Speak to Me
"Speak to Me" is the first track on British progressive rock band Pink Floyd's 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon, on which it forms an overture. Nick Mason receives a rare solo writing credit for the track, though recollections differ as to the reasons for this. Mason states that he created the track himself, whereas Richard Wright and Roger Waters stated the credit was a "gift" to Mason to give him some publishing income. A live version is included on Pulse.Composition
The song itself is a sound collage, which features no lyrics, and consists of a series of sound effects. It leads into the first performance piece on the album, "Breathe". As a result, they are usually played together on the radio, and most later re-releases merge the two songs.Sound effects
Noticeable sound and instrument effects include:
- Heartbeat; this can also be heard at the end of "Eclipse"
- Clock ticking, also heard in "Time"
- Manic laughter of Peter Watts, also heard in "Brain Damage"
- Cash register, also heard in "Money"
- Helicopter noise, also heard in "On the Run"
- Clare Torry's scream, also heard in "The Great Gig in the Sky"
- Backwards piano chord, which leads into "Breathe"
Spoken parts
Personnel
