Welcome to the Machine
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"Welcome to the Machine" | |
---|---|
Song by Pink Floyd | |
from the album Wish You Were Here | |
Published | Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd |
Released | September 13, 1975 |
Recorded | 25 February – 28 July 1975[1] |
Genre | |
Length | 7:25 |
Label |
|
Songwriter(s) | Roger Waters |
Producer(s) | Pink Floyd |
"Welcome to the Machine" is the second song on Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here.[3][4] It features heavily processed vocals, layers of synthesizers, acoustic guitars as well as a wide range of tape effects. The song was written by bassist Roger Waters.
Recording
The track was built upon a basic throbbing sound made by an
Time signatures
Like many Pink Floyd songs, "Welcome to the Machine" features some variations in its metre and time signatures. Each bass "throb" of the VCS synthesizer is notated as a quarter note in the sheet music, and each note switches from one side of the stereo spread to the next. Although the introduction of the song (when the acoustic guitar enters) does not actually change time signatures, it does sustain each chord for three measures, rather than two or four, resulting in a nine-bar intro where an even number of bars might be expected.
The verses and choruses are largely in 4
4, or "common time". However, on the line "It's all right, we know where you've been", a measure of 7
4 is inserted, shortening the sequence, and causing the left-right stereo panning to be reversed for quite some time. An instrumental section begins, with the acoustic guitar adding variations in its strum pattern, until it switches to 3
4 for a length of time, when a 12-string acoustic riff is introduced, ascending up the E minor scale until the chord changes to C major seventh. Finally, the instrumental section ends, and the second verse begins. With the lyric, "It's all right, we told you what to dream", once again a measure of 7
4 is inserted, and the stereo panning is finally returned to normal. Incidentally, these two phrases beginning with "It's all right ..." are the only parts to feature any chord other than some form of E minor or C major—these phrases go to an A bass in the first verse, and in the second verse, the acoustic guitar articulates the A as a major chord, with its C♯ in contradiction of the frequent C chords. The song remains in 4
4 from this point forward.[6]
Music video
The
Personnel
Music and lyrics by Roger Waters.
- David Gilmour – six and 12-string acoustic guitars, double-tracked vocals
- Nick Mason – timpani, cymbals
- Roger Waters – bass guitar, EMS VCS 3
- Richard Wright – EMS VCS 3, Hammond organ, ARP String Ensemble, Minimoog
Live performances
The song was performed for the first time on Pink Floyd's 1977
Pink Floyd would play the song again on their A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour (1987–89) where Tim Renwick played lead guitar, while Gilmour played a 12-string acoustic guitar. These renditions were not synchronised to the film.
The song was performed by Roger Waters during his 1984-85
Studio notes
David Gilmour's quotes on the recording process, taken from the Wish You Were Here songbook.[5]
The only time we've ever used tape speed to help us with vocals was on one line of the Machine song. It was a line I just couldn't reach so we dropped the tape down half a semitone and then dropped the line in on the track.
— David Gilmour, 1975, WYWH Songbook
It's very much a made-up-in-the-studio thing which was all built up from a basic throbbing made on a VCS 3, with a one repeat echo used so that each 'boom' is followed by an echo repeat to give the throb. With a number like that, you don't start off with a regular concept of group structure or anything, and there's no backing track either. Really it is just a studio proposition where we're using tape for its own ends -- a form of collage using sound.
— David Gilmour, 1975, WYWH Songbook
It's very hard to get a full synthesiser tone down on tape. If you listen to them before and after they've been recorded, you'll notice that you've lost a lot. And although I like the sound of a synthesiser through an amp, you still lose something that way as well. Eventually what we decided to do was to use D.I. on synthesiser because that way you don't increase your losses and the final result sounds very much like a synthesiser through a stage amp.
— David Gilmour, 1975, WYWH Songbook
Cover Versions
Shadows Fall recorded a cover of the song on their 2002 album, The Art of Balance.
Queensrÿche recorded a cover of the song on their 2007 covers album, Take Cover.
Finger Eleven recorded a cover of the song on their 2023 Greatest Hits album.
References
- ISBN 9780316439237.
- ^ Murphy, Sean (28 March 2017). "The 100 Best Classic Progressive Rock Songs: Part 3, 60–41". PopMatters. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
- ^ a b Cooper, Gary. "Wish You Were Here songbook". www.pink-floyd.org. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ISBN 0-8256-1079-6])
- YouTube
- ^ "Roger Waters Setlist at Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford". setlist.fm. Retrieved 22 July 2017.