{"id":5493,"date":"2026-09-08T17:01:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T21:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=5493"},"modified":"2026-09-08T17:01:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T21:01:30","slug":"the-concept-of-pink-floyds-the-wall-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-concept-of-pink-floyds-the-wall-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"The Concept of Pink Floyd\u2019s ‘The Wall’ Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During Pink Floyd<\/a>‘s final show of their In the Flesh tour in 1977, Roger Waters got frustrated. Audience behavior had distracted him throughout the tour. And it came to a head that night when he spat on a noisy fan near the stage. Although he regretted it immediately, the incident made him realize “what had once been a worthwhile and manageable exchange between us (the band) and them (the audience) had been utterly perverted by scale, corporate avarice and ego.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waters imagined putting a wall between himself and the audience, and the concept of The Wall<\/em> was born. The album was released in 1979, and an elaborate live version was staged on the band’s next tour. A film version was made in 1982. It combined live action with surreal animated sequences and starred Boomtown Rats’ frontman Bob Geldof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tension within the band was high at the time, and The Wall<\/em> was ultimately the final album with their classic 70s lineup. Waters fired keyboardist Rick Wright during the recording. David Gilmour has called it “the last embers of mine and Roger\u2019s ability to work collaboratively together.” On top of their personal issues, the band was also dealing with financial issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, The Wall<\/em> was a huge success. It sold over one million copies in the first two months after its release. It has sold over 30 million in the decades since, making it the best-selling double album of all time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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