# Why Was Pink FLoyd's "The Wall" So Popular? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076 "2004-05-14T05:09:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/1 "2004-05-14T05:09:08Z")
I have often pondered this question: I am curious why people liked “The Wall”. Was it just because of Pink Floyd’s popularity and the music, or the mysterious-kinda plot? Of course, I loved it, but it does not seem like the kind of storyline that would draw so many to it. If anything, it’s kinda depressing, and I wonder why it didn’t turn people off? So, what made it so popular? And, if your answer is that it’s a cult film, is that to say it was only popular because of Pink Floyd, rather than on its own merits as a story? 😕 Dying to know why the SDMasses think this film was so well received? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/2 "2004-05-14T07:31:54Z")
1. The music is fan-damn-tastic. 2. ‘Concept’ albums were very big at the time. 3. The story in the song of alienation and despair resonates with teens. 4. “We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control…” The kids dig that. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/3 "2004-05-14T07:40:08Z")
Loved it when I used to take acid. Music is still pretty good today. And being depressing? **Titanic** did pretty well among others. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/4 "2004-05-14T07:43:46Z")
I should have excluded the druggies and why they liked this film. That goes without saying. Still, many non-dope Dopers enjoyed this film, just the same. Very interesting observations posted so far, though… - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/5 "2004-05-14T08:07:58Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > I should have excluded the druggies and why they liked this film. That goes without saying. Still, many non-dope Dopers enjoyed this film, just the same. Very interesting observations posted so far, though… - Jinx Not a druggie, just letting you know why I _used_ to watch it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/6 "2004-05-14T11:23:36Z")
Are we talking about the album or the film? The album had several radio friendly hits and that monster anthem (_we don’t need no education…you can’t help but sing along_). It’s not the story, it’s the cool tunes. As for the film, take 3 hits of acid and watch it again. **Then** you’ll see why it was popular! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/7 "2004-05-14T12:02:56Z")
Well, we did used to enjoy getting into heated debates over what such-and-such a scene _meant_. Then you have the excellent animation (“fucking flowers!”). > [@](#): > > I should have excluded the druggies and why they liked this film. Oops. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/8 "2004-05-14T13:16:41Z")
I was just going to mention the fucking flowers! _Love_ the fucking flowers! The music and the whole concept were just so fucking great at that time. And the nice thing is, Pink Floyd holds up so well over time. Although I do have some trouble with their very early esoteric stuff, I can still listen to most of their catalog nearly 40 years later. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/9 "2004-05-14T13:35:51Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > The album had several radio friendly hits and that monster anthem (_we don’t need no education…you can’t help but sing along_). It’s not the story, it’s the cool tunes. HAve to agree – the album/live show first made _The Wall_ a huge hit, then the movie built upon that. But just to tprovide my own anecdotal example, I have repeatedly replayed both the studio and live (_Is There Anybody Out There_) albums, and even rented Waters’ Live-at-the-Berlin-Wall show video, but haven’t sat through a full show of the film in years. Found that it could have been made “leaner”. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/10 "2004-05-14T14:02:06Z")
Hell, _The Wall_ is **still** finding new fans. I was just out of high school when it was first released, and I bought the album immediately. I listened to it so much that when I heard one of the tracks on the radio it felt funny not to have it segue into the next one. Fast-forward to now. I found _The Wall_ on CD at a tag sale for three bucks and brought it home. My 15-year-old daughter found it, played it…and immediately appropriated the two-disc set to her collection. > [@Sam Stone](#): > > The story in the song of alienation and despair resonates with teens. I’m sure that’s a big part of it. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/11 "2004-05-14T14:06:09Z")
I think **Sam Stone** pretty much nailed the reasons why _The Wall_ (the album) was so popular. Personally, I liked it solely because of the music. I like Pink Floyd generally, but IMHO, both _Dark Side of the Moon_ and _The Wall_ are pure genius. Hell, I rarely listen to lyrics at all when I listen to albums. For me, it’s all about the music-making. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/12 "2004-05-14T17:24:38Z")
Every kid in England at the time loved ‘We don’t need no Education’ even if they were far too cool to like Pink Floyd. And the album as a whole resonates with the angst of the cold war period, and imminent atomic death that I susspect everyone expected in those days. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/13 "2004-05-14T17:34:45Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > And the album as a whole resonates with the angst of the cold war period, and imminent atomic death that I susspect everyone expected in those days. Well, _The Wall_ was released in 1982, and President Reagan was certainly alarmist with his “evil empire” attributions, but the fears of an atomic attack was nowhere near the levels that it was during the last 1950s and 1960s. I’m not saying you’re completely wrong. I’m just saying that I don’t think that particular theme was a major reason for the album’s popularity. And… I can’t speak for the English view of the Cold War in the early 1980s of course. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/14 "2004-05-14T18:02:50Z")
There’s so much good music on it and it’s all so different. It’s not one of those albums where every song sounds exactly the same. Think of, say, Goodbye Blue Sky, Another Brick in the Wall Part II, Comfortably Numb, and Run Like Hell. Since I bought Is There Anybody Out There? (The live one) when it came out…well, it’s like listening to The Wall for the first time. 'sides, just about every teenager has to go through a Floyd phase. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/15 "2004-05-14T18:59:47Z")
Because it had a childrens’ choir in it, of course. _Everybody_ loves childrens’ choirs. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/16 "2004-05-14T19:09:41Z")
It sure beat the hell out of listening to Journey. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/17 "2004-05-14T19:22:48Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > Well, _The Wall_ was released in 1982, and President Reagan was certainly alarmist with his “evil empire” attributions, but the fears of an atomic attack was nowhere near the levels that it was during the last 1950s and 1960s. The movie came out in 1982, but the album (I’m dating myself) came out in 1979. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/18 "2004-05-14T19:25:38Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > It sure beat the hell out of listening to Journey. Well, _that_ certainly sets the bar low enough. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/19 "2004-05-14T19:42:39Z")
About where the kids sing “We don’t need no…etc.,” I notice that the kids are singing with a very non-BBC, non-received standard English pronunciation. To this American, they sound like they could be Cockneys, or maybe from Northern England. Was the line an intentional jab at schools that try to impose standard pronunciation on those who speak different dialects? I know that’s a big issue over there even now; I even remember hearing that somebody wanted to redo the Wallace and Gromit videos changing the Yorkshire (?) pronunciation to standard BBC style. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076/20 "2004-05-14T20:21:45Z")
**Sam Stone** nailed it early on, so little need to explain further. Having said that, one thing does come to mind: Have you listened to the record? Obviously you have and you already state that you like it; my point is - it is really good, as you have already indicated. Maybe that is enough sometimes. I think your question gets more to the “wow, the subject matter is really heavy and morose - I am surprised that a record with that much heaviness did so well.” To that extent, I guess I am not surprised. Just check out the threads that have been on the SDMB about popular songs with creepy topics. One trick to writing hit songs is to combine heavy, downer lyrics with catchy upbeat melodies - the contrast provides richness and depth if done well - see “Help” and “I’m a Loser” by the Beatles as data points. Then also see Mr. Pretentiousness himself, Der Stinglehoffer, with his crap like “King of Pain.” Some of his Police material does really well, like “Can’t Stand Losing You” “Walking on the Moon” and “Message in a Bottle,” but the bulk of his material represents someone working to a formula without embracing its spirit… so - that’s why: the difficult subject matter is wrapped in brilliant music. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-pink-floyds-the-wall-so-popular/245076.md?page=2)