Teachers, love your students and carry out your professional duties honestly. Otherwise, it is possible that one of your students will grow up as a talented musician and dedicate a song to the education system that will not please you at all.
The teachers of Roger Waters from the Cambridgeshire school must have been unpleasant to listen to the composition Another Brick in the Wall – Part II, which was composed by their famous graduate.
The story behind Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
The bass player of Pink Floyd never hid the fact that he was disgusted with school. He recalled that teachers were more interested in the silence in the classroom than in the knowledge of the students, and insults to children were a common part of the educational process:
Oh, it was disgusting, just awful. She is [песня] was not intended as a general condemnation of all teachers, but really bad ways to wear people out.
BBC Radio 1, 1979
The history of the song began in the summer of 1978, when Roger Waters presented to his bandmates the outlines of the future concept album The Wall. Among the unfinished tracks, which were at different stages of completion, was a composition called Another Brick in the Wall – Part II.
It is performed on behalf of the protagonist of the Wall, a boy named Pink Floyd, who does not want the school to brainwash him, turning him into a gray mass of faceless citizens. Roger Waters explained the main idea of Another Brick in the Wall – Part II as follows:
All over the world you will not find a greater supporter of education than I am. But the education I received in the 1950s at an all-boys high school was very harsh and rebellious. Teachers were weak and therefore easy targets.
The song was conceived as a rebellion against the wrong government, against the people who have power over you, who are wrong. Then she certainly demanded that you rebel against it.
Mojo, 2009
Share your opinions in the comments about what the song Another Brick in the Wall is about. Let’s discuss the meaning of composition together.
Recording Another Brick in the Wall
The song originally consisted of a verse and chorus, which Waters intended to sing to acoustic guitar. According to Mason, she was “a mournful, depressing thing.” The final version was the result of painstaking studio work with the direct participation of producer Bob Ezrin, thanks to which the song acquired a disco rhythm unexpected for Pink Floyd.
The idea to revive the composition with children’s vocals also came to Ezrin’s mind. Sound engineer Nick Griffiths from Britannia Row took up the search for a suitable band. He agreed with the Islington Green school choir director that his team would sing in exchange for the opportunity to record for free in the studio.
The result impressed the Pink Floyd musicians. Waters recalled:
I still shudder when I remember the feeling I had when I heard those children sing that song.
Although initially the part of the children’s choir was conceived as a background, it became clear that it needed to be brought to the fore and made the main “trick” of the composition.
Song Achievements
When Another Brick in the Wall – Part II became a hit, it was heavily criticized. Many saw in it a call to abandon education and considered it extremely harmful to the younger generation. Word to Waters:
The song brought people to a violent rage. They thought that when I said, “We don’t need education,” it was akin to a down-to-earth revolutionary position. But if you listen to it in context, this is clearly not the case.
The involvement of schoolchildren in the recording of the track also caused resentment from representatives of the education sector and parents, but their violent reaction only contributed to the promotion of the song.
Another Brick in the Wall – Part II by Pink Floyd was nominated for a Grammy but did not win. It is included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as well as a number of other authoritative lists.
Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
There are several music videos for the song, including one that was edited based on the movie The Wall. Next, they offer to watch the online music video of Another Brick in the Wall from 1979.
Interesting Facts
- The double negative in the line “We don’t need no education” may be a deliberate mistake, designed to indicate the poor quality of education.
- After the release of the song, a scandal erupted due to the fact that the school choir sang for free. As a result, the school received a thousand pounds.
- In 1980, students in South Africa sang it during protests.
Another Brick in the Wall Lyrics Pink Floyd
We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey!
Teacher, leave them kids alone!
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall
We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey!
Teacher, leave us kids alone!
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall
Wrong! Do it again!
If you don’t eat your meat, you can’t have any pudding!
How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?
You! Yes! You behind the bike sheds! Stand still laddie!
Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd Lyrics Alternative
We don’t need education
We don’t need thought control
No need for dark sarcasm in the classroom –
Teachers, leave the kids alone
Hey!
Teacher, leave the children alone!
After all, it’s just another brick in the wall.
After all, you’re just another brick in the wall
We don’t need education
We don’t need thought control
No need for dark sarcasm in the classroom –
Teachers, leave the kids alone
Hey!
Teacher, leave the children alone!
After all, you’re just another brick in the wall
After all, you’re just another brick in the wall
Not properly! Again!
If you don’t eat meat, you won’t get pudding!
Where’s the pudding if you don’t eat meat!
You! Yes! You, behind the bike shed! Boy, stay calm!
