In the Flesh?

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This is the first song on The Wall by Pink Floyd. For the twenty-first song on The Wall, see In the Flesh. For other uses, see In the Flesh (disambiguation).
“In the Flesh?”
Song by Pink Floyd
Album The Wall
Released 30 November 1979 (US)
8 December 1979 (UK)
Recorded April-November, 1979
Genre Art rock/Progressive rock/ Hard rock
Length 3:19
Label Harvest Records (UK), Columbia Records (US)/Capitol Records (US)
Writer Waters
Producer Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour and Roger Waters
The Wall track listing
“In the Flesh?”
(1 of Disc 1)		 The Thin Ice
(2 of Disc 1)


"In the Flesh?" is a song by the British progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on The Wall album in 1979.

Contents

[edit] Composition

The song is rather loud in dynamics. It is approximately 3 minutes, 20 seconds in length. The first 15 seconds of the song are quiet, and feature the melody of the song Outside the Wall. On the album, this is used to create a "cycle"; a concept which Roger Waters used in much of Pink Floyd's work during his tenure. The cycle is pointed out by Waters' voice which in the first two seconds of the album says "... we came in?" and in the last two seconds (at the end of Outside the Wall) says "isn't this where ..."(making "In The Flesh?" non-freestanding in the beginning, even though it is the beginning track of The Wall).

The song moves rapidly into an "explosive", loud dynamic featuring a distorted organ. This lasts for a further 1 minute, 16 seconds before the song lyrics commence. During these, the backing melody is significantly quieter than the previous opening. Following the lyrical portion, which lasts for 38 seconds, the melody returns to the explosive dynamic. During this lead-out, a number of stage directions are shouted and within the closing seconds of the piece, a dive-bomber can be heard. The final sound in the track is that of a baby crying, which leads into The Thin Ice.

[edit] Plot

As with the other songs on The Wall, In the Flesh? tells a portion of the story of Pink, the main protagonist. This first song signifies the beginning of the show (which is being narrated by Pink himself). The stage directions are used to show that Pink is going to tell us the story of the building of The Wall. The lyrics say that despite his outward appearances, things are much different "behind these cold eyes" and that if the listener (sunshine) wants to find those things out, he'll have to "claw his way through this disguise". The song also informs the listener, although not directly, that Pink's father is killed; this is done using the sound effect of the dive-bomber, indicating his death during World War II.

[edit] Live Performances

During the original tour supporting The Wall, the song would be "performed" onstage by the backing musicians wearing masks to make them look like the real members of Pink Floyd, playing on the lines Tell me, is something eluding you sunshine? Is this not what you expected to see?, as well as the references to a "surrogate band" in the song's reprise later on.

[edit] Covers

[edit] Film Version

The beginning of the film shows Pink sitting in a locked hotel room; a crowd of people break down the door and rush in as the music suddenly gets loud. The film then cuts to various clips of rioting people that will show up later in the film. It then has a war scene where a German Ju-87 Stuka bombs a bunker, which signifies the death of Pink's father.

In the movie, this song can also be perceived as a birth, the beginning, genesis. Pink is in a room which represents a womb at the end of an empty, sterile hallway. He is immobile in half-fetal position. The crowd rushing through narrow corridor can be seen as ejaculation, and the scene and the song ends with a new-born baby crying. A further symbolism of life is represented through the heart-beat sound from The Dark Side of the Moon, which can first be heard from the moment the first lyrics of the album begin.

[edit] Ending Stage Directions

As noted above, the song ends amidst Roger Waters shouting a number of stage directions:

Lights!
Roll the sound effects!
Action!
Dry ice!
Drop it on 'em!

The live version on Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81 had slightly different stage directions:

Lights!
Roll the sound effects!
Drop it on 'em!
Drop it on 'em!

[edit] Personnel

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, Comfortably Numb - A History of The Wall 1978-1981, 2006, p.71

[edit] External links