Composition and Recording
The song's music and lyrics were written by Roger Waters in critique of hypocrisy and greed within the music business. The music is more straightforwardly rock-oriented than the rest of the album, beginning with a churning riff played on electric guitar and bass. The track is filled out with additional guitar, electric piano and synthesizer parts to create a rock texture.
"Have a Cigar" concludes with a guitar solo, which is interrupted by a synthesizer filter-sweep sound effect as the music reduces in volume to tinny, AM radio-like levels. Finally, the song ends with the sound of a radio being dialled off-station; this effect is used as a transition to the title track, "Wish You Were Here".
On the original recording, the song's lead vocals are performed by Roy Harper. Both Waters and David Gilmour sang the song on separate takes, as well as a duet version but they were unhappy with the results (the duet version has been released as part of the Wish You Were Here Immersion set). Harper was recording his album HQ in Studio 2 of Abbey Road at the same time as Pink Floyd were working in Studio 3, and Gilmour invited him to sing the part. The song is one of only two songs by the band which is not sung by one of their permanent members, the other being "The Great Gig in the Sky".
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