Analysis of The Song "Another Brick in The Wall, Pt.2" by Pink Floyd

Throughout time music has been used to heal and provoke emotion in the listeners. The melody of a song can bring one to tears, laughter, or even give them chills. People connect and come together through lyrics and their meanings. During severe times music gives groups hope, motivation for change, and a place to speak their minds. In World War II and The Vietnam War many artists used the pain in citizens as a muse for their music and promoted peace and uprising. Protests and marches filled the streets and all that aggression and desire of tranquility over flowed into melodies and chords.

During the Vietnam War a band named Pink Floyd emerged in London, United Kingdom. Inspired by the blues, the group decided to combine the names of two bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, honoring their love of this music. Pink Floyd was founded by Syd Barrett, sculpted, by Roger Waters, the bassist. Waters guided the band's high years, but the band continued after his departure in the '80s, with guitarist David Gilmour and throughout the years, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Rick Wright joined. They made music rebelling the war and government. People loved Pink Floyd’s music because during their golden times they provided a deeper hate against war. Not only did they want peace they wanted freedom from government control. Thousands protested and sang their hearts out in hope of the calm. Rock music has always had a “rebellious” connotation to it, and Pink Floyd put its own twist and was classified as acid rock and progressive because of its psychedelic texture.

The song that they are most known for is actually split up into three parts, and although my favorite of the three and their only #1 hit song, is part two, I feel you have to get the context from the other two pieces to completely understand the story and meaning within the words. Each of these parts has its own feeling, color, and texture with one underlying theme; building walls up around yourself and self-separation from the world. Each time he refers to a “bricks in the wall”, those are things that lead Waters to create barriers against himself and the surrounding world. Part one starts off in a major key, the sound of the Hammond organ fades out with psychedelic funk as the song modulates to the smooth harmony that sounds like an old western bar fighting scene is about to break out, produced by the guitar and bass guitar. Then the vocalist begins to tell Waters story. His voice dances around the guitars and makes one feel something as he explains his dad going overseas and having only pictures to remember him. He goes on to say that this was just a brick in the wall.

Their most popular song, “Another Brick in The Wall, Pt.2”, was released four years after the war ended in 1979. Although the band believed that their music should be listened to instead of danced to, “Another Brick in The Wall, Pt.2” has a disco tune and is what generates the continuous popularity of this song. This song starts with a high-pitched screech and is immediately cut off by the artist saying, “We don’t need no education,” on top of a polyphonic harmony assembled of the bass guitar, guitar, drums, and Hammond organ. It has a groovy feel to it and a thick texture. Colors and vibes of the 70’s disco drift into your mind and soon your shoulders and hips are just doing a little bop. The same harmony continues throughout the next few verses, which are:

“We don’t need no thought control,

No dark sarcasm in the classroom

Teachers leave them kids alone,”

Then the tempo picks up and he shouts victoriously,

“Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone”

Then you hear heavy guitar and bass guitar creating an upbeat harmony and the original tune is introduced and played with lots of percussion as the lyrics come in saying,

“All in all, it's just another brick in the wall

All in all, you're just another brick in the wall”.

After this all drops besides the beat of the drum and the vocals of a children’s choir sing the lyrics of the song over again and the melody of the song also repeats. The “Bricks” in this part of the song according to Professor Marcello at California State University, resemble, “The lyrics…are towards every person and everything that did not let Roger be the person he is. The people that made him feel restricted in life. That is where the analogy of teacher student in the song comes from. Teachers don't let students misbehave and be themselves. He is saying that authority figures are the peoples' bricks in the walls. The deep meaning of the song is that the teacher actually represents the government and the students are the people. The government doesn't let people do what they want, and the government wants to control everyone”.

Part 3 is short but finishes the story. It starts off with what sounds like glass getting shot at and has the same theme for the melody of Part 2 but slowed down and more electric. Mostly sounds of the drums and guitars are bouncing off each other with a strained voice preaching,

“I don't need no arms around me

And I don't need no drugs to calm me

I have seen the writing on the wall

Don't think I need anything at all”.

After each line a thick wave of electric guitar strikes like lighting and after the last line in this verse the guitars and drums are greeted by larger sounds of the Hammond organ and all of them together give you a taste of some funk like the tune of Part 2, but it is quickly pulled back after the words “No! Don't think I'll need anything at all” after a modified version of the starting tune plays with the final two lyrics:

“All in all, it was all just bricks in the wall

“All in all, you were all just bricks in the wall”.

“Pink is telling himself that he is able to live without all the things that he has always wanted in his life like, love from his father. He is saying taking medication won't help but will make him feel worse. He has had a hard life and built this wall that no one else can hurt him” says Professor Marcello.

These songs were made in to a ninety minute movie, “The Wall”, which shows Pink, the main character, dealing with his father’s death, having a protective mother, having a rough time in school, his wife cheating on him, and the road manager has to put him on drugs for performance. Pink is sick of feeling fragile and breaks down his wall, so he can feel free.

I picked this song to talk about because it reminds me of my dad and my childhood of listening to this with him. Pink Floyd is one of my dad’s favorite bands and the reason I got into rock music. Another reason I love this song and the band is because of the time era. If I could live in one time I would pick the 70’s, the music is groovy, the colors were vibrant, and it just has a euphoric, nostalgic feeling. I can also relate to building walls around myself because after people hurt me I put bricks in trusting people and isolate myself. I love the feeling put into this song and each instrument and voice broadcasts the message. I feel like people get obsessed in words but when you close your eyes and to bass guitar solo and colorful fireworks explode in front of your eyes. Your heart starts to pick up and sometimes you smile and flow your shoulders to the wave of the beat and other times it freezes you because the bass is in major and you feel navy blue tides pulling down on the strings of you heart and anchoring it your stomach. “Another Brick in The Wall, Pt.2”, makes me want to fight something I wasn’t even alive for and continue to fight for daily problems. I love the way that the harmony makes me want to move and groove, the words make me want to rebel against everything holding me back or controlling me, they make me want to be free.