The song “Brain Damage” introduces a new but very important theme to the album which is madness. The opening words of all the verses are “The lunatic is on the grass...The lunatic is in the hall...The lunatic is in my head...” At this point of the man’s life, he has reached the point of madness. The unique use of dominant 7 chords adds a sense of madness to the song since the use of these types of chords are so rare. The modulating synthesizer keys adds even more insanity to the mix. As the verse continues on, an unnerving diminished chord holds out until the more traditional chorus comes in. The beautiful major chord progression enters and Waters sings, “And if the dam breaks open many years too soon / And if there is no room upon the hill / And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too / I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.” The chorus for this song is one of the first positive messages in the album. This shows that even if you are losing your mind and going mad, there is always someone in the same boat you are in to help you out. At one point of the song, the man becomes so insane that he becomes schizophrenic, “You lock the door / And throw away the key / There's someone in my head but it's not me.” The way the tone of the song works matches the lyrics so well. Both the concept of the lyrics and the chord changes are equally unusual. Even after a couple years of listening to this album, this song always makes me feel strange just like a love song makes you feel emotional.

The glorious finale of Dark Side, named “Eclipse”, seamlessly transitions from “Brain Damage” as if they were the same song. As a side note, when they play “Brain Damage” on the radio is it always followed up by “Eclipse” because they work so well together. After an open measure following the ending D chord from the previous song, an organ solo bursts in to the headphones following a D chord, D chord over a C bass note, to a B flat chord, and finally an A chord. There are not any separate parts to this song like a verse or a chorus. The same chord progression burns through the whole movement. The lyrics for this song represent more of a list of thoughts and things you do unlike the rest of the lyrics for this album. For example, the song begins with the words “All that you touch / and all that you see / and all that you taste / all you feel” From looking at all the word on this song, each set of four lines depicts a certain theme or motif that is throughout the album. These first four lines stated above represent the song “Breathe” showing you to live your life in an authentic way comparing human senses to feelings. The song also covers greed (all that you buy, beg, borrow or steal), love, hatred, people you meet (all that you slight / and everyone you fight), time lost (all that is now / and all that is gone / and that’s to come), and death. The atmosphere this song creates is very heroic and uplifting. Unlike the song “Time” where this man looks back at his life in general, “Eclipse” is a very specific and interpretive look on everything he has done. Although I have mentioned this one specific man throughout this writing, this man could be anyone. He represents the common man who goes through the trials of everyday life. Citing to just one man as opposed to society puts the message of the album in perspective. As the song continues to build up and the intensity rises, the album ends on a dissonant statement. The ending lyrics are “and everything under the sun is in tune / but the sun is eclipsed by the moon.” An interpretation of this could be that nothing is ever in tune and might never be, but there is always hope. Every person is not perfect and every society is not perfect. Although a dark message is expressed in the lyrics, the last chord is a D major. A happy chord mixed in with a dark message. Maybe that message is not so dark after all.

In conclusion, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” has many concepts and motifs throughout the entire album that are both lyrical and musical. This album is more than a music record by any means. A concept and an overall message were intended in the making of the record with every single song. The majority of albums by musicians nowadays consist of single songs with a single and individual message. A song begins, ends, and then a new song begins. This album was written during a very dark time where people were not especially happy. The relationship between the album and the common man made the concept of Dark Side a personal and relevant connection to a wide group of people. Everyone has problems in life whether it consists of being untrue to yourself, running away from your life, realizing lost time, fear of death, greed, violence or hatred, or going mad. Everyone goes through similar life hardships so why not go through them together?

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Is this where we come in?