Bike (song)
"Bike" is a song by British psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd, and is featured on their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967).[1][2]
Information
In the song, Syd Barrett's lyrical subject shows a girl his bike (which he borrowed), a cloak, a homeless mouse that he calls Gerald, and a clan of gingerbread men—because she "fits in with [his] world". Towards the end of the song, he offers to take her into a "room of musical tunes". The final verse is followed by an instrumental section that can be referred to as a piece of musique concrète: a noisy collage of oscillators, clocks, gongs, bells, a violin, and other sounds edited with tape techniques, apparently the "other room" spoken of in the song and giving the impression of the turning gears of a bicycle. The ending of the song fades out with the modulated and abstracted squeak of a bicycle horn. The song was written for Barrett's then girlfriend, Jenny Spires. She is also mentioned in the song "Lucifer Sam", which is also on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
Alternative and live versions
It also appears on two Floyd compilation albums: Relics (1971) and Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd (2001). On both albums, it is the final track.
Echoes segue
On Echoes the song follows "High Hopes", which was the last song on The Division Bell and the last studio recording by the band. "High Hopes" is at least in part a tribute to Barrett, making its juxtaposition with "Bike" thematically appropriate. The segue between the two songs is achieved by jump-cutting from the sound effect of a distant church bell at the end of "High Hopes" to that of a bicycle bell and thence straight into "Bike".
Cover versions
- Japanese band P-Model made a cover of this song on their 1984 album Another Game, with Japanese lyrics.
- A cover version of "Bike" by The Vindictives appears on their 1996 album Party Time for A$$holes.
- British dance band Fortran 5 made a cover of the song as "Bike (Sid Sings Syd)", with vocals by comic actor Sid James, assembled by sampling his appearance in Hancock's Half Hour and various Carry On films. A version of the song was remixed by Steve James, Sid's son.
- American band Phish covers this song in concert with drummer Jon Fishman, who rarely sings, as the lead singer, and Trey Anastasio, lead guitarist and vocalist, on the drums.
- The Hotrats covered this song on their 2009 album Turn Ons.
- Singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock will frequently cover the song live as part of his "Chinese White Bicycles" tour with producer Joe Boyd.
Personnel
References
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
- ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.