Pink Floyd were one of the most highly regarded and recognizable rock bands of their time. Even today, young kids still listen to their music and are subsequently inspired. However, despite the wealth of information available about Pink Floyd, there are still some things about them that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Pink Floyd.
Number Fifteen: Roger Waters and Nick Mason Met While Studying Together
Waters and Mason were both studying architecture at the London Polytechnic when they fortuitously met in 1963. The school is now called the University of Westminster.
Number Fourteen: Before They Were Pink Floyd, They Were The Pink Floyd Sound
Syd Barrett, the guitarist, joined up with Mason, Waters, and Richard Wright in 1965 when he moved to London. By the end of the year, the group began calling themselves The Pink Floyd Sound.
Number Thirteen: Their Name Derives From Blues
The name “Pink Floyd” comes from two separate names: Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. Pink Anderson and Floyd Council were two of Syd Barrett’s favorite bluesmen from Caroline, so he decided to combine them into one great name.
Number Twelve: “Arnold Layne” Was a Real Person
His name might not have been Arnold Layne, but the person that inspired Pink Floyd’s first single actually existed. The man who inspired the song apparently stole women’s clothing from washing lines.
Number Eleven: They Did Not Focus on Singles
In fact, Pink Floyd’s first song to enter the top 10 on the charts was “See Emily Play,” which cracked it in 1967. The group didn’t have another song hit top 10 until they released “Another Brick in the Wall” in 1979.
Number Ten: Pink Floyd Were Club Regulars
It’s true. In the second half of the 1960s, members of Pink Floyd would frequent both the Roundhouse in Camden and the UFO Club.
Number Nine: The “The” Left With Syd Barrett
Pink Floyd were still calling themselves “The Pink Floyd” up until Syd Barrett left the group in 1968. Barrett was suffering from acid-induced schizophrenia, and so he had to leave along with the “The.”
Number Eight: Syd Barrett Released Two Solo Albums
After Barrett left the group in 1968, he moved back in with his parents. He ended up recording and releasing two solo albums with the help of his replacement, David Gilmour. The albums were called The Madcap Laughs and Barrett.
Number Seven: They Were Once The Tea Set
Pink Floyd changed their names many times, but one of the most interesting changes was when they called themselves The Tea Set. They also called themselves Sigma 6, the Abdabs and the Screaming Abdabs, Meggadeaths, and Leonard’s Lodgers.
Number Six: They Headlined the First Free Gig in Hyde Park
They played there with Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The momentous event took place in 1968.
Number Five: They Named an Album After a Woman With a Pacemaker
It’s true. Pink Floyd’s album titled Atom Heart Mother was allegedly named after a headline in a newspaper that discussed the woman who had received the first ever atomic pacemaker.
Number Four: Nick Mason Was the Only Member to Play on Every Song
It’s true! Mason is the only member of Pink Floyd to play on every single thing the group ever made. However, he interestingly only contributed vocals once, on “One of These Days.”
Number Three: The Dark Side of the Moon Has a Billboard Record
But is that really a surprise? The album, which was recorded in 1973, stayed on the Billboard charts for an astonishing 800 consecutive weeks.
Number Two: They Made the First Album to Be Played in Space
Russian astronauts decided to bring Delicate Sound of Thunder along with them when they went into space in 1989, which means that the album was the very first to be played in space that we know of. Impressive!
Number One: Their Cover Bands Are Successful
An Australian cover band of Pink Floyd has been able to sell over three million tickets to their shows, which they play in 35 different countries. The cover band even performed at David Gilmour’s 50th birthday!