Shine On You Crazy Diamond: A Tribute to the Man Who Started it All

 

Pink Floyd was a band that was considered to be the greatest of their time, if not one of the greatest of all time. Their music is fueled by raw emotions and intense guitar solos, and almost everyone around the world has at least heard their name. Founded in 1965 by Syd Barrett, the band went on to sell out tours internationally and become one of the most critically-acclaimed bands in history. But before that happened, the band's founder, Syd, was dropped from the group due to his misuse of drugs. Nevertheless, his name lived on in both the band's and audience's minds, and from that came "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a tribute to the man who started it all.

The largely instrumental suite is split into 9 parts with no clear boundary between them; the parts flow from one to the next like honey in July. It is considered to be "one of Pink Floyd's most vivid masterpieces" (Writing Endeavor). Parts 1-5 open the "Wish You Were Here" album, while parts 6-9 serve as an outro. 

Lyrics

There are little to no vocal elements throughout the piece, considering the length; rather, it is filled with guitar and saxophone solos. The 24-minute suite is composed of the following lyrics:

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun
Shine on you crazy diamond
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky
Shine on you crazy diamond

You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom
Blown on the steel breeze

Come on you target for faraway laughter
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine

You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon
Shine on you crazy diamond
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light
Shine on you crazy diamond

Well you wore out your welcome with random precision
Rode on the steel breeze

Come on you raver, you seer of visions
Come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine

The massive wait between the lyrics makes it more worthwhile when the vocalists finally do employ their instrument. The vocals are melancholy, rich, and full of meaning, which ultimately makes this tribute to the band's founder more emotional. 

Rhythm

This song follows the 3/4 time signature and follows the key of G minor. One might think these elements would change throughout the length of the song, perhaps to make it more interesting to listen to, but this is not the case. The piece is interesting enough with a single time signature and key.

Dynamics

Because the song follows a single time signature and key, the artists were forced to make the piece dynamically interesting in order to keep the audience interested. The beginning of the suite starts off with a very slow crescendo of background synth before opening into a leading flute melody. Throughout the piece, there are multiple crescendos and decrescendos of different instruments, including the vocalists (for example, the beginning verse, "Remember when you were young", crescendos into the chorus, "Shine on you crazy diamond"). 

The song can be listened to here. I highly recommend listening to the piece all the way through, as it bears tribute to one of the most important men in classic rock history. 

References

Writing Endeavor's analysis of Shine On You Crazy Diamond

The background and works of Pink Floyd