Would "What Shall We Do Now" have fit on TFC?

Open for discussion. This was in another thread (discussion on favorite scenes in The Wall movie) and is better off in its own subject:


BreatheACigar says: What Shall We Do Now?


Dark Blue says: What part is that? Isn't that Empty Spaces?


BreatheACigar: In the movie it is What Shall We Do Now?. It is just a longer version of Empty Spaces. Yea it's the part with the flowers having sex and the guy getting his head bashed in and all the buildings going up and so forth.


Dark Blue: I wonder why that longer version wasn't included on The Final Cut?

That longer version was actually pretty good.


BreatheACigar: I think that it is not on the studio album because of time constraints.


Dark Blue: Time constraints? TFC is one of Floyd's shortest albums, timewise. I'm sure there was room for it.


BreatheACigar: I meant time constraints for The Wall studio album. I dont know if it would fit in with the songs from The Final Cut.


Dark Blue: Yeah but TFC has some songs that were leftovers from the wall. Remember the original title was "Spare Bricks" and then the concept of the album changed after the Falkland War.

Spare bricks were kept, but other tracks relevant to the issues of the time were added, changing the overall message of the album.

So "What shall we do now?" would have fit.


Botley: Not with the storyline. Where exactly would it go in the running order?


Dark Blue: Well, one could argue that When The Tigers Broke Free doesn't entirely fit the "modern" storyline of TFC, but it's on there, and it does work with the overall feel of the album.


I do view TFC as an album that isn't entirely sure of what it wants to be. Is it an antiwar album? Is it Roger's confessional? Is it "Spare Bricks?"

That's why I think What Shall We Do Now could fit on there.

But this is entirely unrelated to the thread at hand, shall we start a new topic?

Right then, I will.





Alright, so, now that you are caught up...what do you think?

I think TFC is an album with three different themes running through it, really. Remnants of The Wall....anger over modern war and politics, and Roger's confessional about childhood and losing his father.


With that in mind, wouldn't What Shall We Do Now have fit? It would be nice to have that on an album.

No. I like where it works in the film, but the song is clearly about a rock'n'roll lifestyle which (although it briefly rears its head during the title track) has little to do with The Final Cut. I am still interested to know where you'd put it in the running order, though.

I'm more pissed off that they didn't put "The Hero's Return, Part Two" on the 2004 remaster. Or bother with a 5.1 mix.

Either just before or just after "Not Now John".

That's where I'd put it.


Was The Hero's Return, Pt. 2 ever released?

Yeah, on the flipside of the "Not Now John" single.

But wouldn't "sell your story to Rolling Stone" happen AFTER the excess of "What Shall We Do Now?"

"What Shall We Do Now?" does not fit in TFC. As Bot pointed out, it's about the R & R lifestyle, while TFC is the story of the teacher(from the wall, who traumatized Pink) trying to cope with middle age, post traumatic stress syndrome, frustration, etc. The teacher is not interested in new guitars, more powerful cars, etc. etc.

and technically, it was cut from The Wall (not from The Final Cut) for time constraints or some random other reason... which is why on certain copies of The Wall (ie most vinyl copies and some CD releases) you'll find the lyrics printed w/ the rest of the lyrics for The Wall.

I also was very disappointed in the lack of Hero's Return Pt 2 from the new remaster.... although I do admit the whole remaster sounds brilliantly better than my old copy.

That's the first time I've ever heard TFC interpreted that way.

Why would Rog tell the teacher's story? He hated the teacher.


It's Roger's story continued, plus further angst over the wold political scene of the early 1980s and the death of the golden dreams left in the aftermath of WWII (like, we'll never go to war like this again).


But I guess if you see it that way.....I just never heard that one before.


And yeah, What Shall We Do Now is a cut from The Wall. But so is When The Tigers Broke Free.



Good point Botley on the lyrical tie-in. I guess you could do What Shall We Do Now-The Final Cut-Not Now John....but....in NNJ you hear a bit of "excess" as well (oi, where's the ****ing bar john?) and I think that fits with What Shall We Do Now.

It's my own interpretation. It makes a nice link between the two stories.

Remember, both of Roger's parents were teachers. He understands the profession.

and there are references to teaching in TFC... well one at least:

"When you're one of the few to land on your feet, what will you do to make ends meet? ...teach"

So somewhere in there, we have teaching....... not sure if it's supposed to be the actual teacher from The Wall, but in the video EP of TFC, the actor who played the teacher made quite an appearance.

Also, we have the teacher's own words --"trying to clout these little ingrates into shape" which is what the students call "pouring their derision upon anything we did, and exposing every weakness...etc.".

The classic student-teacher conflict.

Hmm maybe it's a bit farfetched.

Yup, Alex McAvoy is his name. I think he's supposed to be the same character but with a back story: he fought alongside "The Gunner" who although not a Fusilier represents the ghost of Roger's dad.

Answering the original question: no.

No way.

I love Botley's interpretation of the concept.

sometimes I've heard it be interpreted that the main character's son died in in the Falklands War and that his father died in WWII and that he became a teacher and Roger reflects through that character his "requiem for the postwar dream". Although its confusing and I'm not sure if I agree with it...