Song of the Day: See Emily Play (Also the story of Syd Barrett)
See Emily Play by Pink Floyd was on the first album they released in 1967, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. For those who aren’t aware, Pink Floyd wasn’t always the same line-up. A man by the name of Syd Barrett was the frontman and co-founder of the band. Barrett was the lead singer and the guitarist. The band started out in 1965 and would release Piper At The Gates Of Dawn in 1967. Shortly after that, Barrett would be kicked out of the band. It was quite the drastic move especially since Barrett was considered the genius behind the bad. But it was also something that had to be done since Barrett essentially melted his mind due to his LSD use. Barrett developed a blank, dead eyed stare, thus the lyrics from future Pink Floyd song “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” that said “Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky”. Barrett would sometimes play the same chord throughout the entire show while other times he would randomly detune his guitar during a song. As a result the band eventually became so fed up that they decided to just not pick up Syd on the way to their next gig. David Gilmour would replace Barrett and things obviously went pretty well for Pink Floyd after that.
As far as Syd, he continued for 2 more years and put out 2 solo albums Madcap Laughs & Barrett. After that Barrett was rarely seen from and lived in seclusion. Stunningly in 1975 when Pink Floyd were finishing up Wish You Were Here, which had 2 songs dedicated to Barrett, he actually randomly showed up to the recording studio. Barrett showed up overweight, shaved head and no eyebrows. He was even jumping up and down brushing his teeth in the recording studio. At first none of the band recognized him due to his completely different appearance till Gilmour finally made the connection. The band played him “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” but Barrett was unable to make the connection that the song was actually about him. This disturbing appearance from their former bandmate and friend brought some of the band members to tears and it was actually the last time they would ever see Barrett again until his death in 2006. For the remainder of his life, Barrett lived as a recluse and focused on painting and gardening.
Syd Barrett through the years
Syd in 1963
Photo Credit: SydBarrett.com
Syd in 1969
Photo Credit: Rolling Stone
Barrett in 1975 at the Wish You Were Here recordings
Here’s what his solo career sounded like, Octopus from Syd Barrett’s first solo album The Madcap Laughs
Thanny