Young Lust (song)
Encyclopedia
"Young Lust" is a song by Pink Floyd
. It appeared on The Wall
album in 1979.
, with background harmony vocals from Roger Waters
during the chorus.
On the album, the preceding song, Empty Spaces
, ends with an abrupt transition into Young Lust.
s into his room between concerts, having not seen his wife in months.
The end of the song is part of a dialogue between Pink and a telephone operator
; it is at this point he realises that his wife has been having an affair for some time, and his mental breakdown accelerates. The dialogue with the operator was the result of an arrangement co-producer James Guthrie
made with his neighbour in London during the recording of the album in Los Angeles
. He felt that the operator actually had to believe he'd caught his wife having an affair, and so didn't inform the operator she was being recorded.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
. It appeared on The Wall
The Wall
The Wall is the eleventh studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. Released as a double album on 30 November 1979, it was subsequently performed live with elaborate theatrical effects, and adapted into a feature film, Pink Floyd—The Wall.As with the band's previous three...
album in 1979.
Composition
"Young Lust" is approximately 3 minutes, 25 seconds in length. The lead vocals in the song are sung by David GilmourDavid Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
, with background harmony vocals from Roger Waters
Roger Waters
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
during the chorus.
On the album, the preceding song, Empty Spaces
Empty Spaces
"Empty Spaces" is a song by Pink Floyd. It appeared on The Wall album in 1979.-Composition:The song is 2 minutes and 10 seconds in length and features a long introductory section, which includes an airport announcement, a reference to Pink heading for an American tour. At approximately 48 seconds...
, ends with an abrupt transition into Young Lust.
Plot
As with the other songs on The Wall, "Young Lust" tells a portion of the story of "Pink", the album's protagonist. Pink has become a rock star, and is always away from home as a result of his demanding lifestyle. He begins inviting groupieGroupie
A groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation....
s into his room between concerts, having not seen his wife in months.
The end of the song is part of a dialogue between Pink and a telephone operator
Telephone operator
A telephone operator is either* a person who provides assistance to a telephone caller, usually in the placing of operator assisted telephone calls such as calls from a pay phone, collect calls , calls which are billed to a credit card, station-to-station and person-to-person calls, and certain...
; it is at this point he realises that his wife has been having an affair for some time, and his mental breakdown accelerates. The dialogue with the operator was the result of an arrangement co-producer James Guthrie
James Guthrie (record producer)
James K.A. Guthrie is a British recording engineer and record producer best known for his work with the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, having served as a producer and engineer for the band since 1978...
made with his neighbour in London during the recording of the album in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He felt that the operator actually had to believe he'd caught his wife having an affair, and so didn't inform the operator she was being recorded.
Film version
In the film, the phone call where Pink finds out that his wife is cheating on him, occurs before "Young Lust" rather than at the end of it. The implications of the song are therefore slightly different: on the album he is not faithful to his wife while on his tour, making him a hypocrite when he becomes appalled to discover that she isn't faithful to him either, but in the film he only invites a groupie in when he has realized his wife does not love him anymore, which shows the character in a much more sympathetic light.Personnel
- David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
— guitars, bass guitar, lead vocalsFitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, Comfortably Numb — A History of The Wall 1978–1981, 2006, p.84. - Nick MasonNick MasonNicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
— drums - Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
— backing vocals - Richard WrightRichard Wright (musician)Richard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...
— organs, electric piano - Chris Fitzmorris — male telephone voice
Cover versions
- During Roger WatersRoger WatersGeorge Roger Waters is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. He was a founding member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, serving as bassist and co-lead vocalist. Following the departure of bandmate Syd Barrett in 1968, Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter...
' The Wall concert in Berlin on 21 July 1990, the song was performed by Canadian rock star Bryan AdamsBryan AdamsBryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
. This version reached #7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and is still popular. It has been added to YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
from Adams' official channel. - Producer John Law covered the song with banjo and electronics.
Further reading
- Fitch, Vernon. The Pink Floyd Encyclopedia (3rd edition), 2005. ISBN 1-894959-24-8.