Eclipse (song)
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| The Dark Side of the Moon | ||
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| Album by Pink Floyd | ||
| Released | March 2, 1973 | |
| Recorded | Abbey Road June 1972-January 1973 |
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| Genre | Progressive rock, electronic music, musique concrète, song cycle | |
| Length | 43:00 | |
| Label | Harvest (UK) Capitol (US) |
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| Producer(s) | Pink Floyd | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Tracks | ||
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"Eclipse" is the tenth[1] and final track from British progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. It was sung by Roger Waters, with harmonies by David Gilmour. After Waters left, Gilmour sang the lead when performing live.
The song is often mistakenly labeled "Dark Side of the Moon" alongside "Brain Damage" because the two run together and are commonly played together on the radio, giving the impression that they are one song. The incorrect title is derived from a recurring lyric in "Brain Damage," and the title of the album.
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[edit] Composition
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The song serves as a climax to the album, and features a loud, repetitive melody which builds and then ends with a very quiet outro. When the main instrumentation ends at approximately 1:30, the sound of a heartbeat from the first track, "Speak to Me", appears and gradually fades to silence.
On some copies of the album, an orchestral version of The Beatles' song "Ticket to Ride" can be heard playing in the background during the fade, but only on one stereo channel. Fans have tried to find a meaning behind this, but it was likely just an artifact of the recording process, such as an improperly erased tape. The recording has been identified by some as having come from George Martin's orchestral adaptation of the Beatle's album Help!. Coincidentally, Paul McCartney and Wings were recording in the same studio.
McCartney was one of the people interviewed by Roger Waters as part of the latter's efforts to develop dialog to accompany certain songs on the album. The McCartney interview was not used, but Abbey Road Studios doorman Gerry Driscoll's was. His full answer to the question "Is there a 'dark side' of the moon?", part of which is heard in "Eclipse", was:
| “ | There is no dark side in the moon, really. As a matter of fact, it's all dark. | ” |
[edit] Usage
On the March 10, 2004, the song was used to wake the Mars probe Opportunity—it was chosen in recognition of the transit of the Martian moon, Phobos.[citation needed] This is not the first time Pink Floyd has been played in outer space: Russian cosmonauts took an advance copy of Delicate Sound of Thunder into space with them, making it (unofficially) the first song played in space.[citation needed]
[edit] Alternative and Live versions
- The song is featured on the P*U*L*S*E CD and DVD and is sung by David Gilmour instead of Roger Waters as it was originally.
- The version heard on the compilation album Works is about 30 seconds longer, with much of the heartbeat removed. Like "Brain Damage", the song is presented in an alternate mix.
- In the Flesh: Live also features the track which is segued out of "Brain Damage".
[edit] Personnel
- Roger Waters - Bass, vocals
- David Gilmour - Guitar and vocals
- Richard Wright - Organ and vocals
- Nick Mason - Drums, percussion
with:
- Lesley Duncan — Vocals (background)
- Doris Troy — Vocals (background)
- Barry St. John — Vocals (background)
- Liza Strike — Vocals (background)
[edit] Notes
- ^ The track number depends upon the edition of the album; some releases merge the two tracks "Speak to Me" and "Breathe," for instance.
