Tim's Records: The Wall (Pink Floyd, 1979)
Tim Vuotto ~ 10/31/2025
I’ve been waiting to write about this one for a long time. I can honestly say this album changed my life from the moment I first listened to it in 9th grade. It sent me down the deep discography that Pink Floyd offers and led me to many more of the gems that they’ve produced over the years. It’s a bitter sweet album as this was the second to last album with Roger Waters included as he finally left the band after the release of the following album The Final Cut, but did he ever go out with a bang.
Summary
Released on November 30th, 1979 it was their 11th studio recording. It was the end of an incredible run of albums Beginning with 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon, 1975’s Wish you were here, 1977’s Animals and then ending with 1979”s The Wall. This album is straight from the genius mind of band member Roger Waters. It is referred to as a “Rock Opera” which is an album that follows a set storyline from start to finish, each song serves as a chapter that pushes the plot forward. The album revolves around themes of desertion, isolation and psychosis. Also including real life experiences that Waters drew from his own childhood, such as losing his father during WW2. There's so many ways you could break down or interpret this album that's what makes it so special.
Storyline summary
I could write an entire article on the storyline itself , that's how incredibly deep it is. It focuses on a rock star simply referred to as “pink”. Pink is a tormented soul, from growing up without a father due to him dying in the war, dealing with an overbearing mother and a terrifying abusive schoolmaster he had a tough childhood. Later on he faces issues dealing with fame, infidelity/ a failing marriage and drug abuse. He feels totally isolated and always struggles to form meaningful relationships with his peers. He struggles to differentiate himself from his rockstar status and who he is off the stage, often feeling as if that's all people care about him for. He decides to build a metaphorical wall around himself, totally isolating himself from the outside world; he believes this will protect him from the pain from the outside world. He finds out fast that things aren't as good as he thought they’d be. Much of the charm of the album comes with not knowing what is real and what is actually happening inside of Pink's mind. Towards the end of the album he even thinks, with the help of a lot of LSD, that he becomes a neo-nazi tyrant and attempts to harm people the way he was harmed. The story ends with “The Trial” where Pink is put on trial , being accused of “showing feelings of an almost human nature” which isn’t acceptable since he decided to build the wall. The witnesses testifying against him are his Mother, School Master and his wife. He’s found guilty and is sentenced for his wall to be knocked down, fully exposing himself to all of his peers. If you listen closely, the album’s very first words are “We came in…” and last words on the last song "Isn't this where…” so the album never ends, it's a constant cycle that always repeats. Genius.
Track List/Song Rankings (!!!= must listen, !!= Good listen, != Skippable)
*Note: Since this album is a “Rock opera” most of the songs solely serve the purpose of pushing the narrative forward, I’m rating these from the perspective of if I heard them shuffled individually on the radio or separate from the album.
In the Flesh? (!!)
The Thin Ice (!!)
Another Brick in the Wall pt.1 (!)
The Happiest days of our lives/Another brick in the wall pt.2 (!!!)
Mother (!!)
Goodbye blue sky (!)
Empty Spaces/Young Lust (!!!)
One of my turns (!!)
Dont Leave me now (!!)
Another brick in the wall pt.3 (!)
Goodbye cruel world (!)
Hey You (!!!)
Is there anybody out there? (!!!)
Nobody home (!!)
Vera (!!)
Bring the boys back home (!)
Comfortably Numb (!!!)
The show must go on (!!)
In the flesh (!!)
Run Like hell (!!!)
waiting for the worms (!!)
Stop/The trial/Outside the wall (!!!)
Tim’s 3 picks
Another brick in the wall Pt.2 - Obvious choice, one of the most iconic tunes in rock. Even for people who aren't familiar with Pink Floyd , they more than likely know this one. Children rebelling against conformity and mind control found in schools, a fantastic idea for a song. With a super addictive chorus that easily gets stuck in one's head. An all time classic.
2. Young Lust - A euphoric LSD sex fueled funk track on an otherwise dark album? It sounds a bit off but it fits perfectly with the theme of the album. It delves into themes of infidelity and promiscuous women which is a consistent theme through the entire record. Water’s lays down one of his best bass lines in their catalog and you can’t help but sing along to the provocative lyrics. A must listen for fans of groovy rock tracks.
3. Comfortably numb - A top 10 rock song of all time. Pink ODs in his hotel room after a show , his managers break into his room, shoot him with narcan and literally drag him to his next show, only caring about him being able to perform. The broader concept that can be taken away is understanding circumstances one faces while also accepting them, is a relatable real world concept. It’s a slow build up to the greatest guitar solo ever written. It isn’t a solo you just sit back and listen to , it’s one you feel the weight of inside your soul.
* Tim’s Hidden Gem
Is there anybody out there?:
For anyone who’s heard the album you may be thinking I’m going crazy. At first listen, it seems as if it’s just dialogue and serves as one of those one off songs from the album that solely serves to move the plot forward, but hear me out. Not only is this song crucial for the plot, as it pushes into the second half of the album. If you get past the slow dialogue in the beginning, you get a beautiful guitar melody that is both beautiful as it is haunting. A must listen for those who are fans of slower melodic guitar work as this particular piece doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
Critical acclaim / Charting
The album debuted at #1 on the US rock album charts and spent a total of 15 weeks at the top spot. As well as #1 on the UK Charts for 5 weeks. The album is 23x platinum.
The single Another brick in the wall pt 2 also was #1 on both the UK and US charts. It still remains as Pink Floyd’s only #1 hit single.
Closing Thoughts
The album boasts a run time of 90 minutes which may seem like a lengthy run time but it's well worth it. It gives you a bit of everything, sorrowful tracks, funky groovy songs , drug fueled mayhem and the greatest guitar solo of all time. Truly an album in its own league and I encourage anyone reading who has not listened to this true piece of art, to do so.