By Ava Rainone
The album The Wall by Pink Floyd tells a story by making each song flow into the next. The Wall is a concept album about a fictional rock star named Pink who builds a figurative wall that separates himself from others after family, marital, and school issues.
The first song in the album, “In The Flesh?” begins with a spoken part, “We came in,” which blends nicely with the last song in the album, “Outside the Wall,” which ends with, “Is this where,” making the whole album into a loop, which is very creative—skipping to the fifth song of the album and one of the most recognizable, “Another Brick in the Wall pt 2.”. This song tells the story of a flawed education system and implies that “We are all just bricks in a wall.” This song has one of my favorite guitar parts in the album.
The sixth song in the album is “Mother.” This song tells the story of Pink’s overprotective mother and how, through her overprotection, she adds bricks to Pink’s wall. This is one of my favorite songs vocally because of its softer tone and the acoustic guitar.
Another song I enjoyed from the album is “Young Lust,” one of the more electric, upbeat songs. The next song on the album is “One of My Turns,” which begins with a woman's voice; it is assumed that the woman is a groupie and not Pink’s wife. The song starts slow and sad, then builds up and builds up until, eventually, there is the sound of breaking glass and an argument in which the woman runs away. The next song that piqued my interest was “Another Brick in the Wall pt 3”. The song is about Pink’s wife, presumably discovering his affair. The song fades into “Goodbye Cruel World”, which describes how Pink finishes his wall. Separating himself from the rest of the world.
Disc 2 begins with “Hey You,” which portrays how Pink is becoming frightened of the wall he has created, desperately wanting over the wall. “Nobody Home” is the third song on disc 2, which reminds me of the feeling of wanting to do something but being unable to due to being trapped inside your head. At this point in the album, part of Pink wants to get help, but the other part paralyzes him, leaving him there and unable to move. “Comfortably Numb” is one of my favorite songs on the album due to the guitar solo and the vocals that make it feel like you are falling down a hole. During this song, the singer is having an emotional journey to the past, referencing a fever he had as a child and saying he has that feeling again. The song then goes into “Must the Show Go On,” in which the singer is debating whether or not he can perform with this mental decay that he is in.
Next on the album is “In The Flesh”. As the singer spirals into insanity, he imagines himself performing at his concert as a dictator. “Stop” is the song where the singer finally starts to realize how far gone he is and wonders if he is responsible for why his mental state is the way it is. The song has piano elements with lyrics such as “I wanna go home, take off my uniform and leave the show. I’m waiting in this cell because I have to know. Have I been guilty all this time?” The song then goes into “The Trial,” in which the singer sings about putting himself on trial, then decides that his wall must be torn down and that he is the one guilty for building it in the first place.
The song calls upon people of Pink’s past, such as a schoolmaster, his wife, and his mother. The song ends with repeating chants of “Tear down the wall.” This transitions into the album's final song, “Outside the Wall.” The song is very much in a spoken tone and begins with the breaking down of the wall. The song ends with the phrase, “Isn't this where-” which perfectly matches back up to the beginning of the album. The song feels like the end of a battle and calmer than the other songs in the album.
Pink Floyd's The Wall is unlike any other album I have heard. It is a concept album that tells a story. You may have to listen to it multiple times to truly understand it, but this album is genuinely more than just lyrics, a beat, and a guitar solo; It is a story that I recommend listening to.
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