The Great Gig in the Sky

The Dark Side of the Moon

**"The Great Gig In the Sky"** is a song released by the English psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, and is the fifth track of their eighth album, *The Dark Side of the Moon* (1973). The song is preformed by pianist Richard Wright and features lyricless vocals by Clare Torry, and voice samples of Garry O'Driscoll and Patricia Watts. The song talks to the pressure of mortality on life, continuing from the loss of time from the previous song, with the “Great Gig in the Sky” being a reference to heaven or an afterlife.

## Lyrics

[Intro; *Gerry O'Driscoll*]

*I am not frightened of dying*

*Any time will do, I don't mind*

*Why should I be frightened of dying?*

*There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime*

[Bridge; *Patricia Watts*]

*I never said I was afraid of dying*

## Guest Vocalist

### Clare Torry

25-year old singer Clare Torry was chosen to perform the vocals on this track by Alan Parsons, who was the audio engineer of *The Dark Side of the Moon*. Although Torry was at first hesitant (she wasn’t a big Pink Floyd fan), a recording session was eventually scheduled. At the session, the track’s instrumental was played for her and she was told to improvise the vocals.

Durga McBroom and Lorelei McBroom were background singers for Pink Floyd and they always said that this song was about a woman who realizes she has cancer. She begins to sing angrily because she’s in pain about the realization of cancer. As she begins to digress with her vocals she finally realizes her death in the end and accepts it which is why the song begins with the short voice talking about death.

### Gerry O'Driscoll

About fourty seconds into the song, a vocal sample spoken by Gerry O'Driscoll, the EMI Abbey Road watchman (who also appeared on the start of the album from “Speak To Me," “Money," and the final seconds of the album), talks about how he is not afraid of dying and how he doesn't mind whenever it comes, as it '*you have to go sometime*.' Death doesn't whether we are afraid of it or not, it comes either way.

### Patricia Watts

At around three-and-a-half minutes, a sample from Patricia Watts can be heard very faintly in the background ironically saying "*I never said I was afraid of dying*," once Clare's voice quiets down.

## Personnel

* David Gilmour – pedal steel guitar
* Richard Wright – piano, Hammond organ
* Roger Waters – bass
* Nick Mason – drums

***featuring:***

* Clare Torry – vocals
* Gerry O'Driscoll - background sample
* Patricia Watts - background sample

## Info

* The song was called "The Religion Song" during recording.
* In an interview, Torry mentioned that she was trying to emulate an instrument. So it was, from all published accounts, an improvisation with Torry apparently using her songwriting skills to give it form and function.
* In fact, she mentions in her interview that she was never clearly told that the song was about death. In a different interview on the DVD "The Dark Side of the Moon" (Eagle Vision EV 30042-9 US NTSC version), Richard Wright mentions that she began singing words and they knew they didn't want that. Published interviews mention that she recorded the takes very quickly - on the DVD, the track sheet shows four tracks used for her vocals.
* In her interview, she mentions that an accountant at Abbey Road called her; other interviews with band members mentioned that Alan Parsons suggested her.
* Chris Thomas, who was brought in to assist Alan Parsons in mixing the album (arguments over the use of overall compression supposedly ensued) mentions that they were actually in mixdown at the time. On the DVD, various members mention that they had this song and weren't quite sure what to do with it. Wright further mentions that when she finished, she was apologetic about her performance even though those present were amazed at her improvisation.
* In Torry's interview she mentions that she left thinking that it wouldn't be included on the final cut. In fact, she states that the only way she knew it was used was when she saw it at a local record store, saw her name in the credits and purchased it.
* During live performances by Pink Floyd, up to three singers were used, each taking different parts of the song. For example, Durga McBroom performed on the A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell tours, as well as at Knebworth and on Gilmour's solo tours.
* Aside from the soaring vocals there are two spoken parts, an introduction at 0:38 spoken by Gerry O'Driscoll (an Irish Abbey Road Studios doorman at the time), and Patricia "Puddie" Watts (wife of roadie Peter Watts, and mother of actress Naomi Watts) voice at 3:33.
* In 2004, Torry sued Pink Floyd and EMI for songwriting royalties, on the basis that her contribution to "Great Gig in the Sky" constituted co-authorship with Rick Wright; originally, she was paid the standard Sunday flat studio rate of £30. In 2005, a settlement was reached in High Court in Torry's favour, although terms were not disclosed In the P\*U\*L\*S\*E DVD booklet, The Great Gig in the Sky is credited to Wright and "vocal composition by Clare Torry".
* Most of the song is a slightly altered arrangement of the beat and bassline from the song "Breathe". The beat and bassline were very much part of Pink Floyd's playing style as far back as Atom Heart Mother. However, due to the altered beat and bassline, it is not directly related to "Breathe", unlike the last part of "Time" (sometimes listed in songbooks as "Breathe (Reprise)"), and "Any Colour You Like" (sometimes nicknamed "Breathe (2nd Reprise)").
* When the Dark Side of the Moon suite was performed in 1972 (before the album was released), the song was completely different and went under the title "The Mortality Sequence". Then, it was simply an organ and samples of people speaking about death being played during the performance.
* At the end the song, with about 13 seconds left, the track speeds up. This puts the music slightly out of tune.
* A re-recorded version piece was used as the backing music in a UK television advert for an analgesic (Nurofen) in the early '90s (the band were not involved in this version, but Clare Torry again did the vocal). The original version was used in a Dole banana commercial around the time of the release of DSotM.
* The song was mentioned by Jack Black in the movie *School of Rock* in which a girl was told to study the vocals.
* The song was used in the film C.R.A.Z.Y.
* On certain releases, the last note of the piano on the track is sped up and back down several times, most definitely on the tape machine.
* The song serves as a benchmark for believers of the Dark Side of the Rainbow phenomenon. The entry of Torry's lamenting vocals coincides almost exactly with the tornado striking Dorothy's farm, and the song ends just as Dorothy steps outside to find herself in Oz.

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Moon
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink\_Floyd\_discography
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://genius.com/Pink-floyd-the-great-gig-in-the-sky-lyrics