4 songs inspired by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd inspired an entire generation of musicians. Radiohead, Tame Impala, Porcupine Tree, Air, Tool and many other great bands have drawn inspiration from the icons of psychedelic progressive rock. That being said, there are also many songs directly inspired by the band and Syd Barrett in particular. Let’s look at some songs inspired by Pink Floyd!

1. “Sirens” by Pearl Jam

“Sirens” was released in 2013 and was a great little album by alternative rock band Pearl Jam, just like their studio album. Flash. Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready said that “Sirens” was heavily inspired by Roger Waters’ 2011 The Wall Live Tour.

McCready went on to say that he wanted to “write something that would have a Pink Floyd type feel.” The resulting song had carefully written lyrics by Eddie Vedder about death and the future of new generations. A superb Pink Floyd-style piece, indeed.

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2. “The Pink Song” by Richard Wright

This song is obviously inspired by Pink Floyd, given that it was written by the band’s founding songwriter and keyboardist. But Richard Wright’s “Pink’s Song” has more to offer than just inspiration from his work with the band.

This clearly concerns Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett and his departure from the band, as well as Wright’s need to leave the band following disagreements with bassist Roger Waters.

3. “Mr. Barrett” by Flaming Star

This Flaming Star song was written by John Steele. The 1974 song was dedicated to Syd Barrett. “Mr. Barrett” was part of Flaming Star’s self-produced album which was probably also dedicated to Barrett and Pink Floyd as a whole.

4. “Oranges and Apples” by The Trashcan Sinatras

This Scottish alternative rock band released “Oranges And Apples” in 2008 with their album. In music. The band noted that the track was heavily inspired by the life of Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett.

“In the months since Syd’s passing, I have once again become fascinated and intrigued by him and his wonderful, unique work,” said the band’s guitarist and vocalist, John Douglas. “A friend of mine, the great English songwriter Boo Hewerdine, lives in Cambridge and told me he saw Syd occasionally riding around town on his bike. (…) This image of Syd seemed to contradict the historically documented version. I was relieved and happy to discover that Syd had found some degree of peace and “normalcy” during his years there. (…) His very individual attitude towards songwriting was, it seems, a reflection of his attitude towards life in general.

Proceeds from sales of the single were donated to the Syd Barrett Trust.

Photo by David Redfern

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