High Hopes (Pink Floyd song)
Encyclopedia
"High Hopes" is a song from the 1994 Pink Floyd
album, The Division Bell
, composed by David Gilmour
with lyrics by Gilmour and Polly Samson
. Its lyrics speak of the things one may have gained and lost in life, written from an autobiographical angle by Gilmour, who has previously mentioned that the song is more about his early days and leaving his hometown behind than about the seeds of division supposedly planted in Pink Floyd's early days. Douglas Adams
, a friend of Gilmour, chose the album title from one verse in this song.
with a shortened slide-guitar solo.
talking to one of David Gilmour
's children can be heard. On the LP version, the needle then passes over into the inner groove where a heartbeat is etched, playing on a loop until the needle is taken off.
in Cambridgeshire
.
The video was directed by Storm Thorgerson
and features a man looking over the Fens
at Ely Cathedral
, the same building which can be seen between the metal heads on the cover of the album. Also, the video has many references to Cambridge, where Syd Barrett
, Roger Waters and David Gilmour grew up, the university scarves, bikes and punts
on the river being obvious ones. In particular many scenes are set in St. John's College
, including the Bridge of Sighs
. Also shown is an oversized bust
of Syd Barrett.
CD maxi
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
album, The Division Bell
The Division Bell
The Division Bell is the fourteenth and last studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. It was released in the United Kingdom by EMI Records on 28 March 1994, and in the United States by Columbia Records on 4 April....
, composed by David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
with lyrics by Gilmour and Polly Samson
Polly Samson
Polly Samson is a journalist and writer.-Biography:Samson was born to a diplomatic correspondent father and a writer mother of Chinese descent, Esther Cheo Ying, who wrote a memoir, Black Country Girl in Red China, about her time serving as a Major in Mao Zedong's Red Army...
. Its lyrics speak of the things one may have gained and lost in life, written from an autobiographical angle by Gilmour, who has previously mentioned that the song is more about his early days and leaving his hometown behind than about the seeds of division supposedly planted in Pink Floyd's early days. Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, a friend of Gilmour, chose the album title from one verse in this song.
Song information
"High Hopes" was included on the 2001 compilation, Echoes: The Best of Pink FloydEchoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd is a compilation album by Pink Floyd. It was released by EMI Records in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2001 and the following day in the United States through Capitol Records. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart on 24 November 2001, with sales...
with a shortened slide-guitar solo.
Hidden recordings
After the song is finished on The Division Bell, the sound of Pink Floyd's manager Steve O'RourkeSteve O'Rourke
Steve O'Rourke was born in Willesden, London, England. He was well known for being manager of the highly influential rock band Pink Floyd after the departure of Syd Barrett in 1968 until his death. He also had to weather the band's falling-out with member Roger Waters.He first managed Pink Floyd...
talking to one of David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
's children can be heard. On the LP version, the needle then passes over into the inner groove where a heartbeat is etched, playing on a loop until the needle is taken off.
Quote
Music video
The music video to "High Hopes" was used as a screen film on tour for The Division Bell, as seen on P•U•L•S•E and is set mostly on FenlandThe Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
.
The video was directed by Storm Thorgerson
Storm Thorgerson
Storm Thorgerson is an English graphic designer, known for his work for rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, 10cc, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Cranberries, and Biffy Clyro.-Biography:...
and features a man looking over the Fens
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
at Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral is the principal church of the Diocese of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, England, and is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon...
, the same building which can be seen between the metal heads on the cover of the album. Also, the video has many references to Cambridge, where Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
, Roger Waters and David Gilmour grew up, the university scarves, bikes and punts
Punt (boat)
A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. Punting refers to boating in a punt. The punter generally propels the punt by pushing against the river bed with a pole...
on the river being obvious ones. In particular many scenes are set in St. John's College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, including the Bridge of Sighs
Bridge of Sighs (Cambridge)
The Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge is a covered bridge belonging to St John's College of Cambridge University. It was built in 1831 and crosses the River Cam between the college's Third Court and New Court. The architect was Henry Hutchinson....
. Also shown is an oversized bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Syd Barrett.
Personnel
- David Gilmour — lead and backing vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, classical guitarClassical guitarThe classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lap steel guitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard.... - Richard WrightRichard Wright (musician)Richard William Wright was an English pianist, keyboardist and songwriter, best known for his career with Pink Floyd. Wright's richly textured keyboard layers were a vital ingredient and a distinctive characteristic of Pink Floyd's sound...
— KurzweilKurzweil Music SystemsKurzweil Music Systems is a company that produces electronic musical instruments for professionals and home users. Founded in 1982 by Raymond Kurzweil, a developer of reading machines for the blind, the company made use of many of the technologies originally designed for reading machines and...
synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s - Nick MasonNick MasonNicholas Berkeley "Nick" Mason is an English drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with Pink Floyd. He was the only constant member of the band since its formation in 1965...
— drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, church bellChurch bellA church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...
, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all.... - Jon CarinJon CarinJon Carin is a producer, artist and musician best known for his association with Pink Floyd, and more specifically its guitarist David Gilmour and former member Roger Waters over the last twenty five years. In the early eighties, he gained fame as the front-man for the band Industry...
— pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Michael KamenMichael KamenMichael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...
— orchestrationOrchestrationOrchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
s - Edward Shearmur — orchestrations
Cover versions
- The song was covered by Shark 'n the SmokeShark (musician)Shark, a Los Angeles-based musician, film composer, radio host, and is a founding member and guitarist for American alternative band Wild Colonials. He also records under the name Shark and Co..-Big Bam Boo:...
on 2003 tribute album A Fair Forgery of Pink Floyd. - The song was covered by NightwishNightwishNightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
who released two different live versions; one on the compilation album Highest Hopes: The Best of NightwishHighest Hopes: The Best of NightwishHighest Hopes: The Best of Nightwish is the third compilation album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Their first, Tales from the Elvenpath, was considered incomplete by many fans as it contains only tracks from Oceanborn, Over the Hills and Far Away, Wishmaster and Century Child, leaving...
and another one on the DVD End of an EraEnd of an EraEnd of an Era is a DVD and double CD from Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Nuclear Blast recorded their live performance at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland on October 21, 2005, the final concert of a long worldwide tour for their album Once...
. - The song was covered by GregorianGregorian (band)Gregorian is a German band headed by Frank Peterson that performs Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs. The band features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment.- Band history :...
for their album Masters of Chant Chapter IVMasters of Chant Chapter IVMasters of Chant IV is the fifth album by German band Gregorian.-Track listing:# "The Gift" # "Bridge over Troubled Water" # "With or Without You"...
. - The song was covered by the German band SylvanSylvan (band)- History :Kay Söhl, the two keyboarders Volker Söhl and Matthias Harder, founded the band Temporal Temptation in the spring of 1990. By that summer the band had already played its first gig - the first live performance of the core founding members of the band. In a way it was also Sylvan’s birth....
in 2000 for the album Signs of Life – A Tribute to Pink Floyd. - The song was covered by the French power metal band Karelia in 2005 for the album Raise.
Track listings
CD single- "High Hopes" — 7:57
- "Marooned" — 5:31
CD maxi
- "High Hopes" (radio edit) — 5:16
- "Keep Talking" (radio edit) — 4:55
- "One of These Days" (live) — 6:57
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Singles Chart |
4 |
| UK Singles Chart | 26 |
| U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks | 7 |
| End of year chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| French Singles Chart | 36 |