Happy Birthday, Arnold Layne
March 11, 2010
Today is the anniversary of the 1967 release of the very first song by the great British psychedlic-rock (and so much more) band, Pink Floyd. The song was “Arnold Layne,” written and sung by Syd Barret. It’s about a guy who steals women’s clothes from washing lines and wears them. He is unfortunately caught doing this, and “doors bang, chaingang.” Poor Arnold. Wikipedia has quite a bit of information on the song here.
They apparently don’t allow embedding, but you can go see the video the band made for the song the same year. It is comically awful, to be honest. And there’s even another one. And here’s Pink Floyd’s official Syd Barrett Web site. (Automatic music once you enter the site.)
Image of the band (in 1967) from the Syd Barrett Scrap Book. (Click the pic to enlarge.) Left to right: Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and Roger Waters.
as a huge pink floyd fan, thank you for bringing this important day to my attention. yesterday was the 37th anniversary of dark side of the moon. some of the greatest music put to vinyl.
Needless to say, Arnold Layne AND Syd Barret were both very strange. Most Floyd fans cringe to hear their first “sound” (especially Waters’ Yoko-like screeching). Certainly their best stuff started around Meddle and continued on even without Roger Waters. JMHO, you understand (as I sit here in one of my many Floyd shirts).
Its about darn time someone said this. Thanks for posting your thoughts with the world, this is imoportant stuff to some of us.