Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 825: "Wish You Were Here" (silent version)

If this happened at any rock-themed concert in Europe or America, there would be audience members who would immediately sing the lyrics along with the lead singer: "So, So you think you can tell..."

On the Blue Water Planet, it might take some time for this scene to happen.

But the music appreciation level of these fans at the scene is far higher than those ordinary fans who only listen to pop music. Following the main tune played by Bian Lang, they have already formed pictures in their minds, and some have even started to imagine the lyrics.

The song is "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. The version that Bian Lang chose to play at this moment is not from Pink Floyd, but from the version performed by Guns N' Roses at Live at Rock In Rio 2017.

Some netizens once joked that this was a loquat duet brought to everyone by folk artist Slash and his partner!

When Slash played the lead vocals, the chorus from the audience made you feel like you were at Wu Bai's concert. The band on the stage was just the backing band, and the audience was the protagonist.

In the original Earth, Pink Floyd fans generally believe that this song was written for the late Syd Barrett, the former soul figure of the band.

As one of the founders of Pink Floyd, Syd created most of the early works of the band. He is also a very innovative guitarist.

He is adept at using amplifiers to randomly explore the imbalance of music and sound, distortion, and create echo machine, tape and other effects. His experimental playing method was partly influenced by the improvisational guitarist Keith Rowe.

One of Syd's signature performances was playing his guitar through an old echo machine while sliding a Zippo back and forth across the guitar strings to create mysterious, otherworldly sounds, a style that would later become part of the band's soundtrack.

Another iconic performance was when he used a Binson delay unit to achieve the reverb effect, which later became known to music fans.

As for why he left the band in 1968, that is a reason that most Pink Floyd members know, but they don’t know how to evaluate it!

But regarding the basic understanding of this song, in the 2011 documentary "The Story of Wish You Were Here", the lyricist Shui Ye said:
"I think all the songs I write ask similar questions. Can you free yourself enough to experience the reality of life? When it's in front of you, following you, and you're a part of it? Or can't you? Because if you can't, you're just standing there until you die. It sounds like bullshit, but that's what this song means.

These songs inspire me, and I think I wrote them for myself, to motivate myself to not accept being the lead in the cage, but to keep asking myself to audition for the little extras in the war, because that's where I want to be.

I wanted to be in the trenches, I didn't want to be in a headquarters building, or sitting in some hotel somewhere, I wanted to... fight... maybe, I could say, in a way that my father would approve of."

Of course, Shui Ye also said: "People do attach a lot of what they may be feeling inside, and they may not be completely sure what the song means, and neither can I. I mean, I'm just telling you what it means to me. There's no reason other people can't have their own understanding, and that's just as reasonable."

As for Lonely, he said: "Even though 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' is specifically about Syd, and 'Wish You Were Here' is more general, I can't help but think of Syd when singing this song."

At that time, Syd was so perfect in everyone's eyes. He was a talented, good-natured and handsome young man.

Even in Pink Floyd's early performances, when the lighting was very dim, fans' attention was directly attracted by his singing, guitar and good looks.

And in the team, Syd is the key figure who can play a decisive role.

Once the band was invited to record a program at the BBC, but Syd never showed up. No one could contact him, so his agent sent someone to look for him everywhere. It took two or three days to find him, and when he was found, he was already distracted because of the long flight.

His talent was locked in that album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn". Although he released two more solo albums "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett", the response was much lower than expected.

Before PinkFloyd recorded "Wish You Were Here", Syd also tried to record a new song, but the result was disappointing.

The sound engineer later recalled: "When you see him, it feels like there is a person who is about to drown in front of you. You reach out to grab him, but he keeps sinking."

Before the band finished recording, Syd came to the studio. At that time, he was no longer as sunny and handsome as before, but looked like a greasy middle-aged man, with fat body, and no hair and eyebrows.

At first glance, the band members didn't recognize who this guy was and why he suddenly appeared in the studio. It took a while before everyone recognized that this greasy middle-aged uncle was Syd.

Then Lonely and Shui both cried, and the others still couldn't believe that it was Syd in front of them. Lonely later described Syd's change as a loss, a loss to himself and the music industry.

If "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" in this album is considered a song dedicated to Syd, then "Wish You Were Here" is a song that everyone can enjoy and experience firsthand.

This song is dedicated to the friends who once fought side by side with me but have now fallen into depravity. It uses the sincerity of a brother to recount the traces of memory left by the deceased in our minds. There is no praise, no sorrow, but there is a real humanity in it, which is so real that it makes people burst into tears.

Songs with cheerful melodies may bring sensory enjoyment to people, but the music that can penetrate into people's bones and souls is often the sad and desolate music in their hearts.

In 05, at the Live8 charity concert also organized by Bob Geldof, the four members of Pink Floyd reunited and performed on the same stage for the last time and played this song.

What Shui Ye said on the stage at that time was: "This is for Syd." No one knows whether Syd was present at the time, and the most regrettable thing is that Syd died the following year, ending his legendary yet tragic life.

The reason why Bian Lang chose this song as the opening song for his global tour, and this version, is that he wanted to use this song as a prelude to kick off the Rolling Stones' world tour.

He doesn't want this song to have the same background as the original Earth. Birth, aging, illness and death are inevitable, but Bian Lang doesn't want any of the current Rolling Stones teammates to leave the band or even leave this world because of Syd's mistake!

He hopes that everyone will understand this song as the literal meaning of the title: I wish you were here!

I'll add another explanation at the end and enjoy the music of the Rolling Stones!
As for the version with vocals, Bian Lang plans to release it in Berlin, the last stop in Europe. Although Pink Floyd on Earth was a British band, the starting point of Pink Floyd on Blue Water was in Berlin!
Because the fans of Water Blue Star will not know anything about Pink Floyd, Bian Lang can only connect the fans' thoughts through these designs.

DGM did not interfere with any of Wave's arrangements for the Rolling Stones tour, but when Evelyn learned about the plan, she still raised her doubts. But in the end, she was convinced by Olaf, who said: "Wave knows better than anyone what his music wants to express, and it turns out that fans are happy to accept his expression.

Don't worry, when we get to Berlin, these fans will look back and reminisce about this live performance and will be extremely grateful. I think if there is no very special reason, the Rolling Stones will hardly perform this version of "Wish You Were Here" without vocals for a second time!"

At that time, Evelyn was skeptical about the second half of Olaf's words. But now, when Evelyn looked at the fans who were completely intoxicated by the scene, she believed it!
Although there are no lyrics, the Rolling Stones' performance allows most music fans to distinguish the order of the lyrics!

At exactly two minutes, the drums and bass begin to enter with cymbals, giving people the feeling that the lyrics say: "Do you think you can tell?"

Fast forward to two and a half minutes, Bian Lang's "main voice" stops playing, and Di Li's solo begins. No one needs to explain, everyone knows that this is the interlude.

Although the original psychedelic metal song has been played by the three guitarists including Bian Lang into a combination of hard rock and glam metal, this solo still has a psychedelic basis to the feeling given by professional rock musicians.

Hatter had seen the rehearsal, but now that it was the official performance, they had a completely different feeling. When listening to it during the rehearsal, Feimos only felt that it was catchy, and there was no other feeling.

But now that it was put on a formal performance, feeling the silent respect from the two thousand people present, combined with his anticipation for the subsequent performances, his understanding of the song was instantly elevated.

If this live performance is understood as a song, then "Wish You Were Here" is an extremely classic prelude.

There is no lyrics, but the fans can imagine the lyrics in their minds. This divine song directly raises the level of the entire performance. In Feimos' opinion, Bian Lang's creative concept and the idea of ​​designing this performance can be compared with those of the world's top bands.

Not only did they seek out distorted sound effects, fast drum rhythms and high notes, but they also relied purely on an unplugged opening to make this solo debut of the Rolling Stones in Europe a complete subversion.

I believe that even those fans who think they are familiar with the Rolling Stones will still find this opening incredible.

The interlude ended the moment Dili stopped his solo. The guitar was used as a vocal and then the main sound was added. The fans already had the idea...

"Oh, this should be the real chorus!"

Because the side waves have already started using techniques such as kneading, sliding, and tapping...

Although there are no lyrics, the blend of fast and slow, ups and downs, and rhythms played by Bian Lang on the guitar really sound like "lyrics", but the meaning needs to be understood by people.

Olaf, who was monitoring in the background, was just enjoying it with his eyes closed. With such a cool opening, if any music critic said something bad tomorrow, he would definitely hit back.

Phimos looked at Bian Lang under the spotlight on the stage, nudged Bob with his elbow and whispered, "Can you do this?"

"I'm not sure. I feel like he played it according to the score. It's too random. We have no way of knowing what's going on in Bian Lang's mind."

Compared to others, professional guitarists like Bob have more say in the performance of side waves.

Just like he said, the part played by Bian Lang was too random. According to his feeling, what Bian Lang played today was different from what he played during the rehearsal. It was not played according to the traditional understanding of guitarists. In layman's terms, it was more like improvisation.

"No, I must get a place as a guitarist for the Berlin show!" Bob thought to himself, and said to Phimos, "It will be a big loss if the guitarist from Panama doesn't come!"

"Indeed, the Coldplay guys didn't come either, which was a big loss. I think Bian Lang's performance went beyond the performance itself, it was really a bit like teaching. As far as this performance is concerned, it's a pity that he didn't play lead guitar!"

If Bian Lang heard this, he would definitely add in his mind: "Of course, this is Guns N' Roses' Slash's adaptation of Pink Floyd... There has never been a cover video on the Internet..."

Bob glanced at Phimos and replied unhappily, "There are so many musicians who can play the guitar better than him. You can't find another person in the world who can compare with him in terms of voice and brain..."

As soon as the words fell, Bian Lang played a rubbing motion, then stood the guitar upright on his thighs and began to perform "pelvic resonance".

According to music fans' understanding, the lyrics should have finished now, and Bian Lang is about to start playing the outro.

The strings were like a storm, and tons of sound waves were released indiscriminately to the fans in the venue. Di Li, who was playing the chords, also walked to Bian Lang's side under the escort of the lights.

The moment the two men faced each other, Bian Lang stopped playing the string abruptly, and Di Li connected this section seamlessly!
For rock fans, lyrics that resonate with them and electric guitar solos are the most exciting scenes. This scene, which looks like a duel of guitarists, is actually a coordinated solo that has been rehearsed countless times, and it directly refreshes the fans' understanding of solos.

Again, although this first song has no lyrics, in the hearts of all the music fans present today, the Rolling Stones' performance is worthy of the title of a world-class rock band.

Even some bigger rock bands might not dare to do this at the beginning of their show.

"This is the Rolling Stones! They're amazing! I thought I overestimated them before, but now I feel I underestimated them." This is the true portrayal of Adams's heart at this moment.

As a businessman, he decided to prepare a new contract for the Rolling Stones after returning, and re-sign it after the European tour was over. As for the resources for the US tour, he decided to give the Rolling Stones a little more.

By the end of the song, the fans were already getting excited.

But the Rolling Stones had no intention of cooling down at all. While the three main guitarists hid in the darkness, bassist Huang Kai took the C position!
As soon as the solo of the prelude sounded, Ye Tao didn't wait for anyone to ask, and directly explained to everyone: "'Flying Bird', from the Rolling Stones' Chinese album 'Dream Back to the Tang Dynasty'..."

(End of this chapter)