Roger Waters Once Thought David Gilmour Stole One Of Their Songs

In January 1975, Pink Floyd entered Abbey Road Studios to work on their ninth album, Wish You Were Here, amid creative tension. Guitarist David Gilmour admitted to NME that after the massive success of 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, the band felt “creatively trapped.” Bassist Roger Waters described the album’s concept as dealing with “people whom you know aren’t there anymore,” while drummer Nick Mason joked on Capital Radio, “I really did wish that I wasn’t there.” This period marked the start of significant friction within the band.

A Serendipitous Opening

Despite the rocky start, the title track of Wish You Were Here became a moment of harmony. Gilmour recalled in a video interview promoting the album’s Immersion reissue:
“I had bought a 12-string guitar… and that [opening riff] just started coming out.” Roger Waters’s curiosity was piqued, but cautious:

“I had a terrible habit of playing bits of songs by other people… I think Roger was a bit nervous asking, in case it came from something else.”

The band’s idea was to open the album with a sound mimicking a radio tuning through stations, landing briefly on Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony before settling on Gilmour’s distant 12-string riff. Gilmour explained:

“The idea was that it was like a guitar playing on the radio and someone in their room at home… joining in.”

He added with a touch of humor:

“Every time I listen to the actual original recording, I think, ‘God, I should have really done that a little bit better.’”

Lyrics, Tribute, and Reunion

Roger Waters’s reflective lyric in the song struck a chord:

“We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year.”

Though it’s often linked to Waters’s failing marriage, it mainly honors former bandmate Syd Barrett. Gilmour noted in a documentary:

“Although Shine On You Crazy Diamond is specifically about Syd, and Wish You Were Here has a broader remit, I can’t sing it without thinking about Syd.”

In 2005, when Pink Floyd reunited at Live 8, Waters and Gilmour made the song’s meaning clear during their acoustic performance in Hyde Park:

“We’re doing this for everyone who’s not here,” Waters said, “and particularly, of course, for Syd.”