| "Hey You" | |
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| Song |
"Hey You" is a song by Pink Floyd.[1] It appears on The Wall album (1979).[2] It starts the second disc of the double album. This song, along with The Show Must Go On, was edited out of the film for fear on the part of the filmmakers that the film was running too long; however, a rough version is available as an extra on the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD.
The song starts off with a solo acoustic guitar playing a melody resembling the middle section of "A Pillow of Winds" over broken chords, with the fretless bass (similar to it's use in "A Pillow of Winds") joining in shortly after. Next to join in is the Fender Rhodes electric piano, David Gilmour's vocals, and overdubbed acoustic guitar and drums at the start of the second verse. In the middle is a guitar solo which is played over the main riff of the song "Another Brick in the Wall". After the solo, Roger Waters takes over on lead vocals for the rest of the song. The bridge contains the chord sequence from "Bring the Boys Back Home", ending on an E minor chord as well. A reprise of the instrumental introduction follows, augmented by prominent ARP Quadra riffs and a faintly audible sound of a drill. At this point, there is a piece of indecipherable whispering from the left channel. Drums and vocals then join in. At about 3:23 into the song, a common Floydian technique of recycling sounds occurs when a sonar-like sound, similar to the ping in "Echoes", is introduced, adding to the atmosphere of isolation and emptiness. The song itself is inspired by the very concept The Wall was made for: the feeling of despair and isolation from one's peers. "Hey You" has a very desperate tone which steadily grows as the song progresses, and there has been much debate[who?] as to what the lyrics symbolise, though it is generally agreed that the song is about isolation from one's peers, whether it be Pink, the listener, or both.[3]
The song was originally intended to be between "Comfortably Numb" and "The Show Must Go On". This line-up was used on the demo tapes, but changed for the final release. However, it does appear between the two songs in the liner notes of the album.[citation needed]
The song was performed by Pink Floyd during The Wall Tour in 1980 and 1981 and during The Division Bell Tour in 1994.
Like most other songs on the album, "Hey You" is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Pink. Pink realises the mistake he made completely shunning society, and attempts to regain contact with the outside world. However, he cannot see or hear beyond the wall. Pink's call becomes more and more desperate as he begins to realise there is no escape.
"Hey You" was shot for the film Pink Floyd The Wall, but the sequence (also known as Reel 13) was ultimately not included. A workprint appears on the special edition DVD, in black and white. Most of the footage was used in other sequences (most notably "Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)".
The scene begins with Pink trying to claw out of his freshly completed wall. The scene then switches to Pink's concert-goers, all of them with a blank and vacant look on their faces. These are the people "Standing in the aisles with itchy feet and fading smiles" that Pink is trying to reach out to. Next is a shot of empty infirmary beds followed by a view of two empty chairs in a white room. A motionless Pink fades into the chair on the left, with his nude wife fading into the right chair a short time later. After turning her head to look at her unresponsive husband, she fades out of the scene, which shifts to a tidal wave of rioting scenes, with people tipping over cars and throwing Molotov cocktails at riot police. After the montage, a hand is shown clawing at a window (the colour version of this is actually shown at the end of "The Trial") followed by a large group of maggots (the "worms" eating into Pink's brain). After a shot of Pink in an infirmary bed and his screaming wife superimposed over the image, the scene takes back to the riot, where a long line of police officers hold back a mob of rioters who have barricaded themselves behind a pile of desks and mattresses. The scene ends with Pink against his wall, having given up on finding a way out.
The Wall concerts' personnel (1980–1981):
The Division Bell Tour (documented on the Pulse album):
The song appeared in the 2010 comedy Due Date, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. Their characters, Peter Highman and Ethan Tremblay, were getting high smoking marijuana in the car while listening to the song. The song also appears in the 2005 comedy-drama The Squid and the Whale, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline (Kevin Kline's son) twice. The first appearance is when their characters, are playing the song for their parents. The second appearance is when Eisenberg's character plays the song at a talent show.
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