High Hopes (Pink Floyd song)
"High Hopes" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, composed by guitarist David Gilmour with lyrics by Gilmour and Polly Samson. It was released as the second single from their fourteenth studio album, The Division Bell, on 17 October 1994. An accompanying music video was made for the song and was directed by Storm Thorgerson.
Douglas Adams, a friend of Gilmour, chose the title for The Division Bell from one verse in this song. Live versions are featured on Pink Floyd's Pulse, as well as Gilmour's In Concert, Remember That Night, Live in Gdańsk and Live at Pompeii releases. On , a somewhat shortened version of the song segues into Syd Barrett's "Bike". The segue is accomplished by cutting from the church bell at the end of "High Hopes" to a new bicycle bell sound effect before "Bike" begins. A 7-inch vinyl version of the single was released on a transparent record.
Composition
The song is mostly in the key of C minor, and features the sound of a church bell chiming a 'C' throughout, except for a short section in the middle where the song briefly modulates into E minor for a guitar solo. The lyrics refer to the band's early days in Cambridge, specifically before they started making music and it also references ex-bandmate Syd Barrett. Its lyrics speak of the things one may have gained and lost in life, written from Gilmour's autobiographic perspective. Gilmour has said that the song is more about his early days, and leaving his hometown behind, than about the seeds of division supposedly planted in Pink Floyd's early days.The final couplet from the song recalls a line from the band's second single, "See Emily Play", from 1967, and inspired the name of their final studio album, The Endless River, released in 2014. Shortly after the song ends and the chimes fade out is a hidden track comprising a brief phone call between the band's manager, Steve O'Rourke, and Gilmour's stepson, Charlie. This concludes The Division Bell.
Track listings
;CD single- "High Hopes" – 8:34
- "Marooned" – 5:29
- "High Hopes" – 5:16
- "Keep Talking" – 4:55
- "One of These Days" – 6:57
Personnel
- David Gilmour – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, classical guitar and lap steel guitars
- Richard Wright – Kurzweil synthesisers
- Nick Mason – drums, church bell, tambourine
- Jon Carin – piano
- Michael Kamen – orchestrations
- Edward Shearmur – orchestrations
- David Gilmour – lead vocals, classical guitar and lap steel guitars
- Richard Wright – Kurzweil synthesisers, Hammond Organ
- Nick Mason – drums, gong
- Jon Carin – piano, keyboards, backing vocals
- Guy Pratt – bass, backing vocals
- Tim Renwick – classical guitar
- Gary Wallis – percussion, church bell, drum kit
- Sam Brown – backing vocals
- Claudia Fontaine – backing vocals
- Durga McBroom – backing vocals
Cover versions
- The song was covered by Shark 'n the Smoke on 2003 tribute album A Fair Forgery of Pink Floyd.
- The song was covered by Nightwish who released two different live versions; one on the compilation album and another one on the DVD End of an Era.
- The song was covered by Gregorian for their album Masters of Chant Chapter IV.
- The song was covered by the German band Sylvan in 2000 for the album Signs of Life – A Tribute to Pink Floyd.
- The song was covered by the French power metal band Karelia in 2005 for the album Raise.
- The song was covered by the German Metalcore band Caliban in 2012 for the deluxe version of I Am Nemesis.
- The song was covered by the Scottish vocalist Ray Wilson in 2016 for his acoustic album Song for a Friend.
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
| French SNEP Singles Chart"High Hopes", French Singles Chart | 4 |
| UK Singles Chart | 26 |
| U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks | 7 |
| Canada Singles Chart | 43 |
| End of year chart | Position |
| French Singles Chart | 36 |