History Music / WishYouWereHere1975

''Wish You Were Here'' is the ninth studio album by Music/PinkFloyd, released in 1975 through Creator/HarvestRecords in the UK and Creator/ColumbiaRecords in the US. The highly anticipated follow-up to ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'', it was made as both a harsh critique of the music industry and a tribute to Music/SydBarrett, a previous frontman of the band who had been ousted in 1968 for drug abuse and mental decline.

The album came to be after Music/RogerWaters became determined to keep the band together; as a result, he became responsible for most of the band's output during the 1970s. This, combined with his bandmates' [[CreatorBreakdown escalating personal troubles]] that limited their ability to contribute, would end up resulting in Waters becoming more and more iron-fisted in his leadership, ultimately culminating in the chaotic production of ''Music/TheFinalCut'' in 1983 and Waters' departure two years later.

-->-- "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 7)"

* {{Feelies}}: Vinyl copies came with a postcard of the diving man.

''Wish You Were Here'' is the ninth studio album by Music/PinkFloyd, released in 1975 through Creator/HarvestRecords in the UK and Creator/ColumbiaRecords in the US. The highly anticipated follow-up to ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'', it was made as both a harsh criticism of the music industry and a tribute to Music/SydBarrett, a previous frontman of the band who had been ousted in 1968 for drug abuse and mental decline.

By 1974, Pink Floyd were the biggest band in the world and had no way to cope with the sudden explosion of fame. As a result, ''Wish You Were Here'' hinges on the concept of ArtistDisillusionment, as it deals with [[MusicIsPolitics the harsh realities of the corporate side of the music industry]] and the band's wishes for simpler days.

** The line ''come on, you painter, '''you piper''', you prisoner, and shine!'' invokes ''Music/ThePiperAtTheGatesOfDawn'', Floyd's first album.

* MythologyGag: "Oh, by the way, which one's Pink?" in "Have a Cigar" was a real question by a music agent.

* VisualPun: The Creator/{{Hipgnosis}} cover art has many images regarding absence -- a swimmer who doesn't make a splash, a flying veil covering a nude woman, and a faceless "Floyd salesman". The front cover also features a man on fire while making a business handshake, symbolizing him "getting burned" (read: getting an unfair or minimized result) by the deal he's making.

''Wish You Were Here'' is the ninth studio album by Music/PinkFloyd, released in 1975. The highly anticipated follow-up to ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'', it was made as both a harsh criticism of the music industry and a tribute to Music/SydBarrett, a previous frontman of the band who had been ousted in 1968 for drug abuse and mental decline.

*** Cassette, 8-track, and early European CD releases swapped out the "man on fire" photo for the handshake logo from the sticker that was affixed over the black shrink wrap on the first vinyl pressings, with a white or black background depending on the country.
*** Most early CD releases outside of Europe feature a version of the standard cover with the background changed from white to off-white, reflecting the way that LP copies of the album yellowed out with age. This is particularly apparent when looking at the back cover of the US CD, which features a pure white stripe on the left for the barcode.
*** The initial Australian CD release added the band name and album title to the front cover and used an alternate take of the cover photo, in which the businessman on fire is leaning back rather than forward.
*** The 1994 remaster features a much less cropped version of the cover photo, with only the singed edge of the white border remaining in place. The band name, album title, and handshake logo are also added to said border.

** The faceless man on the back cover was influenced by Creator/ReneMagritte.

* IAmNotShazam: Occurs in-universe in "Have a Cigar", where Roy Harper's sleazy record executive character offhandedly -- and sincerely -- asks the band "oh by the way, which one's Pink?" (referencing an in-joke among the band about the number of people they met who thought "Pink Floyd" was the name of a solo artist).

->''"And we'll bask in the shadow of yesterday's triumph\\

Come on, you miner for truth and delusion, and shine!"''
-->--'''"Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 7)"'''

---> ''We're just knocked out\\

--> ''Come on you raver, you seer of visions,\\

-->'''David Gilmour''': It was a very difficult period, I have to say. All your childhood dreams had been sort of realised and we had the biggest selling records in the world and all the things you got into it for. The girls and the money and the fame and all that stuff... Everything had sort of come our way and you had to reassess what you were in it for thereafter, and it was a pretty confusing and sort of empty time for a while.

-->'''David Gilmour''': It was a line I just couldn't reach so [[{{Undercrank}} we dropped the tape down half a semitone]].

*** The 1994 remaster features a much less cropped version of the cover photo, with only the singed edge of the white border being visible. The band name, album title, and handshake logo are also added to said border.

* AlternateAlbumCover: Cassette, 8-track, and early European CD releases used the handshake logo from the sticker that was affixed over the black shrink wrap on the first vinyl pressings, with a white or black background depending on the country.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,\\
year after year."'']]

->''"You were caught in the crossfire of childhood and stardom\\

Come on, you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!"''
-->--'''"Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 4)"'''

!! Tracklist:

[[AC: Side One]]

[[AC: Side Two]]

!! ''"And did we tell you the name of the trope, boy?"''

--> ''You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,\\

--> ''We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl''

Barrett showed up during the mixing of the album, and his abnormal behaviour and dramatically changed appearance (having shaved his hair and eyebrows and gained considerable weight) brought Music/RogerWaters and Richard Wright to tears. Some reports actually claim that this event occurred during sessions devoted to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", the song explicitly paying tribute to Barrett, although recollections are hazy about specifically which songs were being worked on.

[[redirect:Music/WishYouWereHere]]