Released in November 1974, Yes’ “The Gates of Delirium” remains one of progressive rock’s most ambitious songs, even 52 years after it first appeared on the band’s album Relayer.
Running for nearly 22 minutes, the epic track turns a story about war into a long musical journey that ends with a quiet message of peace.
The song was written and recorded by the English progressive rock band during a major period of change. The lineup featured Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White and Patrick Moraz. It was the only Yes studio album to feature Moraz, who had joined the group after Rick Wakeman’s departure.
Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe and Alan White of the rock band “Yes” in an Atlantic Records publicity still in circa 1976.Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
“The Gates of Delirium” takes loose inspiration from Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 novel War and Peace. However, its story is also tied to the real-world fears and conflicts of the time. The song moves through a prelude, a battle, a moment of victory and, finally, a prayer for peace.
The nearly 22-minute track became the entire first side of Relayer, showing how far Yes was willing to push the limits of a traditional rock song. Instead of following a short verse-and-chorus format, the band built a long, multi-part work that moves between vocals, complex instrumental sections and a soft closing passage.
That final section, called “Soon,” became the most familiar part of the song. A shortened version was released as a single in the United States and other markets in January 1975, although it did not chart.
The story behind “The Gates of Delirium” began with an idea from Anderson. He imagined music that could represent a battle, and the rest of Yes helped turn that idea into a complete composition.
The song’s structure follows the movement of a conflict. The opening vocal section sets the scene before the music grows more intense. The instrumental battle section then becomes the centerpiece, with the band using its full range of progressive rock sounds.
Anderson explained to Songfacts the deeper meaning behind the song.
“It’s about the tribalism between warring factions, and who is the dominant country, the dominant energy at that time,” Anderson explained in a Songfacts interview. “It was at the end of the Vietnam War. We were learning about the unbelievable destruction that was done to the Vietnamese, and for what?”
The recording also contains one of the song’s most unusual sounds. In the middle of the track, listeners can hear a loud crash. The sound came from a homemade percussion setup built from old automobile parts collected from a junkyard.
Alan White recalled that he and Anderson would stop at a junkyard while traveling to Chris Squire’s home studio. They collected springs, pieces of metal, brake parts and clutch plates, then built a rack to hold them.
“The percussion on that song is pretty unusual,” White said in the liner notes for the 2003 remaster of Relayer. “Jon and I used to travel together to Chris’ home studio, where we recorded the album. We would stop at a junkyard along the way and pick up parts of cars.”
Yes had already become known for lengthy compositions, elaborate arrangements and albums that challenged the normal limits of popular music. Earlier works such as “Close to the Edge” had also used extended song structures, but “The Gates of Delirium” pushed the idea even further.
“The Gates of Delirium” was not a regular part of Yes’ live shows for much of the band’s history. The group performed the full song during tours from 1974 to 1976, but it was not brought back regularly until the 2000 Masterworks tour.
The band continued to perform the piece during the 2001 Magnification tour. That era also produced Symphonic Live, a concert recording featuring Yes with an orchestra. The song was later restored to the band’s live set again during the Royal Affair Tour.
A 22-minute, 40-second live performance recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit on Aug. 17, 1976, was released on the live album Yesshows. Other live versions have appeared in Yes releases covering different periods of the band’s career, according to records.
For a band that became famous for making long and complex music, “The Gates of Delirium” remains one of Yes’ most ambitious works.
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This story was originally published by Parade on Jul 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.