Just a thought about the song, In the Flesh from Pink Floyd’s 11th studio album, The Wall. I have listened to this song countless times, but this evening it occurred to me how Roger Waters plainly states the purpose of the album:
If you wanna find out what’s behind these cold eyes
You’ll just have to claw your way through this disguise
Until this evening, I had always understood “this disguise” to refer to some personal or figurative aspect of Roger’s character. Now I am thinking that he is referring to The Wall itself, as an elaborate musical production designed to speak to two different audiences simultaneously: the “mindless, out-of-control party-on rock freaks” and the people who are actually “tuned in” to Pink Floyd and their music.
The catchy, pop-esque soundtrack is the “disguise” or if you will, “the wall” that Roger uses to hide his feelings from the “animals” and deliver his story to those who truly care. So re-examining the quote above, we can take it mean that, if you want to hear the message, you’re going to have to listen for it.
Shine On..