Song of the Day: “Time” by Pink Floyd

Today marks 45 years since Dark Side of the Moon debuted. Nearly half a century later, it remains one of rock’s touchstones.

Though its structure is fluid, its best moment is a distinct song: “Time.” It’s one of the only Pink Floyd songs I love without reservation; a masterpiece with a stunningly crafted soundscape. The accompanying words are depressing ruminations on the fickle nature of time passing, and their message is perfectly amplified by the sonics.

But rather than expand further on the one song, I want to give two of my brothers a chance to share their opinions on Dark Side. Patrick is a big fan of the album; Will is not.

Here’s what Patrick has to say:

Dark Side of the Moon is one of the most well-performing albums commercially for good reason. It takes a different approach to music than is common – arguably more important than the melody and musicality is the space between, filled with ambient noise and snippets of conversation. Combined with insightful lyrics and a strong basis in classical rock form, it is an album any serious and critical musical listener would be delighted to spin and relive history. You may even realize you’re not in Kansas anymore.

And here’s Will’s counter-point:

While I understand the appeal of this “greatest of all time album,” it seems to me that the charm comes indirectly – that is to say, what people appreciate about Dark Side of the Moon is less the music, and more everything in between. I recognize how interesting the production is for this album – especially considering it’s almost 50 years old. I do not, however, recognize it as the emotional and philosophical tour de force that its fans laud it as. Overall, I think the music is good, but the album is drawn out through overlong transitions filled with pretentious nonsense.

Anyone else want to offer a yay-or-nay vote?

Click here for the full list

Click here for the full list


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2 thoughts on “Song of the Day: “Time” by Pink Floyd

  1. It’s funny, I don’t even think your brothers disagree. It’s not like one of them says “the melodies are good” and the other says “the melodies are bad,” or one of them says “this is better than Atom Heart Mother” and one says “this is worse.” Rather, both of them seem hip to the fact that there’s a lot of sound going on in between the recognizable song elements, and Patrick has a taste for this while Will is not into it. Their reviews agree on the substance of the music, and disagree only on the appetites of the listeners.

    So, I agree with both of them! And chalk up one vote for “numerical ratings of albums are inherently misleading nonsense, and a RIYL system does a much better job to communicate one message to a broad audience that carries salient, actionable meaning for each member of that audience individually.”

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