| "Echoes" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Pink Floyd | |
| from the album Meddle | |
| Released | 5 November 1971 |
| Recorded | 7 March – 1 May 1971 |
| Studio | Abbey Road, AIR and Morgan, London |
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, progressive rock[1][2] |
| Length |
|
| Label | Harvest |
| Composer(s) | |
| Lyricist(s) | Roger Waters |
| Producer(s) | Pink Floyd |
| Official audio | |
| "Echoes" on YouTube | |
"Echoes" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, and the sixth and last track on their 1971 album Meddle. It is 23+1⁄2 minutes long, the second longest of their discography, 2nd to Atom Heart Mother Suite, and takes up the entire second side of the original LP. The track evolved from a variety of different musical themes and ideas, including instrumental passages and studio effects, resulting in the side-long piece. The music, credited to all the band, was mainly written by Richard Wright and David Gilmour, while Roger Waters' lyrics addressed themes of human communication and empathy, to which he returned in later work.
The song was performed live regularly by Pink Floyd from 1971 to 1975, including a performance in the film Live at Pompeii (1972). It was used for the opening shows on the 1987 A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour but subsequently dropped. David Gilmour revived "Echoes" for his 2006 On an Island Tour, which featured Richard Wright, but retired the piece after Wright's death in 2008. However, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets has since played the song as part of its Echoes Tour. The studio recording was used in the film Crystal Voyager (1973) while an edited version is included on the greatest-hits album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd (2001).
"Echoes" has been regarded by critics as an important song that transitions between Pink Floyd's early experimental material as a cult band and later mainstream success. Several publications have remarked it as one of the best songs by the group. The group have mixed views of the track, but it was a particular favourite of Wright's.