Shine On also has that element of gospel like many of the songs on Dark Side of the Moon. An inspiration they both shared and got from Syd. Although they wrote songs that lasted three or four times longer than the average radio hit, they always embraced their blues roots. The album is also an example of how Pink Floyd was different from most prog bands. While Dark Side of the Moon was a collection of shorter “pop� songs Floyd returned to an old formula with Shine On focusing on the music, which makes Wish You Were Here stand out as a stronger group effort than Dark Side. The song was premiered at Parc des Expositions in Toulouse, France 18 June 1974. David played four notes that immediately caught Roger’s attention and from there they started their normal procedure with pasting different bits and pieces together, all based on a standard three chord blues. Shine On was written in early June 1974 during rehearsals at King’s Cross in London for the forthcoming French mini tour. In this article we’ll examine the history of the song, David’s setups throughout the years and look at some of the blues references. It’s the perfect combination of the instrumental Floyd and Roger’s lyrics and it’s one of David’s finest performances both in terms of his playing and tone. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is for many what Pink Floyd is all about.
