without words, as you say, like an instrument. Then bingo!
When i was younger we played this song and a couple others from Pink Floyd like Money, run like hell and wish you were here.. these song were always the crowd pleasers and I still love to play Pink Floyd song although I barely play the guitar these days..
No matter how many times you play Comfortably Numb, even on repeat, it hits you right in the feels every. single. time. Never has there been a more goosebump-inducing song in the history of prog rock. Even Echoes, which is my personal favorite Floyd song, doesn't come close.
Fahulous! A friend (a very good one ,once told me the story about the deal between Rger and David to play on each other's tours. So,I hastened to my office and booked tickets to see Roger's Wall..hoping with every fibre to see DG too. Well,so having managed to get my lovely wife to come with me .allergic to prog prior. To that we adopted a strategic place on the O2 floor,m. Situated just abaft the sound stacks which included some audience mics. I was notvdissappointed! In fact,having told my best friend all about it!Especially the moment when my darling wife told me that it was probably the best concert she had ever seen,He,my friend,did what he does and hit the Web only to tell me la5er that he had found a recording online (ROGER£s website,had heard the awesome AaDG solo know Comfortably numb,but also %yor/my "Yirly scream% when David appeared atop the wall! So,on inspection myself,it seemed,clear as is possible in a packed and noisy stadium!???Hilar8ous and onev5o dine out on for weeksI was so moved by it all that I triedbto repeat the experience for my own first born son and gave him two tickets for his 21at! It worked! He loved it too and didn't stop talking about it e8ther!SPGTD
Comfortably Numb is one of only four "perfect 10" songs I've found in my 60 years on this earth -- and the only one with lyrics I can understand (my comprehension of Latin being what is is!). This subjective list is completely my own. It's hard to pin down exactly what elevates a piece of music to the list, but it has something to do with how I view the job I've done as a father to my two sons. To me, the specific lyric you mention above defines the time in every child's life when they suddenly realize that everything is not 100% good in the world. It seems to happen around 5 years old. I remember the moment specifically in both my sons' lives, and it still evokes great heartache in me, even though they both grew up happily and know have a beautiful family of their own!
The angst of Roger Waters contrasted with the grounding etherials of Gilmore was just such a perfect experience... hard to describe, but definitely an experience. 'Comfortably Numb'... the unspoken aspiration of all addiction, this song is a beautiful and empathetic lamentation for a lost companion IMO. So much of their music was, in effect, lamenting the loss of Syd Barrett, if you know the story it is chilling to hear it in the music, the 'softly spoken magic spell' that calls the pipers sometimes to their doom. I love Pink Floyd man...
your great man, mind some creative criticism? Use right hand vibrato, i cut my bar and re bent it so it can stay in my hand like David does, so i can tremolo dive, use mild vibrato without ever having to let go of the bar. I started playing guitar in 1983 and Gilmour was my inspiration. Also learn how David plucks his way into his next note. Especially when he goes high on the neck. I call them string sweeps but plucky at the same time. It's hard to do. Thank you for your videos and your appreciation for The Floyd and David.
True Story: When I was a young man my band covered Comfortably Numb and we would always play it note for note and then do an extended jam at the end. There was a girl in the crowd that I had known my whole life and was WAY out of my league. However, after watching me play the solo to Comfortably Numb she decided I was hot enough for her. She is now my wife and we have 2 kids and have been married for almost two decades. Thanks Pink Floyd. LOL!
I have no idea how you can create, imagine such music piece by piece. I know great music doesn't spring fully formed from the forehead of Zeus but still.
I’m gobsmacked, I’m a 57 year old Welshman 🏴, this song has been with me most of my life, yet it feels I’ve never properly listened to it, what a gift you have revealed to me Rick, you legend 👏🙏😁
I think this is your most heart felt episode Rick. Your feelings at the end really come out and your channel is not just about music but about your love and appreciation of it and how other talented musicians influence your deep music soul.
I have always found that looking into particular songs can destroy the mystery of the work, like when you don't really know the lyrics, then you're disappointed when you actually look the lyrics up .... Rick has the knack of not destroying any mystery; he illuminates the crevices and makes it even more amazing. Rick, you're doing such a service for us even though i don't know notes from adam, i'm a drummer not a musician,. Thank you.
"Drummer not a musician??" With all due respect, shouldn't one strive to be a musician who plays the drums? We play music on our respective instruments. In your case, you make music playing the drums.
Hey, Rick! I don't know if you ever read these comments, but, if you do, I want you to know that I listen to music entirely different since I began following you... Thank you for the knowledge and talent that you share. You, Sir, are incredibly gifted, and I hope I can meet you some day. Keep on rockin in the free world, and keep sharing these great videos!
What is amazing is that if you watch the Pulse live version, you realize that David Gilmour took a perfect solo and made it even more perfect. I am thankful that I saw him in concert with Floyd in Raleigh NC back in 1994.
@Brad Swenson I saw it back to back as well!! I live in Ga but we drove to legion field in Birmingham Alabama on a Wednesday and watched show. Then several days later saw them again on Saturday at Bobby Dodd stadium in Atlanta.
Its one of the greatest pieces of music thats ever been created in my opinion. Beautiful song. Man this song still sends goose bumps up my spine. Even my 23 year old daughter loved it has a kid. Transends generations music like this. Auto Tune free :) I can see your soul playing that solo, its beautiful.
What always appealed to me about the closing solo is that it has an "angry" tone to it. Kind of a feel of frustration that the first solo doesn't have. Gilmour is an absolute maestro.
@Clean Penida The sedative is given during the second verse. When the doctor goes "just a little pin-prick" and you hear Pink scream. The sedative really wears of at the end of Waiting for the Worms when the chanting about the hammers is interrupted by STOP!
@Sheldon Montgomery Yep. It got so bad that when they finally toured the album, they had their trailers parked so that no band member's trailer was facing any other band member's trailer. Parked rear-to-rear, with a "no-mans land" in the centre. Fkin hilarious. Spinal Tap level absurdity.
Both Solo's have ALWAYS hit me right in the soul whenever I have heard them. David Gilmour can say say more in 3 notes than most other guitarist can even begin to try to express with 20 notes!
Rick you really are a gem. I am a musician and have struggled with mental health issues, but your educational videos are a crack of light in what is (especially at the moment) a fragile world. A teacher never truly knows the depths to what their shared knowledge has reached. Your enlightenment will be passed onto other aspiring & master musicians and music lovers for years to come!
This will be a classic for another 200 years. It is so beautiful in the mind once it enters your ears . Best listened with headphones and then close your eyes
The lyrics in this section is central to the whole song, something universal that we all relate to but gets overlooked for its significance even in this wonderful exposition. "When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone. I cannot put my finger on it now, the child has grown, the dream is gone!" Haunting!
This might be your best "what makes this song great..." ever. Your love of the source material shines through. I have friends who aren't even musicians who watch your videos religiously because of HOW you go about breaking everything down and your meticulousness. You're one of the best things on BRvid. I'm a drummer and I've been hitting those walk downs with the bass drum constantly. You'd think I would have noticed that Mason doesn't do that on my own, but I had to have you show me! Thanks Rick!
@Douglas Brittain Absolutely: Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
@ruurdokus1 It is counter-intuitive but I am quite certain 99.99% of drummers would have made a hash out of this song by overplaying it. Nick Mason’s secret weapon here IS his simplicity - I would neither add nor subtract a single note on this track. I have students who can play note-perfect renditions of Tom Sawyer but struggle to play this track with the requisite spaciousness and feel.
Really? I have always felt that a more skilled drummer would add more to the song than Nck Mason does. Compared to other prog rock bands the drums are so simple. In my opinion too simple...
One of Rick's best videos, if not THE best. Can't believe I'm just now seeing this one. How do you take one of the greatest songs ever, and discuss/analyze it in a way that elevates it even more?...just click 'play.' High point after high point-contrasting the 2 guitar solos, isolating the vocals, the orchestration behind everything, and the 'history' tidbits, from the early David demo to the significance of the The Wall to Rick. Bravo.
I know it's been said many times before, but David Gilmour's subtle nuanced soloing is just staggering. It's so weighty. It feels like he's picking up notes like bricks and building a musical house.
25:22 -- One aspect Rick fails to mention are the GAPS in the outro solo! Sometimes, it's what Gilmour leaves OUT that creates the beauty of the phrases and the solo compleat.
As great as this song is, it really shines the most when it is played live. In particular, the way David shreds the outro solo is absolutely legendary.
@Sharon Gildehaus There's a maximum continuous play of a song during a reaction he can do without a copyright strike. Try a reaction clip of this solo uninterrupted, maybe use a throwaway account.
But this is the most beautiful solo ever played! We have the right to deconstruct it in order to understand what makes it so emotional. So I think Rick is totally right. Play, pause, analyse, repeat. then go on. How else could we understand?
Even though your discussing Floyd in beautiful detail, you are also showing your unbelievable love and passion for music ... So great so excellent. Thank you for your talent filled wisdom
I have never heard this song before. It’s beautiful. It’s interesting to hear Rick point out what makes it great right as I’m hearing it for the first time in my life because I’m like… yeah, he’s sooo right.
The double kick drum Rick is talking about at 24:00 hits me more than anything else. Given the "medical" nature of this song, this double hit feels like atrial fibrillation. It's as if a heart is taking a double beat and combined with the half time at ~64 bpm, just makes this fit so perfectly. I found that while listening to this song, not only did it fill me with frisson, but my heartbeat matched. There's 12k comments on this, so this comment will likely be lost forever; but maybe it's enough for me to just know it's recorded somewhere out there.
Well, I don't know if I'm humbled, humiliated or embarrassed having just listened to Rick's incredible analysis and dissection of this classic work by PF. I always approached music as art that I let flow over me without giving any thought about or credit to the genius behind the song. When I picked up a guitar for fun three years ago at age 70 it became more obvious how much work musicians actually put into their creations. Very grateful that Rick lends his considerable talent toward helping me appreciate music even more.
I put down my bass 15 years ago. Decided to pick it back up and dicovered I couldn't play! Now, at 68, on a whole new road playing for myself, not a part of a band.
@Vincent Williamson Great, that means Rick and I agree and that he didn't deem it unnecessary to point it out despite everybody with an operational brain already knowing it. As for you, your chops and your practice schedule I couldn't care less which is why I wasn't talking to you in the first place.
I understand your deep emotion on this masterpiece, feeling the same without having a musical background. All four had been on their peak at that time.
Rick: "I still have the same feeling when I hear this song that I did when I was a senior in high school"... That one sentence encapsulates exactly why this channel is such a success. Rick - your genuine love of music that shines through again and again is infectious and touches the soul of anyone who shares that deep love and appreciation. Bravo sir!
100% An expert who also happens to be a nice guy and who never patronises his audience. That is a winning combination. I wish we as a fanbase could all get together and throw Rick the mother of all parties.
I must have watched this video 100 times. I absolutely love it and imagine to have David on your show Rick - that would me amazing. Keep up the good work and cheers from Sweden.
Well that was one of the most satisfying and validating 31.06 musical minutes I've had in a long while haha... So good, this is one of my most favourite songs ever thank you!
The amount of dedication in your work is something we don’t see a lot these days…I’m 22 years old and you have a great impact on not just me but any of your subscribers! The things you hear and talk about in the songs, especially like Comfortably Numb, are such a great experience to feel! I really hope that the smile on your face will never fade while you’re bending those strings! Great breaking down of the masterpiece, master!
Pink Floyd is my favorite band, has been since I heard Dark Side of the Moon in 1973 when I was ten years old. Black Sabbath is my other favorite band since i heard them in 1973. David Gilmore and Tony Iommi masters of beauty.
I am not a musician and don't understand half of the terms you're using, but this breakdown is incredible. I will never listen to this song in the same way. Thank you, sir.
I used to play this song when in a band, we would close with this one. This inspired one on the most meaningful and complimentary comments from an audience member that I have ever received, " Brian, while you were playing the last solo, ALL of my troubles just went away......" Thank you, David Gilmore and crew!!! Still brings tears proper.
@Dag The Ger Remember when David and Roger put their differences aside and played in that charity concert? I remember the goofy hosts having no appreciation of the enormity of that moment.
Without the conflict between David and Roger, you have to wonder if the song wouldn't have been as great. Too bad they could not get past that (when it mattered most)
Only Beato could make this classic great song cooler than we even we thought it was...I mean who would've thought there was anything more to say or think about this masterpiece?
I think when Dave recorded the second solo he must have been really in the zone. He’s completely in the the mood of the song and the solo absolutely captures the emotion of the song
Rick didn’t talk about how Gilmore achieved the beautiful tone on the solos, which really is the greatest achievement in this incredible song. For the solos, Gilmour played his iconic black 1969 Fender Strat into an amp setup that was essentially a smaller version of his stage performance rig, consisting of a 100-watt Hiwatt half stack and a Yamaha RA-200 revolving speaker system, with the Hiwatt and Yamaha run in parallel.
One of the things I like about Rick’s videos is that he speaks as if the person watching the video is in the room with him and following along without interrupting. Sure makes his videos seem more personal to me.
I find it like a fitness test when I play, I never get it quite right, not even close to be honest, and I always hear something new. I guess it's like comparing my football playing to Messi or Ronaldo.
David Gilmour had a BEAUTIFUL voice (tone quality is stunning), and he was a brilliant guitarist (still is of course). Gilmour also has darn near perfect pitch and interval relationships (I’d be curious as to what you think Rick - I think it’s perfect pitch as in perfect relative pitch as he doesn’t seem to have lost his sense of pitch over the decades like the folks with that rare “inborn perfect pitch” seem to do…
@Shallnot U2 is fantastic, I can’t believe I forgot them. Yes they are definitely in there and towards the top of tier 2. REM could be as well. As for the Peppers, Frusicante is my personal favorite guitar player of all time. Flea is up there with McCartney Waters and Jones in greatest bass players of all time. If you don’t like their famous typical funk stuff, I’d encourage you to listen to “universally speaking”, “dosed”, “The Zephyr Song”, “Wet Sand”, and my all time favorite RHCP song, “I Could Have Lied”. All those songs have beautiful harmonies, guitar work, bass work, and song writing. That being said though there’s a lot of great bands. Many would argue Stones would be up there with Beatles and Zeppelin but I don’t think they are on the same level. One thing everyone in this comment section can agree on is music is amazing and rock is awesome.
I’ve listened to this song hundreds of times and yet you brought it to life even more for me! Rick please keep doing what you’re doing. Your passion is so uplifting!
I also love how Roger’s half-spoken section sounds so menacing even though he’s playing the role of a doctor trying to comfort the ill Pink (“the scene” was based on Roger’s memories of having a severe fever and sore throat as a child and BEING SURROUNDED BY DOCTORS at the hospital as his mother was terrified he would die as his father died in WWII and the specter of another loss terrified her - ignore the caps sorry - and then a shot of morphine). The switch to Gilmour’s beautiful section basically acts out the feeling of the morphine kicking in - like a lotus flower blooming in the chest. The beauty comes from the pain…
Hands down this is my favorite song, and Pink Floyd is one of my two or three favorite bands. I still have the same reaction every time I listen to it after more than 40 years, and Rick does a fantastic job explaining how all the complex pieces come together to create a masterpiece. I'm one of the few who were lucky enough to see the Floyd perform the The Wall live on the original tour at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, NY while I was in college (the only other place they performed it in the U.S. was L.A. because the production was so elaborate): it is the most memorable concert I've ever been to, and seeing David Gilmour perform live was amazing, especially Comfortably Numb!
Loved the attention to Kamen's orchestration in this episode. In your interview series have you talked to any of the people responsible for these kind of backing orchestrations?
I always thought it was Rick Wright on overdubbed keyboards, but listening to this excellent breakdown I realise it can't be, so I've learnt something today. Rick Wright plays Hammond organ.
I suffer from depression and anxiety. One of the places I find my therapy is in the music that I love, and this song (and Pink Floyd generally) is one of the places I turn to for therapy. I recall a few years back, driving down a country road after a particularly difficult day, and this song coming on my Spotify playlist. The first chorus kicked in, and I had one of the most cathartic cries of my lifetime. Incredible song. Simple, but aesthetically perfect.
@0000song0000 can you elaborate on that? My love for this song and album has a slightly shadowy fear that it could pull me down into an inescapable pit of existential angst.
i totally recommend going going to a Roger Waters' The Wall shows... before i went that record sounded so sad to me... now each time i hear it i remember how ecstatic that show feels
By zen moment is from their Breathe (Reprise) from Dark Side of the Moon Home, home again I like to be there when I can When I come in cold and tired It's good to warm my bones beside the fire Far away across the field The tolling of the iron bell Calls the faithful to their knees To hear the softly spoken magic spells.
Same with me but for Return to Serenity, as soon I know the solos coming it’s like someone else takes over. I walk everywhere with my head down, not with that song on for some reason🤷🏽♂️
We need more of this series Rick!! I think I’ve watched most of them it’s so addicting!! Love you channel man and merry Christmas to you and your family! I love how excited you get about music too, it really puts a smile on my face 😊
“My hands felt just like two balloons.” I did have a high fever when I was very young. That was the first time I’d ever heard anyone accurately describe what I felt at the time. I remember the fear so vividly and that terrible feeling of my hands floating at the end of my arms.
I listened to the whole of The Wall (the full album) twice in one day while driving. The insight that I came out of that experience with was exactly what Rick opens with. It’s an album of dark/light contrast. There’s really dark material right up against a solo that will just be triumphal and soaring-almost victorious. High contrast. Your sinking through the ice then your soaring through the air-then when your soaring through the air the sky falls. The whole album puts right up against eachother these sublime extremes.
So here’s my thing about this song, this song perfectly encapsulates the wall. Or the song is a perfect analogy for the mood of the wall. Up front you have this beautiful soaring solo like we want to project in person , and in the background you have a dark, brooding baseline like in the back of our heads that show how we really feel. It’s a perfect song. The bass line doesn’t get the credit it deserves
Brilliant - shame to leave out the amazing contributions of Rick Wright - a huge contributor to the sound. Hear David and Rick play this in Gilmour’s band it really is the soul of Floyd
@John Locke the proper tools, and lots of experience using them, for that part. But yeah, how he gets the master tracks is a mystery to me. (That I wouldn’t mind having busted open, though also kind of appreciate as being left a mystery. 🤷♀️)
Your passion and expression at 23:37 is contagious! Great in-depth of a huge song! I was wondering what makes this apparently simple song sound so magic, thank you for open these magic boxes through your knowledge, priceless! 👏👏👏
I've loved this song since it was released. It's by far the best song on 'The Wall' and as good as anything Pink Floyd ever recorded. I thought I knew it backwards, but then I watched this video. You've taken my appreciation to a whole new level. Something that struck me recently is that their performance of it at Live 8 was in my opinion superior to the original Wall concerts in 1980. So impressive.
geeeeeeeeeees RICK why on earth was I constantly smiling and crying, smiling crying, smiling crying all the time with your review of this masterpiece ? AMAZING. You nailed EVERYTHING, when to explain , when to play along when not, when to stop. THE BEST ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I don't imagine there's much about the nuts and bolts of songwriting and music in general that's mystifying to you, Rick. I find myself less mystified the more I learn. That said, you show no signs of being jaded by your knowledge, and the enthusiasm you show in these videos is nothing less than infectuous. And it's inspiring. And I just wanted you to know that the greatest lesson I take from every one of your "What Makes This Song Great" videos is your entusiasm and love of music. You're every bit as much a treasure to the industry as the artists you cover. Thanks for all you do.
My all time favorite song. Just speaks to me. David Gilmour is a master. Thank you for giving me b more to appreciate about Pink Floyd. Class of 1980 myself as well. My jank8e little VW squareback never sounded so good when Floyd was on.
rick, this video felt a bit like a dissection class of a frog 🐸. let me explain. this is a song that many of us grew up listening to, and loved for many reasons. your video showed us the guts and innards of the song. it showed us the sinews, tendons, and musculature holding the song together. indeed, your video showed us the very beating heart of the composition. the song had a magical quality and timelessness about it. in part, the magical gravity of the song was perhaps due to the lyrical weight, the sublime vocal delivery, the most delicate, judicious choice of notes by gilmour, and the orchestration. yet, the whole, however - was not just a sum of the parts. it seems to me that the magic and the mystical nature of music is sometimes beyond the the expression of words and language. perhaps that is both the essence, and function of music and the import of your video. thank you.
