Concept
Wish You Were Here is the second Pink Floyd album to use a conceptual theme written entirely by Waters. It reflects his feeling that the camaraderie that had served the band previously was, by then, largely absent. The album begins with a long instrumental preamble and segues into the lyrics for "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett—whose mental breakdown had forced him to leave the band several years before. Barrett is fondly recalled with lines such as "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun" and "You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon".
Wish You Were Here is also a critique of the music business. "Shine On" crosses seamlessly into "Welcome to the Machine", a song that begins with an opening door (described by Waters as a symbol of musical discovery and progress betrayed by a music industry more interested in greed and success) and ends with a party, the latter epitomising "the lack of contact and real feelings between people". Similarly, "Have a Cigar" scorns record industry "fatcats"; its lyrics contain well-used clichés such as "can hardly count", "they call it riding the gravy train" and "by the way, which one's Pink?"—a question asked of the band on at least one occasion. "Wish You Were Here" contains lyrics which relate not only to Barrett's condition, but also to the dichotomy of Waters' character, as an idealist, and a domineering personality. The album closes with a reprise of "Shine On" and further instrumental excursions.
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