Pink Floyd is technically still together. And in the years since their inception in 1965, they’ve performed a whole wealth of songs across 15 studio albums during their touring days. However, there’s one song that the band (whose only remaining OG members are Nick Mason and David Gilmour) will never play again.
The song in question is “Echoes” from the 1971 Pink Floyd album Meddle. And the reason Mason and Gilmour don’t plan on performing the whopping 24-minute-long song again comes down to two things.
Videos by American Songwriter
To start… it’s almost 24 minutes long. The instrumental passages on this track are notably complex. It was likely hard enough to record, let alone replicate on-stage in front of a live audience without hiccups.
That being said, the more important reason why Pink Floyd will never perform “Echoes” again comes down to respect for the band’s late keyboardist and “Echoes” songwriter Richard Wright.
“Yes, it would be lovely to play ‘Echoes’ here,” Gilmour once told Rolling Stone ahead of a solo performance at the legendary Amphitheatre of Pompeii back in 2016. “But I wouldn’t do that without Rick [Wright]. There’s something that’s specifically so individual about the way that Rick and I play in that, that you can’t get someone to learn it and do it just like that. That’s not what music’s about.”
Wright passed away in 2008 from lung cancer at the age of 65.
There’s No Song Quite Like “Echoes”
“Echoes” was written by Gilmour and Wright, and Roger Waters worked on the lyrics. The song clocks in at 23 minutes and 30 seconds, and tackles themes like communication, empathy, and human connection.
[Get Tickets To See Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour Live In Concert]
The song used to be a staple in Pink Floyd’s set lists from 1971 to 1975. One notable performance of the song took place in 1972 at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii. It’s where Gilmour performed at shortly after telling Rolling Stone that “Echoes” had been put to bed. The former performance by Pink Floyd was recorded live for the film Live At Pompeii.
It’s sad that fans won’t get to hear the song live again. But it’s more than understandable why Gilmour wants to keep it on the shelf indefinitely.
Photo by MJ Kim
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Most Viewed
-
Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for ABA -
30th January 1969: British rock group the Beatles performing their last live public concert on the rooftop of the Apple Organization building for director Michael Lindsey-Hogg's film documentary, 'Let It Be,' on Savile Row, London, England. Drummer Ringo Starr sits behind his kit. Singer/songwriters Paul McCartney and John Lennon perform at their microphones, and guitarist George Harrison (1943 – 2001) stands behind them. Lennon's wife Yoko Ono sits at right. (Photo by Express/Express/Getty Images) -
Bob Dylan seen here performing on stage at The Picnic concert at Blackbushe Aerodrome 15th July 1978. (Photo by Staff/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) -
Duane Allman & Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers on October 16, 1970 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images -
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JANUARY 11: Debbie Harry of Blondie performs on stage at Hammersmith Odeon, on January 11th, 1980 in London, England. (Photo by Pete Still/Redferns) -
American singer and songwriter Barry McGuire, 11th October 1965. (Photo by M. Stroud/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
Portrait of the American-based rock band Foreigner as they pose backsatge at the Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, November 8, 1981. Pictured are, from left, Dennis Elliot, Lou Gramm, Rick Wills, and Mick Jones. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)