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Empty Spaces
from Wikipedia
"Empty Spaces"
Song by Pink Floyd
from the album The Wall
PublishedPink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd
Released30 November 1979 (UK)
8 December 1979 (US)
Recorded1978–1979
GenreProgressive rock
Length2:10 (album version)
3:55 (Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81 version combined with "What Shall We Do Now?")
LabelHarvest (UK)
Columbia (US)
SongwriterRoger Waters
ProducersBob Ezrin, David Gilmour, James Guthrie and Roger Waters

"Empty Spaces" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd. It appears on the 1979 album The Wall. It contains a backmasked message.

Composition

[edit]

The song is in the key of E minor, and is two minutes, eight seconds in length. It features a long introductory section, with solo guitar and a repetitive drumbeat, and a railway station announcement. The song reaches a climax of tension, at which point Roger Waters plays a descending blues scale over the minor dominant, B minor, cueing the start of the vocals. Roger Waters sings a short verse, ending on the phrase "How shall I complete the wall?" This track shares a backing track with the first half of "What Shall We Do Now?", sped up from D minor to E minor, with new guitar and vocals. The last beat introduces the next song, "Young Lust". The original D minor version of the track has never been released, officially or otherwise.

Plot

[edit]

The Wall tells the story of Pink, an alienated and embittered rock star.[1] At this point in the narrative, Pink is now grown up and married, but he and his wife are having relationship problems because of his physical distance and nearly complete emotional "wall". Pink asks himself how he should complete its construction.

What Shall We Do Now?

[edit]

Originally, "Empty Spaces" was intended to be much later on The Wall. Until very late in production, "Empty Spaces" was in the key of D minor, and sequenced between "Don't Leave Me Now" and "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3", while "Goodbye Blue Sky" was followed by a similar, longer song called "What Shall We Do Now?".

The first half of "What Shall We Do Now?" shares the same slow instrumental build up and four line verse structure as "Empty Spaces". The first verse begins with the same "What shall we use to fill the empty spaces" refrain as in "Empty Spaces", but the lyrical similarities end here. After the lyric "Shall we set out across this sea of faces / in search of more, and more applause", Nick Mason's drums kick in, and the song segues into its faster second half. This section continues for another minute or so before the song ends.

Movie and live versions

[edit]

On the film adaptation the song is dropped in favour of "What Shall We Do Now?".[1] This version of "What Shall We Do Now?" is the only known release of the studio version. After the line "with our backs to the wall", the song abruptly ends cold, with the final ending beat slightly obscured by the sound effect of a window breaking, as seen in the film.

The original "Empty Spaces" has never been performed live.

On both Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81 and Roger Waters: The Wall, "Empty Spaces" is once again dropped in favour of "What Shall We Do Now?", however these versions are split into two tracks: the slower first half is listed as "Empty Spaces", while the faster second half is listed as "What Shall We Do Now?". These versions of "What Shall We Do Now?" both end the same way: after the line "with our backs to the wall", the song continues for another four beats before the line "backs to the wall" repeats, and the song ends with a decelerating cold fade in concert fashion.

On Waters' The Wall – Live in Berlin, the entire track is listed as "Empty Spaces", even though it is actually "What Shall We Do Now?". Musically this version of "What Shall We Do Now?" is quite different to all other versions, featuring the Rundfunk Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen, and additional lead guitar. Waters sings the first half as in the original, however the second half is sung by guest singer Bryan Adams. After the final line "with our backs to the wall", an extended outro led by Graham Broad's drums and a brief orchestral crescendo builds before the song ends cold.

Hidden message

[edit]

Directly before the lyrical section, there is a hidden message isolated on the left channel of the song. When heard normally, it appears to be nonsense. If played backwards, the following can be heard:

–Hello looker. Congratulations, You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont...
–Roger, Carolyne's on the phone!
–Okay.[2][3]

Roger Waters congratulates the listener for finding this message, and jokes[citation needed] that they can send their answer to "Old Pink" (being either a reference to Syd Barrett, or a foreshadowing of Pink's eventual insanity[citation needed]), who lives in a funny farm (a term to describe a psychiatric hospital) somewhere in Chalfont. Before he can reveal the exact location, however, he gets interrupted by producer James Guthrie in the background who says Carolyne (Waters' then wife) is on the phone.[4]

Personnel

[edit]

Empty Spaces

with:

What Shall We Do Now?

with:

Further reading

[edit]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
"Empty Spaces" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, appearing as the eighth track on their double album The Wall, released in November 1979. Written primarily by bassist and primary lyricist Roger Waters, it forms part of the album's rock opera narrative, depicting the protagonist Pink's descent into isolation as he constructs a metaphorical wall to shield himself from emotional pain stemming from childhood trauma, lost love, and fame. The track's lyrics reflect Pink's contemplation of how to fill the voids left by severed relationships, with lines such as "What shall we use to fill the empty spaces / Where we used to talk?" underscoring themes of loneliness and regret. Notably, "Empty Spaces" originated from a longer composition titled "What Shall We Do Now?", which was shortened and repurposed due to runtime constraints for the vinyl release, while the full version appeared in live performances and the 1982 film adaptation. The song includes a backmasked message at its start—audible when played in reverse—where Waters delivers a humorous address: "Hello, looker... Congratulations. You've just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont... Roger... Carolyn's on the phone," interpreted as a lighthearted reference to fans discovering hidden elements and possibly alluding to former bandmate Syd Barrett's mental health struggles through phrases like "Old Pink" and "Funny Farm." In the broader context of The Wall, produced by Waters, David Gilmour, and Bob Ezrin, "Empty Spaces" transitions into subsequent tracks like "Young Lust," advancing the story of Pink's psychological breakdown and self-imposed exile. The album itself draws from Waters' personal experiences, including the alienation felt during Pink Floyd's 1977 In the Flesh tour, and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, cementing its status as a landmark in progressive rock.

Background and development

Concept and writing

The concept for The Wall, including the song "Empty Spaces," originated from Roger Waters' experiences of profound personal isolation during Pink Floyd's 1977 In the Flesh tour supporting the album Animals. Amid large-scale stadium performances, Waters grew increasingly alienated from audiences, exacerbated by disruptive fan behavior such as fireworks and rowdiness, culminating in a notorious incident on July 6, 1977, at Montreal's Olympic Stadium where he spat on a fan in frustration, an act he later described as bringing him "eternal shame." This event crystallized Waters' sense of emotional disconnection, inspiring the central metaphor of a psychological wall that isolates the protagonist, Pink—a semi-autobiographical figure modeled after Waters himself, reflecting his struggles with fame, failed relationships, and the dehumanizing effects of touring. Waters began developing the material for in late 1977, shortly after the tour's conclusion, initially recording rough demos at his home studio before presenting more formalized ideas to the band in July 1978 during sessions at in . "Empty Spaces" emerged during these early demo stages as a concise transitional piece, originally conceived as following the emotional desperation of "Don't Leave Me Now," leading toward the completion of the wall in ", Part 3," but later repositioned earlier in the sequence to precede "Young Lust" due to production changes in track order, advancing Pink's arc toward completing his isolating wall. The song's structure evolved from these sessions, with Waters experimenting with sparse, introspective lyrics that underscore Pink's growing detachment, drawing directly from his own feelings of relational voids and the futility of superficial distractions. As the album's tracklist took shape, concerns over side lengths—particularly Side 2 exceeding vinyl constraints—prompted Waters and producer to shorten "Empty Spaces" from an extended draft to its final 2:10 runtime, preserving its role as a narrative pivot while ensuring pacing. This edit repurposed the fuller version as the alternate track "What Shall We Do Now?," which retained more explicit explorations of but was omitted from the album, appearing instead in the 1982 film adaptation. Early lyric drafts for "Empty Spaces" emphasized themes of emotional emptiness and relational collapse, with lines like "What shall we use to fill the empty spaces / Where we used to talk?" evolving to highlight Pink's futile attempts to mask loneliness through obsessions such as or fleeting encounters, directly tying into his story of self-imposed isolation.

Recording process

The recording of "Empty Spaces" took place primarily during the extensive sessions for Pink Floyd's album The Wall, spanning multiple studios across and the . Initial tracking and core production occurred at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes, , from April to July 1979, following preliminary work at in earlier that year. recorded his vocals for the track at the nearby Studio Miraval in Le Val, , during June and July 1979, leveraging the facility's residential setup for focused overdubs. Additional overdubs and final mixing elements were completed at Cherokee Studios in from September to October 1979, where the band refined the album's sound with producer . A notable technical feature of "Empty Spaces" is the use of to embed a , recorded separately by and reversed in the final mix. At approximately 1:12 into the track, the backward playback reveals Waters stating, "Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to 'Old Pink,' care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont...," a nod to former bandmate , interrupted by engineer James Guthrie announcing a phone call for Waters' then-wife, . This technique was applied during the French sessions to add a subtle, Easter egg-like layer without disrupting the song's forward audio flow. The track's production emphasized seamless integration with adjacent songs on , particularly through careful tape editing to ensure a fluid transition into "Young Lust." Engineers edited the outro of "Empty Spaces" to fade directly into the opening guitar riff of "Young Lust," creating a continuous arc across the album's second side without abrupt cuts, achieved via analog tape splicing and mixing at Cherokee Studios. Production faced significant challenges due to the album's overall length exceeding vinyl constraints, with each side limited to roughly 22 minutes to maintain audio quality. To comply, the band excised extended sections originally intended for the track, shortening what was planned as a longer composition into the concise "Empty Spaces" and removing the full version—later titled "What Shall We Do Now?"—from the final album sequence. This editing decision, finalized during the Los Angeles overdubs, preserved the conceptual flow while fitting the double-LP format.

Composition and lyrics

Musical elements

"Empty Spaces" is a brief track lasting 2:10, marked by its fragmented structure in which the first half is entirely , incorporating ambient sound effects such as backmasked messages, while the second half introduces sparse echoing vocals over minimal . The song is composed in the key of , with a of approximately 96 BPM, emphasizing a slow, deliberate pace that underscores its atmospheric quality. The track was originally in but sped up to in the final version. Rather than relying on a traditional , it builds tension through layered audio effects and eerie guitar lines, creating a of unease with limited . Stereo panning contributes to an auditory disorientation, enhancing the immersive and isolating sonic landscape characteristic of the album. The track concludes with radio static effects that seamlessly transition into the subsequent song "Young Lust," maintaining the album's continuous flow. This experimental sound design reflects Pink Floyd's evolution, echoing the innovative production techniques employed in earlier works like The Dark Side of the Moon.

Narrative role and themes

"Empty Spaces" is the eighth track overall on Pink Floyd's 1979 double album The Wall, opening the second disc and serving as a critical juncture in the rock opera's storyline where the protagonist, Pink, confronts the encroaching completion of his self-constructed emotional barrier. This placement follows "Goodbye Blue Sky," and directly precedes "Young Lust," which illustrates his futile turn toward sexual excess as an escape from solitude. In the narrative arc, the song captures Pink's growing emotional detachment, as he grapples with the realization that his "wall"—a metaphor for psychological isolation built from accumulated traumas—is nearly finished, symbolizing his retreat from human connection. The song's lyrics function as an introspective monologue, with Pink questioning the voids created by severed relationships and unspoken words, exemplified by lines such as "What shall we use to fill the empty spaces / Where we used to talk? / How should I fill the final places? / How should I complete ?" These queries underscore themes of profound and the existential pervading his , portraying the "empty spaces" as literal and figurative gaps in daily left by failed communication and relational breakdown. , the album's primary songwriter, described the track as exploring how Pink attempts to fill these voids through various distractions, none of which succeed, thereby deepening his isolation as a protective mechanism against further . This internal reflection ties directly to Pink's discovery of his wife's , accelerating his withdrawal and reinforcing the album's motif of alienation as a response to personal and societal betrayals. Within 's broader narrative, "Empty Spaces" amplifies the theme of self-imposed barriers, where Pink's inability to engage in meaningful perpetuates a cycle of detachment, echoing earlier pleas for connection in songs like "Hey You" and foreshadowing his total encapsulation. The track's contemplative tone highlights the futility of external fillers for internal voids, aligning with Waters' intent to depict the psychological toll of fame, loss, and unprocessed on the individual psyche. An extended alternate version, "What Shall We Do Now?," expands on these ideas but was shortened for the album due to runtime constraints.

Alternate version: What Shall We Do Now?

"What Shall We Do Now?" was originally conceived as a full-length track intended to follow "" on side two of Pink Floyd's 1979 album , expanding on the themes of isolation and the futile attempts to fill emotional voids through and fame. The song's lyrics, printed in full on the album's inner sleeve under the "Empty Spaces" section, present a repetitive of rhetorical questions about pursuits, such as "Shall we buy a new guitar? / Shall we drive a more powerful car? / Shall we work night and day to pay the bills?" and "Shall we set out across this sea of faces / In search of more and more ?", critiquing societal pressures and the hollow pursuit of success. These lyrics heighten the narrative's progression from personal alienation to aggressive , reflecting Pink's growing frustration. The complete version was ultimately excluded from the album during the mastering process because side two exceeded vinyl length constraints, with "Empty Spaces" serving as a musical reiteration and abbreviated substitute using the same tune but shorter sung content. explained that the decision preserved the lyrics on the sleeve to maintain narrative continuity while trimming the runtime, avoiding redundancy. Initially titled "Backs to the Wall" in early demos, the song ran approximately 1:30 in rough studio takes, though live renditions extended it slightly for dramatic effect. No concerns over lyrical obscenity were cited in primary accounts; the cut was purely technical. Despite its album omission, "What Shall We Do Now?" was fully integrated into the 1980–1981 The Wall live tour, performed at every one of the 31 shows as part of the sequence bridging "Empty Spaces" and "Young Lust," allowing the band to restore the extended structure onstage. The song's preservation extends to unofficial bootlegs from rehearsals and concerts, the studio recording featured in the 1982 film Pink Floyd – The Wall (though not commercially released as a standalone track until later compilations), and official inclusions such as the demo version on the 2011 Immersion Box Set and a live recording from the tour on the 2000 album Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81. These releases highlight its enduring role in the album's conceptual framework.

Versions and adaptations

Album release

"Empty Spaces" was released on November 30, 1979, in the United Kingdom by and on December 8, 1979, in the United States by , as the eighth track on Pink Floyd's eleventh studio album, the The Wall. The album debuted strongly, topping the chart in the US for a total of 15 non-consecutive weeks and peaking at No. 3 on the UK Official Albums Chart and spending a total of 68 weeks on the chart. On the original vinyl edition, "Empty Spaces" appears as the second track on side three (Disc 2, Side A), positioned immediately after "" and before "Young Lust," serving as a transitional piece in the album's overarching narrative of isolation and emotional barriers. In subsequent CD reissues, it remains track 8 overall. The song was not issued as a standalone single, instead contributing to the conceptual cohesion of without individual promotion. The album's packaging integrated "Empty Spaces" into its thematic design through a sleeve and printed inner sleeves featuring handwritten lyrics for all tracks, including this one, alongside illustrations by that reinforced the recurring wall motif. commercial success for the track was inseparable from the album's performance, which has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and earned 23× Platinum certification from the RIAA for 23 million units shipped in the US alone, though "Empty Spaces" achieved no independent chart placement.

Film adaptation

The album version of "Empty Spaces" was omitted from the 1982 film , directed by with animation by , and replaced by the extended track "What Shall We Do Now?" to provide a more expansive musical segment that intensifies the dramatic buildup to the completion of protagonist Pink's emotional wall. This substitution merges the shorter "Empty Spaces" intro with the fuller "What Shall We Do Now?" lyrics, originally intended for the album but cut due to vinyl length constraints, allowing the film to incorporate the complete composition for narrative flow. There is no full performance of the song by , portrayed by ; instead, the sequence unfolds through Scarfe's without live-action singing from the character, emphasizing Pink's isolation in his as the visuals depict his inner turmoil. The animated motifs illustrate crumbling relationships through surreal imagery, beginning with two anthropomorphic flowers—one phallic, the other vulvic—engaging in copulation that devolves into , with one devouring the other before transforming into predatory marching hammers that seal the wall's bricks, symbolizing the shift from intimacy to destructive isolation. These elements align with the lyrics' themes of relational voids and escalating alienation. The decision to replace "Empty Spaces" stemmed from the film's constrained 95-minute runtime and a deliberate focus on visual storytelling to convey the album's psychological depth more cinematically, rather than adhering strictly to the original track listing. This adaptation prioritizes Scarfe's elaborate animations to heighten tension and immerse viewers in Pink's descent, diverging from the album's structure to suit the medium's pacing and surreal aesthetic.

Live performances

"Empty Spaces" was performed during Pink Floyd's The Wall tour from 1980 to 1981, appearing in all 31 concerts as part of the standard setlist, often transitioning directly into "What Shall We Do Now?" to accommodate stage timing constraints and the narrative flow of the production. These performances featured projections of animated sequences depicting the gradual construction of the symbolic wall, which began forming behind the band early in the show and visually underscored the song's themes of emotional isolation during David Gilmour's isolated vocal delivery from the stage. The song was not included in David Gilmour's solo tours or any prior Pink Floyd concerts before The Wall era, limiting its live history to these specific stagings and subsequent revivals. Official live recordings of "Empty Spaces" from the 1980–1981 tour are captured on the 2000 album Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81, compiled from multiple shows including in and in New York. revived "Empty Spaces" for his 2010–2013 The Wall Live tour, where it was performed in 219 shows worldwide, again merged with "What Shall We Do Now?" and enhanced by modernized projections, , and effects that intensified the portrayal of alienation and confinement. A partial rendition appears on the 1990 concert recording , featuring guest vocalist alongside Waters and orchestral elements during the Potsdamer Platz event celebrating the fall of the . In these later productions, the song's delivery was supported by an expanding and isolation booth setups that isolated Waters onstage, mirroring the protagonist's psychological barriers.

Reception and legacy

Critical reception

Upon its release, The Wall received praise in Loder's review for its atmospheric tension and thematic depth, with the album noted for innovative blend of rock and storytelling. Retrospective reviews have acclaimed the album for its innovative sound design and cohesion through subtle sonic layers and . These analyses position "Empty Spaces" as a pivotal interlude that bridges emotional arcs without overpowering the surrounding compositions. Some critics offered mixed views on the album, including in his Village Voice consumer guide, who critiqued its uneven balance of ambition and accessibility, rating The Wall a B- overall. In modern analyses from 2020s podcasts and track-by-track breakdowns, "Empty Spaces" is emphasized for its role in the evolution of , blending experimental effects with narrative propulsion.

Cultural impact

"Empty Spaces" has been covered by various artists in tribute projects, notably by on the 2005 album Back Against the Wall: A Tribute to Pink Floyd, highlighting the song's atmospheric tension through layered instrumentation and maintaining its role as a transitional piece in The Wall's narrative. The track's enduring appeal is evident in its digital consumption, amassing over 52 million streams on as of November 2025, reflecting sustained listener interest in its themes of isolation and emotional voids. This popularity extends to educational contexts in , where "Empty Spaces" appears in guitar tutorials and analyses, such as tablature breakdowns on platforms dedicated to instrumental learning, aiding musicians in replicating its minimalist guitar riffs and piano accents. A notable aspect of the song's cultural footprint involves its hidden backmasked message—"Congratulations. You've just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to 'Old Pink', care of the funny farm, Chalfont"—which sparked discussions during the Satanic panic, when fears of subliminal content in led to public scrutiny and record burnings. This audio , intentionally playful yet provocative, has since been examined in music history overviews as an example of backmasking's role in amplifying moral panics around .

Production credits

Personnel

The recording of "Empty Spaces" primarily involved Pink Floyd's core members, with providing lead vocals, as well as guitars, bass, synthesizers, and sound effects. Backing vocals were contributed by Waters and , who also played guitars, bass, and synthesizers. handled drums and percussion effects. Richard Wright, though largely absent from the album's recording sessions due to creative tensions that led to his temporary dismissal from the band, was credited for keyboards and synthesizers. Additional sound effects were crafted by Waters and recording engineer James Guthrie. The track was co-produced by and , with Waters serving as the primary songwriter.

Additional production notes

The production of "Empty Spaces" includes a backmasked element at the beginning of the track, where a forward-recorded spoken segment by is reversed, revealing the message: “Congratulations. You've just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old , care of the funny farm, Chalfont.” This hidden audio is most distinctly audible when the vinyl version is played backwards, serving as a playful nod to conspiracy theories prevalent at the time. Mixing for the album took place at Studio Miraval in , enabling precise layering of sound effects that contributed to the track's enveloping, disorienting atmosphere. The console's and channel strip capabilities facilitated complex panning and reverb applications, enhancing the song's thematic sense of isolation. Later editions refined these production details through remastering efforts. The 1994 digital remaster, overseen by at The Mastering Lab, improved the overall sonic balance and detail in the effects without altering the original mixes. The Immersion Box Set restored the album's vinyl-era track sequence, incorporating the alternate version "What Shall We Do Now?" alongside demo recordings that expose isolated elements from the production process.

References

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