A Pillow of Winds

"A Pillow of Winds"
Song by Pink Floyd
from the album Meddle
PublishedPink Floyd Music Publ
Released5 November 1971 (UK)
Recorded21 March – 27 August 1971[1]
StudioMorgan Studios, AIR Studios
GenrePsychedelic folk
Length5:13
LabelHarvest
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Pink Floyd

"A Pillow of Winds" is the second track from Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle.[2][3]

Music and lyrics

This soft acoustic love song[4] may be quite uncharacteristic of the band's previous and future material. Guitarist David Gilmour composed the chord sequence using an open E tuning (EBEG#BE), played in a series of arpeggios, composed the melody and maybe part of the lyrics (along with Roger Waters).[4] This song also features slide guitar work by Gilmour, as well as a fretless bass[4] played by Waters. The song begins and ends in the key of E major, with a darker middle section (following the lyric "and the candle dies") in the parallel minor, E minor. Both the E major and E minor chords feature the ninth, making this song one of many Pink Floyd songs to feature a prominent E minor added ninth chord, "Em(add9)". Throughout most of the song, the bass line remains on E as a pedal point, creating a drone. In the instrumental interlude, however, the chords change completely to A minor and B minor chords, leaving the E bass drone for a time before returning to E major.[5]

According to Nick Mason, the song's title originates from a possible hand in the game of mahjong, with which the band had become enamoured while touring.[6]

Reception

In a review for the Meddle album, Jean-Charles Costa of Rolling Stone described "A Pillow of Winds", along with "San Tropez", as an "ozone ballad". He further described the two as "pleasant little acoustic numbers hovering over a bizarre back-drop of weird sounds".[7] Classic Rock Review described "A Pillow of Winds" as "a soft acoustic love song" that's reminiscent of previous albums Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother. They went on further, saying: "this second song could not be in more contrast to the first one".[8]

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2017). Pink Floyd All The Songs. Running Press. ISBN 9780316439237.
  2. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
  3. ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
  4. ^ a b c Manning, Toby (2006). "The Albums". The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd (1st ed.). London: Rough Guides. p. 163. ISBN 1-84353-575-0.
  5. ^ Pink Floyd: Anthology (1980 Warner Bros. Publications, Inc., Secaucus N.J.).
  6. ^ Nick Mason, Inside out – A Personal History of Pink Floyd, Ed. Weidenfeld & Nicolson Illustrated, London, 2005.
  7. ^ Costa, Jean-Charles (6 January 1972). "Meddle". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Meddle by Pink Floyd". Classic Rock Review. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
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