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A Great Day for Freedom

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Wikipedia article




"'A Great Day for Freedom'" is a song by Pink Floyd from their 1994 album, 'The Division Bell'.

Writing



The song, originally titled "In Shades of Grey", addresses the great hopes following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the disappointment that followed. David Gilmour stated:

There was a wonderful moment of optimism when the Wall came down the release of Eastern Europe from the non-democratic side of the socialist system. But what they have now doesn't seem to be much better. Again, I'm fairly pessimistic about it all. I sort of wish and live in hope, but I tend to think that history moves at a much slower pace than we think it does. I feel that real change takes a long, long time.[http://www.pinkfloydfan.net/t1479-david-gilmour-sounds-silence-guitar.html "Sounds of Silence" interview] , 'Guitar World', September 1994. Retrieved 28 July 2010.


Despite Gilmour's statements to the contrary, the lyrics have often been read as a reflection on the bitter and estranged partnership Gilmour had with former bandmate Roger Waters, who was the driving force behind the band's album 'The Wall'. By this interpretation, the "Great Day for Freedom" would be the day Waters left the band, giving the other members freedom to determine the band's future direction. Gilmour commented on this reading: "I'm quite happy for people to interpret 'The Division Bell' any way they like. But maybe a note of caution should be sounded because you can read too much into it. 'A Great Day for Freedom', for example, has got nothing to do with Roger or his 'wall'. It just doesn't. What else can I say?"[http://www.pinkfloyd-co.com/band/interviews/djg/djg94.html David Gilmour interview] , [http://www.pinkfloyd-co.com/ Pink Floyd & Co.], 1994.

According to session player Jon Carin the track was a leftover from the sessions for the band's previous album, 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason'.

In 2022, the song was reworked by Gilmour based on the original tapes, adding some new vocals, instruments and backing vocals by Sam Brown, Durga McBroom and Claudia Fontaine taken from the 'Pulse' rehearsals. It was released as the B-side of the "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" single.

Live



The song was performed by the band on selected dates of 'The Division Bell' tour, and is available on the 'Pulse' (1995) live album, but was omitted from the 'Pulse' VHS and DVD. Gilmour performed it at his solo semi-acoustic concerts in 2002 which can be seen on the 'David Gilmour in Concert' (2002) DVD. The song also made just one appearance during Gilmour's 2006 On an Island Tour, at the final show in Gdask, Poland; this performance can be found on the live album/DVD 'Live in Gdask' (2008).

Personnel



The Division Bell

*David Gilmour guitar, bass, vocals

*Nick Mason drums, tambourine

with:

*Jon Carin - piano, Prophet-5 synthesizer

*Michael Kamen orchestral arrangement

The Division Bell Tour, 1994



*David Gilmour electric guitar, lead vocals

*Richard Wright synthesizer

*Nick Mason drums

with:

*Guy Pratt bass

*Jon Carin piano, Hammond organ, vocals

*Gary Wallis percussion

*Tim Renwick acoustic guitar

*Sam Brown backing vocals

*Claudia Fontaine backing vocals

*Durga McBroom backing vocals

David Gilmour Live in Gdask, 2006



*David Gilmour electric guitar, lead vocals

*Richard Wright synthesizer

*Guy Pratt bass

*Steve DiStanislao drums

*Phil Manzanera acoustic guitar

*Jon Carin keyboards, vocals

with:

*Leszek Moder piano

*Polish Baltic Philharmonic orchestra, conducted by Zbigniew Preisner

A Great Day for Freedom 2022



*David Gilmour lead vocals and harmony vocals, guitar, bass, piano, Prophet 5 synthesizer, Hammond organ

*Nick Mason drums

*Richard Wright synthesizer

*Sam Brown backing vocals

*Claudia Fontaine backing vocals

*Durga McBroom backing vocals

References



Category:Pink Floyd songs

Category:1994 songs

Category:Songs written by David Gilmour

Category:Songs with lyrics by Polly Samson

Category:Song recordings produced by Bob Ezrin

Category:Songs against racism and xenophobia

Category:Songs about freedom

Category:Rock ballads

Category:Berlin Wall in popular culture

Category:Song recordings produced by David Gilmour

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