# I just heard the worst version of 'Comfortably Numb" which has ever been recorded. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2004, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417 "2004-12-12T05:46:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/21 "2004-12-12T08:22:29Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I don’t care if they are a tribute to 80’s bands… even as camp, they suck. Perhaps you missed the whole schtick, but they’re very obviously a pastiche of campy, gay 70’s rock. “Take your mama” could practically be an unreleased Elton John song from that era! I think their send-up of “Comfortably Numb” is hilarious and brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/22 "2004-12-12T08:26:35Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > I think their send-up of “Comfortably Numb” is hilarious and brilliant. If you think it’s funny, okay, but “brilliant?” ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/23 "2004-12-12T08:32:39Z")
I really can’t believe this. It’s like it’s some sort of horrible Bee Gees song set to techno. I could be overreacting, but Pink Floyd pretty much changed my entire outlook on life when I discovered them, and to see one of my favorite songs get fucked up in this manner not only irks me-- it makes me want to cry. And if Hey You is remade this badly, yes, there is going to be hell to pay. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/24 "2004-12-12T08:43:41Z")
Heh. I seem to be magnetically attracted towards Pink Floyd threads. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/25 "2004-12-12T08:48:26Z")
> [@DarkSideoftheFloyd](#): > > I really can’t believe this. It’s like it’s some sort of horrible Bee Gees song set to techno. Funny, I’m watching them do their second song right now and was thinking… man these guys are like a cross between the Bee Gees and Cindy Lauper. Is there a requirement for bands performing on SNL that they be drugged to the point where they can’t play anymore? I’ve seem more bad music, often from GOOD bands, on this show. As much as I like SNL, the music is an absolute JOKE. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/26 "2004-12-12T08:49:54Z")
Wait a minute… was what I just head supposed to be Comfortably Numb? I was listenning for it, and I still couldn’t recognize it. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/27 "2004-12-12T08:53:11Z")
> [@](#): > > I think their send-up of “Comfortably Numb” is hilarious and brilliant. I agree, and I’m a huge Pink Floyd fan. _Comfortably Numb_ was even my favorite song for three years or so… Anyway, I think the Scissor Sisters are goddamned amazing, and I fail to see how one song that doesn’t suit you somehow, magically, erases their talent. I also fail to see how one good song can be considered so sancrosanct, no matter how good it may be. Frankly, I think the disco style takes the “wet blanket” feel off the song, and adds a new dimension to it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/28 "2004-12-12T08:58:33Z")
> [@DarkSideoftheFloyd](#): > > Heh. I seem to be magnetically attracted towards Pink Floyd threads. Gee, who saw that one coming? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/29 "2004-12-12T09:25:38Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Funny, I’m watching them do their second song right now and was thinking… man these guys are like a cross between the Bee Gees and Cindy Lauper. Given that Lauper was tapped by Roger Waters to sing “Another Brick In The Wall Part II” when he staged “The Wall” in Berlin, maybe the Scissor Sisters were DESTINED to do a Floyd cover. Or maybe I’m just grasping at straws. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/30 "2004-12-12T10:27:09Z")
If you’re grasping at straws, at least they’re pretty big straws. I think the best covers are ones that adapt songs into completely different styles, and the Sisters pull it off pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/31 "2004-12-12T14:58:21Z")
A couple of months ago my friend told me how I should lisen to Scissor Sisters because they’re ‘fantastic.’ I made the mistake of downloading Comfortably Numb. It was rubbish. A while later though I heard ‘Laura’ and realised Scissor Sisters were actually quite good. But I still hate their version of Comfortably Numb. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/32 "2004-12-12T17:00:28Z")
Is it just me, or did it seem like this band was on because the real band cancelled at the last minute? While I’m only a casual fan of Pink Floyd, it’s good to see another sacred cow being slaughtered for a change. I wonder if Roger Waters saw this? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/33 "2004-12-12T17:05:07Z")
Haven’t seen/heard the performance in question. Just how inappropriate is it? Is this “Devo covering _Satisfaction_” inappropriate? “Madonna covering _American Pie_ inappropriate?” “Dread Zeppelin covering Led Zeppelin” inappropriate? “The Chipmunks covering The Beatles” inappropriate? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/34 "2004-12-12T17:08:00Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > Haven’t seen/heard the performance in question. Just how inappropriate is it? It isn’t. They took a slow, dreary song and turned it into some kinda techno-disco thing. The only people who should take real offense would be Pink Floyd. Somehow I don’t think that’ll be the case. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/35 "2004-12-12T17:23:34Z")
'Numb isn’t my favorite Floyd tune by a stretch, but what I do like about it is Gilmour’s ever-tasteful soloing. You take that out, and what’s left? What’s the fucking point of covering a tune like that when nobody can even come close to replicating what makes it a worthwhile listen in the first place? These Scissor Scistors sound like a musical nightmare from the depths of Hell, at least in terms of choices. I tend to have a strong, unpleasantly visceral reaction to music that I hate. I get the powerful urge to either upchuck or commit acts of destruction. I might even go for both, if the experience is traumatic enough. Do I dare hunt down a recording of this attrocity and give it a listen? I have a sick curiosity, kind of like what impels people to download videos of beheadings. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/36 "2004-12-12T17:29:47Z")
To those posters who like “The Sisters”, I’ll take your word for it. It’s not a good idea to judge a band by how they sound on SNL. Like I said earlier, it’s a rare band that puts on a good performance in that venue. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/37 "2004-12-12T19:18:43Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Is it just me, or did it seem like this band was on because the real band cancelled at the last minute? The band’s [website](http://www.scissorsisters.com/main.php) announced the appearance back in September. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/38 "2004-12-12T19:27:03Z")
I like slow and dreary. ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/39 "2004-12-12T20:32:25Z")
I second the recommendation to try some of their other songs before flipping them off. They do a variety of somewhat different styles from song to song on their self-titled album. The first song they did is probably the one that they’re best known for now: Take Your Mama. I quite like that one. Also I like “Laura”, “Return to Oz” and, as previously mentioned, “Mary”. _Yes_ they’re campy. _Yes_ the guy sings high falsetto. If either offend you then you’re probably not gonna like them. Such is life and such is music. If you don’t mind either then I say try them one more time because there is a core of talent underneath that. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417/40 "2004-12-12T21:14:09Z")
As long as we’re on the subject of bad Pink Floyd covers, didn’t somebody take a shot at covering “Welcome to the Machine” a little while ago? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-heard-the-worst-version-of-comfortably-numb-which-has-ever-been-recorded/279417.md?page=3)