{"id":706230,"date":"2026-05-31T12:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T12:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/706230\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T12:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T12:07:10","slug":"the-1984-song-david-gilmour-wrote-to-insult-roger-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/706230\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1984 song David Gilmour wrote to insult Roger Waters"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"David<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

For many years, David Gilmour<\/a> and Roger Waters needed each other to survive in a musical sense. Gilmour arrived in Pink Floyd during a tumultuous time as Syd Barrett\u2019s health was declining and provided a necessary lift when they needed it most.<\/p>\n

Once Barrett could no longer contribute to the creative process and exited the group, Gilmour became a more vital component of Pink Floyd. He played a crucial role in their ascend to world dominance, and they would never have reached such lofty heights on The Dark Side of the Moon or Wish You Were Here without Gilmour.<\/p>\n

While Waters and Gilmour often approached music from different perspectives, their contrasting strengths proved remarkably effective when working towards the same goal. Many of Floyd\u2019s greatest achievements were built on that creative tension.<\/p>\n

However, Gilmour\u2019s relationship with Waters was fraught even before the latter\u2019s acrimonious exit from Pink Floyd in 1985. While they briefly reunited for Live 8 in 2005, they have largely not been in each other\u2019s lives for 40 years, and their relationship seems unfixable.<\/p>\n

What began as artistic disagreements gradually evolved into one of rock music\u2019s most famous feuds. Decades later, the bitterness surrounding their split still appears to overshadow their shared accomplishments.<\/p>\n

\"Pink<\/a>Credit: Far Out \/ Roger Tillberg \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

In 2023, Gilmour echoed comments<\/a> by his wife, Polly Samson, who accused Waters of being \u201cantisemitic\u201d and a \u201clying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac.\u201d Furthermore, in 2024, Gilmour ruled out ever performing with Waters again<\/a>, stating, \u201cI tend to steer clear of people who actively support genocidal and autocratic dictators like Putin and Maduro [president of Venezuela].\u201d<\/p>\n

Gilmour\u2019s negative stance on Waters is nothing new. He first aired his grievances on his former bandmate on the vicious track, \u2018You Know I\u2019m Right\u2019, which appeared on his solo album, 1984\u2019s About Face.<\/p>\n

Further reading: From The Vault<\/p>\n

Waters had yet to leave Pink Floyd, which officially occurred in 1985, but his final contribution to the group came in 1983. He was in complete control of his last album with the band The Final Cut, which irked Gilmour, who had been a spare part of the project.<\/p>\n

At this stage, it was clear they could not continue to collaborate, which sparked Waters\u2019 decision to leave the group. However, rather than exit quietly, he attempted to lodge a legal case to stop Pink Floyd from continuing without him. After his departure, Waters issued a statement to EMI and CBS invoking his contract\u2019s \u2018Leaving Member\u2019 clause. As the creative force behind the band, he felt they needed him to continue.<\/p>\n

Sadly, they couldn\u2019t settle the issue civilisedly, and in October 1986, Waters started High Court proceedings to formally dissolve Pink Floyd, labelling the group a \u201cspent force creatively.\u201d Understandably, drummer Nick Mason and Gilmour refuted Waters\u2019 brazen claim that Pink Floyd couldn\u2019t continue without him. Eventually, after careful legal considerations in 1987, Waters officially resigned. However, he only did so because of the potential financial repercussions, stating, \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t, the financial repercussions would have wiped me out completely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before this legal entanglement, Gilmour was already tired of the situation and revelled in making his solo album, About Face. The project allowed him to express himself freely without Waters breathing down his neck. \u2018You Know I\u2019m Right\u2019 explained Gilmour\u2019s perspective on the fall-out, but it wasn\u2019t initially his intention for the composition. \u201cThis didn\u2019t begin life as a song about Roger but ended up as one, prompted by the future of Floyd being in doubt,\u201d Gilmour told Mojo 2015 about the song.<\/p>\n

Detailing further, he continued: \u201cYou are tempted to allow yourself to let those grumbles surface in things. I think it\u2019s generally a poor idea. And if I went back to it, I probably wouldn\u2019t do that. It\u2019s impossible not to grumble and moan about the inequalities and injustices of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the lyrics, Gilmour doesn\u2019t refrain from saying what he honestly thought about the Waters situation. He scathingly sings, \u201cWe really seem to have a problem here, but is it you or me? Whatever I have going through my mind, You always have to disagree, It\u2019s just a matter of opinions, It\u2019s not a simple fact, Why don\u2019t you try to see the other side? Don\u2019t turn your back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The release of \u2018You Know I\u2019m Right\u2019 likely only incensed Waters further, possibly contributing to his decision to pursue legal action. However, Gilmour needed to tell his version of events and show that there are always two sides to every story. Songwriting has always been Gilmour\u2019s favoured form of expressionism, and it would have been a disservice to himself if he didn\u2019t write \u2018You Know I\u2019m Right\u2019.<\/p>\n

Although the feud continues to define much of the discussion around their relationship, it should not overshadow what they accomplished together. The partnership may have ended bitterly, but it also helped produce some of the most influential music in rock history.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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