There has never been a band like Pink Floyd. Not before the British-born group existed and not after. The outfit’s brand of psychedelic rock music opened eyes, ears, and minds, and it also created a ravenous audience for the group of artists.
That’s just what we wanted to dive into here. We wanted to highlight three songs from Pink Floyd that prove the group was worthy of vast attention. Indeed, these are three random Pink Floyd songs that are better than your faves.
“Brain Damage” from ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ (1973)
While you could close your eyes and pick any song from The Dark Side Of The Moon to put on any list of great songs, we wanted to pluck perhaps a lesser-known one from the LP here. Sure, songs like “Time” and “Money” are fan favorites. But what about this track that features a laughing lunatic and a general sense of madness? It’s not easy to turn a sense of feeling crazy into an all-time rock hit, but, well, that’s just what the band did here.
“Shine On You Crazy Diamond” from ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975)
Pink Floyd was founded by a musician named Syd Barrett. But his time in the group was relatively short-lived due to issues like mental illness. But while he left in 1968, Barrett wasn’t forgotten. He was honored in various songs and lyrics, including this one from 1975. It’s Barrett who is the diamond in this song title. The band believed a 13-plus-minute song was deserving of their mad genius founder. And you know what? They were right.
“Have A Cigar” from ‘Wish You Were Here’ (1975)
Another song from the band’s 1975 album, Wish You Were Here, this track just boasts a ton of attitude. It’s a snarling middle finger at anyone looking. Pink Floyd was always seemingly aware of social forces working to manipulate people. And this song points to the way greed can corrupt the mind and senses. We can lose ourselves if we replace who we are with an urge for money. Pink Floyd knows it.
Photo of Pink Floyd Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images