Recorded April – November 1979 Length 2:45 | Genre Progressive rock | |
Published Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd Released 30 November 1979 (UK)
8 December 1979 (US) Label Harvest (UK)
Columbia (US) | ||
"Goodbye Blue Sky" is a song by Pink Floyd. It appeared on their 1979 double album, The Wall.
Contents
Plot
In a brief prologue, a skylark is heard chirping. The sound of approaching bombers catches the attention of a child (voiced by a young Harry Waters), who states, "Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky".
The lyrics go on to describe the memory of the Blitz: Did you see the frightened ones? Did you hear the falling bombs? Did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter when the promise of a brave new world unfurled beneath a clear blue sky? ... The flames are all long gone, but the pain lingers on.
Film version
In the film version, this segment is animated by Gerald Scarfe. It shows a white dove (which begins as live action) flying peacefully up only to suddenly explode gorily, torn apart by a black Nazi eagle (Reichsadler). This swoops over the countryside, then grabs at the earth with its claws, ripping up a huge section and flying off leaving a trail of blood. It glides over England and it gives birth to a monster in the wake of its shadow, which then transforms into a machine that is an undefeated warlord releasing airplanes. Next, naked, gas-masked people (the frightened ones) are seen running about on all fours and hiding from The Blitz. Finally, a Union Jack that fragments, turning into a bleeding cross, the Nazi eagle crashed and the dove flies right out of it. The blood runs into the gutter and a drain. Unlike the album, this comes in after "When the Tigers Broke Free" and before "The Happiest Days of Our Lives".
Live versions
For the 1990 large-scale concert The Wall – Live in Berlin, vocals for this song were provided by Joni Mitchell, with visuals largely reprised from the film version.
Roger Waters' 2010–13 tour The Wall Live uses the song to depict a metaphorical "cultural bombing". As bomber planes fly in from the distance, they drop not bombs, but dollar signs, euro signs, religious symbols, and corporate logos. This imagery ended up attracting controversy due to the juxtaposition of dollar signs and the Star of David, which was deemed antisemetic by the Anti-Defamation League; Waters later removed the offending iconography and wrote an open letter to The Independent clarifying that the Star was meant to critique the Israeli government.
Personnel
with: