Seamus (song)

"Seamus"
Single by Pink Floyd
from the album Meddle
A-side "One of These Days" (Japanese single)
Released October 30, 1971 (US)
November 5, 1971 (UK)
November 29, 1971 (US single)
1971 (Italian single)
1971 (Japanese single)
Format 7"
Recorded Morgan Studios, London
May 28, 1971
AIR Studios, London
August 1971
AIR Studios, London
Genre Acoustic blues
Length 2:16
Label Harvest (UK)
Capitol (US)
Writer(s) David Gilmour
Roger Waters
Rick Wright
Nick Mason
Producer Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd singles chronology
"The Nile Song"
(1969)
"One of These Days"
(1971)
"Free Four"
(1972)
Meddle track listing
"San Tropez"
(4)
"Seamus"
(5)
"Echoes"
(6)

"Seamus" is the fifth song on Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle, and uses a blues chord progression.[1][2] Years later, the song appeared in the film version of Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. The song is named after the dog (belonging to Humble Pie and Small Faces leader Steve Marriott) who performed howling 'vocals' on the album version of the track.

Live at Pompeii version

Film director Adrian Maben[3] captured Pink Floyd's only live performance of "Seamus" (in a greatly altered form, excluding lyrics, and retitled "Mademoiselle Nobs") in his film Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii. To recreate the song, David Gilmour played harmonica instead of singing and Roger Waters played one of Gilmour's Stratocaster guitars. A female Russian Wolfhound named Nobs, which belonged to Madona Bouglione (the daughter of circus director Joseph Bouglione), was brought to the studio to provide howling accompaniment as Seamus did in the album version. There is also an audible bass guitar in this recording, likely overdubbed during mixing of the film soundtrack at another studio, but, as with many Pink Floyd songs, it is difficult to tell who is playing it.

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5. 
  2. ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X. 
  3. ^ Adrian Maben at the Internet Movie Database.