Pink Floyd, Comfortably Numb - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction
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Published 2023-12-02
Pink finds comfort in numbness when it comes to selfish motives for getting him on his feet again or, probably, getting him out of his wall-comfort zone. This is the one instance where the wall proves to be efficient: numbness, and how comfortable that can be!
Here’s the link to the original song by Pink Floyd:
• Comfortably Numb
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Amy Shafer, LRSM, FRSM, RYC, is a classical harpist, pianist, and music teacher, Director of Piano Studies and Assistant Director of Harp Studies for The Harp School, Inc., holds multiple degrees in harp and piano performance and teaching, and is active as a solo and collaborative performer. With nearly two decades of teaching experience, she teaches privately, presents masterclasses and coaching sessions, and has performed and taught in Europe and USA.
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Credits: Music written and performed by Pink Floyd
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All Comments (21)
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If you're watching this and enjoyed Amy's unparalleled reaction and comments, trust me - you don't want to miss the already posted follow-up video "Why does Comfortably Numb Feel So Transcendental?" This is where this amazing channel really shines. Have you ever heard a ten minute verbal explanation of WHY David Gilmour's amazing guitar solo is so - well, amazing? No, nobody has. Until now. I can't explain, you have to hear it!
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THANK YOU for not committing the cardinal sin of interrupting a David Gilmour guitar solo!!!
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"The child has grown, the dream has gone" - crushes me every time I hear that line
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"that last solo section..." clears throat and smiles Yeah, I hear you.
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I’m autistic and I always loved this song and felt it described what it was like to have internal conversations with yourself that you would never bother explaining to someone else, because they literally can not understand if they are neurotypical. I wasn’t diagnosed until after I had raised an autistic son to adulthood. I didn’t (honestly) recognize in myself the same things I saw him struggle with, but I knew what was bothering him, even though he was non-verbal. I knew the lights were too bright, the noise was too loud, the colors too much. I never made him hide himself. I was trained to be able to mask exceptionally well by a family that I knew had treated another family member with autism so poorly he committed suicide. I faked. All the milestones, all the grades, the husband, the kids. And then when I had raised my kids and done my work, I had a complete breakdown. Now, I an no longer Comfortably Numb. But the song now just brings me a sweet memory almost.
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The last solo was the perfornance he went on to play. Wow. I never thought of that. That's brilliant.
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One of the most brilliant pieces of music recorded in my lifetime...and one of the greatest lyrics: " When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look but it was gone I can not put my finger on it now, the child has grown; the dream is gone." I tear up every time I hear this track.
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"It makes us hurt, and it makes us feel good all at the same time..." I think that is such a powerful testament to this piece, and I think you have captured part of the meaning in that statement.
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First heard this aged 18 and kept listening to it for a long, long time. I was in a very bad way and using far too much alcohol to numb the pain. Thought I was crazy but turned out I’m autistic. This song, and The Wall itself, resonated deeply and contextualised my experience. I’m now 61 and the song still has such an awesome beauty.
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There's a funny story about this song. Waters and Gilmour had a huge argument about how the bass should sound on this track. Waters wanted it more mellow while Gilmour wanted it harsher, more precise. So Waters got his way during the first verse, and Gilmour in the second. If you listen, you'll hear that the bass lets the notes ring out in the first verse, while in the second the bass is more staccato. Also, if you think that last solo sounded like a concert, wait until you hear the live version. Best guitar solo of all time, in my opinion.
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David Gilmour’s guitar solo at the end of comfortably numb always brings a tear to my eye. It’s so beautiful and so perfect for this song.
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I don’t know why YouTube’s algorithm gave me this, but I absolutely glad that it did. Thank you!
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I always felt the line “there’ll be no more aaaargghh, but you may feel a little sick” uses a brilliant replacement for the word pain. It’s so clear in the delivery that that is the intended word
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to me: "When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse Out of the corner of my eye I turned to look but it was gone I cannot put my finger on it now The child is grown The dream is gone I have become comfortably numb" is writing brilliance x2
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The two solos are considered some of the best rock solos. The first one is major, the second is minor. I personally enjoy the 2nd better than the first, but they're both amazing.
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What a pleasure to see somebody, not only being able to read music, but can understand how a song is put together, can point out the layers and isolate instruments to demonstrate their impacts thorugh out songs. A rare delight on Youtube. I think i'm in love. :)
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The "concert" you describe at the end of the song is the high. In its essence, this song is about addiction. 2 stages, high and withdrawal, with a tiny glimpse of the person in between. In the beginning he is miserable and cant be bothered. He gets his fix, then zones out again. In the movie, he is literally in a limo on his way to the concert. I loved your take and connecting this song to Hey You is spot on! Cheers
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Who’s not talking about the part where she didn’t pause during the concert solo? That’s a true musician.
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What makes this song truly wonderful is that it is the perfect marriage of Roger’s musical pessimism and David’s musical optimism.
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The song tells a story…but the second solo adds all of the emotional highs and lows that capture it perfectly
