Watch Incredible Unplugged “Wish You Were Here” Performance By David Gilmour

It doesn’t take a dedicated Pink Floyd fan to feel David Gilmour’s devotion to performing. Below, we’ll revisit one of Gilmour’s unforgettable performances of a Pink Floyd classic, “Wish You Were Here.”

“Wish You Were Here” was the lead single from their 1975 album of the same name. The music was written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters, with Gilmour providing lead vocals. The song is about the disconnected sensation that many of us have as we go through life; it’s a satire on how individuals cope with the outside world by retreating physically, intellectually, or emotionally. In addition, it was said that Pink Floyd founder member Syd Barrett and his battle with schizophrenia served as the primary motivation for this track.

The song was inspired by a poem written by Roger Waters on Syd Barrett’s escape from reality. He stated that “Wish You Were Here” was “primarily” about Barrett in a 2022 interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, adding, “And I do wish he was here.”

Moreover, this was a rare instance of Pink Floyd core composers Roger Waters and David Gilmour working together on a song as the two seldom worked together. Waters heard Gilmour’s beginning riff and encouraged him to play it slower; the song evolved from there, with the two composing the melodies for the chorus and verses together and Waters contributing the lyrics.

You can watch David Gilmour’s unplugged performance of the song back in 2001 with the video below.