Pink Floyd Trivia / Facts

Formed in 1965, previous names include 'Sigma 6', 'The T-Set', 'The Megadeaths', 'The (Architectural or Screaming)Abdabs', 'The Pink Floyd Blues Band', 'The Pink Floyd'. Named by Syd Barrett who combined the first names of two blues man, Pink Anderson, and Floyd Council.

In "Have A Cigar" from Wish You Were Here, the line "by the way, which one's Pink?" was reportedly said by one of the execs that signed them.

There are eras of Pink Floyd's sound. The 'Syd Barrett' era (1966-'67), Barrett was responsible for most of the writting which was very psycedelic, lyrics often a recollection of L.S.D. trips and weird imagery. The 'post Syd' era (1968-'72), after Syd's departure, the band searching for a new direction, becoming more experimental with their equipment while trying to retain melody, eventually perfecting "their sound" with 1973's 'Dark Side of the Moon'. The "Waters' era (1973-1985), from 1973 to 1979, Waters gradually became the sole creator of Pink Floyd's music and lyrics, leaving in 1985 so sure that the band couldn't continue without him. The "Gilmour" era (1986-present), David Gilmour proved that Pink Floyd can continue without Roger Waters.

As of 2003, Pink Floyd have released 14 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 4 compilation albums.

The 1988 live album The Delicate Sound Of Thunder is allegedly the first rock music to be played outside of Planet Earth. Cosmonauts of Soyuz TM-7 took an advance cassette (the album not being released until shortly afterwards) with them aboard their 1988 space mission. Pink Floyd were present at the launch.

The giant inflatable pig that was to be used on the Animals album cover (floating over the Battersea Power Station) supposedly slipped its moorings and floated off, being spotted by airline pilots at 40,000 feet.

The original inflatable pig used in the Animals and Wall tours was designated intellectual property of Roger Waters that could not be used in the reformed (Gilmour, Mason and Wright) Floyd tours. They got around this by changing the sex of the pig, adding testicles.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, a list of 150 songs circulated on the internet purportedly sent out by radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications that were recommended to be pulled from airplay (it was later determined that the original list was the work of a few program directors working independently, and that the list changed and grew as it was circulated). Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" and "Mother" were on the list.

On the song "Wish You Were Here", in the 26th second, a small cough can be heard, followed by an even quieter sniff at the 31st second. There are reports that this cough was what led David Gilmour to quitting smoking during the recording of the album, but some think the cough could just as easily be just to add to the 'person listening to WYWH coming onto the radio' effect.

Meddle, released in 1971 and considered Pink Floyd's turning-point album, received mixed reviews upon its release. Michael Watts of Melody Maker passed off the album as "So much sound and fury signifying nothing". Drummer Nick Mason responded to Watts' review by sending him a gift box containing a boxing glove mounted on a spring.

The last few seconds of the last track on Disc 2 of The Wall form a circular connection by continuing into the first few seconds heard on track one of Disc 1. Disc 2 ends with "Isn't this where..." Disc 1 starts with "...we came in?". Deliberately or not, this structural innovation recalls a similar one from James Joyce's novel, Finnegans Wake.

19367 Pink Floyd is an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter. The minor planet was named to honor the band. The citation announcing the naming appeared on Minor Planet Circular 49281 issued on August 6th, 2003. It states the discovery was on December 3rd, 1997.

Interesting synchronization occurs between the song "Echoes" and the last scene of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, titled "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite." Although the relationships are less literal than those of the synch for The Wizard of Oz, they flow together well in a way that suggests that Pink Floyd intended the synchronization. When the two are played at the same time, there are periods where they are so similar that it is not discernable whether the sounds are from the song or the movie. The synch is started by aligning the first note of Echoes (the high pitched "ping") with the appearance of the title "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite."

The Simpsons has made many references to Pink Floyd.

In That '70s Show, Hyde is often seen wearing a Dark Side of the Moon T-Shirt. The show is approaching the release date of The Wall near the end of 1979.

In the South Park episode "Scott Tenorman Must Die", Eric Cartman taunts "haha, charade you are" to the eponymous Radiohead-listening bully, a reference to the first part of the song "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" from Animals. He also tells this to Stan's sister, Shelly, in another episode after snapping a picture of her with her 22 year old boyfriend while she was supposed to babysit him.

In the Futurama episode "The Series Has Landed", when Fry and Leela are running from the mad moon farmer, they notice that the dark side of the moon is coming. Fry says, "Cool! Dark side of the moon!" and a music clip that sounds like "Breathe" from Dark Side of the Moon plays.

Friends: In the episode "The One with the Sonogram at the End", Chandler makes a statement about the first kiss as "a stand up comedian you have to put up with before Pink Floyd comes out."