Two Suns in the Sunset
| "Two Suns in the Sunset" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Pink Floyd from the album The Final Cut | |
| Published | Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd |
| Released |
21 March 1983 (UK) 2 April 1983 (US) |
| Recorded | July–December 1982 |
| Genre | Progressive rock |
| Length | 5:23 |
| Label |
Harvest Records (UK) Capitol Records (US) |
| Writer(s) | Roger Waters |
| Producer(s) | Roger Waters, James Guthrie and Michael Kamen |
"Two Suns in the Sunset" is the closing track on Pink Floyd's 1983 concept album The Final Cut, and Roger Waters' final chronological contribution to the band, before leaving in 1985.[1][2]
Lyrics and music
Partway through the song, the lyric "the sun is in the east, even though the day is done" refers to the glowing fireball of a nuclear explosion.[3] The song was partly inspired by Andrzej Wajda's movie Ashes and Diamonds (Polish: Popiół i Diament)[4]
Session drummer Andy Newmark plays drums on this song, as Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason was unable to perform the song, due to its complex time signature changes. The song begins and ends in 9/8 time, while the majority of the song is in 4/4 (or "common time"), and it is punctuated with added measures of 7/8 and 3/8. Adding to the complexity, the main theme of the rhythm guitar has chords changing emphatically in dotted eighth notes, so three eighth-note beats are divided equally in two. This is not unlike what "Mother", from the previous Pink Floyd album, The Wall, does, and on that song, Mason relinquished the drumming duties, in that case to Jeff Porcaro.[5][6][7]
Personnel
- Roger Waters — bass guitar, lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- David Gilmour — guitar
with:
- Andy Newmark — drums
- Andy Bown — Hammond organ
- Raphael Ravenscroft — saxophone
- Michael Kamen — piano
See also
References
- ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- ↑ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
- ↑ Glenn Povey (2007). Echoes: The Complete History of Pink Floyd. Mind Head Publishing. ISBN 0-9554624-0-1.
- ↑ http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/roger-waters-interviews/may-26th-2006-poland-web-portal.html
- ↑ Pink Floyd: The Wall (1980 Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., London, England, ISBN 0-7119-1031-6 [USA ISBN 0-8256-1076-1])
- ↑ Pink Floyd: The Final Cut (1983 Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., London, England.)
- ↑ Terry Bezer, Vintage Pink Floyd Interview — Part 1, Classic Rock Magazine, 26 March 2009.
