More than any other band, Pink Floyd embodies the peril of creative differences. Even though David Gilmour and Roger Waters initially aimed to create something thrilling, inventive, and immensely successful, once they realized that success, it set the stage for the band to begin fighting over the path they wanted to take.
All of this began to materialize after the release of Dark Side of the Moon. The band’s long-form approach to music sold out arenas and captivated audiences rather than relentlessly chasing a three-minute hit. This approach solidified their status as one of the biggest names in rock. Following that, Waters began to focus more on his creative growth and less on his concerns about success. All of this sounds great, but issues started when Gilmour wasn’t happy with the direction the band was going.
This was a manifestation of the tension that was starting to build within Pink Floyd and could also be heard in some of the band’s released songs. For example, Waters didn’t particularly approve of Gilmour’s vocal performance on their 1979 song “Young Lust,” despite considering it a good rendition that didn’t fit the song’s theme.
Waters recalled it was about leaving school, wandering around town, hanging around outside porno films and dirty bookshops, and having a deep interest in sex, but never actually participating due to feeling too frightened, really. “When I wrote this song ‘Young Lust,’ the words were all quite different.”
The song captured the ideas of up-and-coming rock bands performing live in its style. They gravitate towards the surrounding way of life, but they are also afraid of it. So, they avoid fully assimilating despite their constant curiosity about it. Waters, who was a huge fan of the idea, probably intended for Gilmour’s excellent vocal performance to convey the fearsome feeling, but Gilmour’s performance fell short of what Waters was actually saying.
“Young Lust” is a pastiche song, according to Waters. “It very much reminds me of a song we recorded called ‘The Nile Song‘. This is very similar, and Dave sings it in a very similar way,” Waters said. I think his rendition of “Young Lust” is amazing; I adore the vocals. However, it intends to parody any up-and-coming rock and roll band touring the country.
Minor artistic differences began causing conflict within the band, despite initially seeming insignificant. It became evident after The Final Cut was released that these disagreements had led to an incompatible band lineup. Although Pink Floyd’s lineup officially ended with this performance, Gilmour and Rogers’s feud persisted for years after.
