Answer:
Pink Floyd, formed in 1965, is a band venerable for its exploration of atypical themes through
their lyrics and aural elements. They were especially noted for a wide range of experimentation
with sound as a narrative element in their songs. They are credited for playing a key role in the
evolution of ‘Progressive Rock’ as a genre. They ascribed several characteristics of a
progressive rock piece by successfully engaging with music as a means to create texts, breaking
standard song structures and extended compositions. Their compositions included the creation of
a sense of space through atmospheric elements of meticulous guitar tones, keyboard and vocal
arrangements, and strategically constructed rhythm sections. Their lyrics explored philosophical
themes in a careful manner. Pink Floyd is also credited for popularizing the idea of a concept
album. A concept album is a collection of tracks that contribute to a larger, single narrative. In
concept albums, each consecutive song acts as a supplementary narrative, musically and
thematically to form a complete story. This paper focuses on Pink Floyd’s song, ‘Time’, which
forms the third track of their renowned concept album, Dark Side of The Moon.
Explanation:
Pink Floyd's song, 'Time' is a composition of several strands of the story, aural and verbal,that
complement and conflate the narrative. The song negotiates the concept of time and time itself as
it progresses. Towards the end of the song, David Gilmour sings "the time is gone, the song is
over, thought I'd something more to say", immediately establishing a constraint of time for a
song that talks of the nature of time. In this context, there is a compositional duality at play
where time controls the song and the song exerts control over the concept of time.
Composers have noticed that a general thought that arises in musicians while writing is how an
audience or an imaginary audience would respond to a particular creation, however Pink Floyd's
songwriting was not always constrained by such considerations and this allowed them the scope
to break the 3 minute barrier imposed by the conventions of broadcast time on radio. Pink
Floyd's Time stands at 6 minutes and 52 seconds and its album (Dark Side of The Moon)
remained on the charts for a record-breaking 741 weeks. People continue to think about it even
when there's nothing more for the creator to say, moving beyond textual time.