Nobody Home

For the 1919 film, see Nobody Home (film).
"Nobody Home"
Song by Pink Floyd from the album The Wall
Published Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd
Released 30 November 1979 (UK)
8 December 1979 (US)
Recorded April–November 1979
Genre Progressive rock, art rock
Length 3:26
Label Harvest (UK)
Columbia (US)
Writer(s) Roger Waters
Producer(s) Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour, James Guthrie and Roger Waters

"Nobody Home" is a song from the Pink Floyd album The Wall.[1][2] This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.[3]

Background

"Nobody Home" was written late into the development of The Wall after an argument between the band and Roger Waters. David Gilmour said that the song "came along when we were well into the thing [The Wall] and he’d [Waters] gone off in a sulk the night before and came in the next day with something fantastic."[4]

Lyrics

In the song, the character Pink describes his lonely life of isolation behind his self-created mental wall.[5] He has no one to talk to, and all he has are his possessions. The song describes what Roger Waters says he experienced during the band's 1977 tour, the band's first major stadium tour. Additionally, the song contains some references to founding Pink Floyd member, Syd Barrett.[5] The song was written after an argument between Gilmour, Waters, and co-producer Bob Ezrin during production of The Wall in which Gilmour and Ezrin challenged Waters to come up with one more song for the album. Waters then wrote "Nobody Home" and returned to the studio two days later to present it to the band. It was the last song written for The Wall. On the 30th anniversary of The Wall episode of the US radio show In the Studio with Redbeard, Gilmour revealed that "Nobody Home" was one of his favorite songs from the album.

A television playing in the background is frequently heard, including the line, "Surprise! Surprise, Surprise!" from Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.[5] This recalls the line:

I got thirteen channels of shit on the TV to choose from

Much of the song describes Syd Barrett's fragile mental state during 1967.[5] In the documentary "Behind The Wall", Gilmour states that it describes the state of mind of many rockstars while on tour. However, the lyrics:

I got nicotine stains on my fingers
I got a silver spoon on a chain
Got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains

are said to have been written specifically about Floyd's pianist Richard Wright, who was allegedly struggling with cocaine addiction at the time.[6]

The song tails off quietly with an abortive final verse, starting off in the same manner as the previous verses but only two lines long:

I got a pair of Gohill's boots
and I've got, fading roots

Personnel

with:

Cover versions

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
  2. ↑ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
  3. ↑ Guthrie, James. "James Guthrie: Audio: Building A Compilation Album". Pink Floyd. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  4. ↑ Simmons, Sylvie, ed. (October 2009). ""Good Bye Blue Sky", (Pink Floyd: 30th Anniversary, The Wall Revisited.)". Guitar World. Future. 30 (10): 79–80.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Janovitz, Bill. "Nobody Home - Pink Floyd : Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  6. ↑ Schaffner, Nicholas (2005). "Pigs on the Wing". Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey (New ed.). London: Helter Skelter. p. 219. ISBN 1-905139-09-8.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Fitch and Mahon, p. 94.
  8. ↑ "Nobody Home by Metric Concert Statistics". setlist.fm. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  9. ↑ Pink Floyd's The Wall tribute, The Rock Radio, 2005.
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