There will always be a few songs that musicians prefer above others when putting out a playlist. Even while it’s wonderful that people like seeing them perform what they love for a career. Atypical songs may become an albatross around artists’ necks. While Pink Floyd had evolved into a completely different creature from where they began, they found it difficult to outrun their original popularity.
Given where Roger Waters carried the band in subsequent years, the musicians on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn might as well be a whole different act than those on The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon. Syd Barrett founded the band. For most of its early years, it followed the same style of early psychedelia. It created songs that deliberately carried a sense of confusion. It drew influence from more than a few psychedelic drugs.
Despite the Pink Floyd member’s ability to fill venues across England, Barrett’s touring lifestyle became too much for him. Falling victim to his vices, his LSD intake resulted in his brain being scrambled over his final months with the band. By prompting David Gilmour to be called in on the second guitar.
Even though the band would have to cut relations with Barrett, fans still wanted them to continue in the psychedelic lane. Richard Wright recalled how unhappy the band was when they were instructed to play the song. They felt unhappy to sing ‘See Emily Play‘ on albums like A Saucerful of Secrets.
Being one of the most well-remembered songs from their early days, the band would simply refuse to play it whenever they performed live, frequently causing conflict between the band and the crowd. “When we did ‘See Emily Play,’ we were touring every day,” Wright said“. But of course, we never played it live, refused to play it live, not out of spite.” This, of course, produced major issues with the crowd. It was alright in London since we were the city’s underground band. But as soon as we left London, they demanded to hear ‘See Emily Play,’ and we refused.”
However, Wright would argue that the establishment of ‘See Emily Play’ was the result of business conditions. Rather than developing the song organically, they created a single version. When commissioned to create a song that aligned more with current trends, the band produced it.
While the song was not popular among the band members, it did have a following outside of the London scene. David Bowie would include a cover of ‘See Emily Play’ on Pinups. He added it to his collection of covers in the 1970s since he was a fan of the Barrett-era group.
Despite its fame, the band would also utilize bits and parts of the song as a reminder of what Barrett accomplished for them. It includes the core theme of the tune in the middle of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’. Despite the animosity that went into writing the song in the first place, the legacy of ‘See Emily Play’ seems to have shifted from corporate sellout music to memories of happier days.
