LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-NOVEMBER 15, 2019…ON THIS DATE IN 1975 PINK FLOYD RELEASED THE SINGLE ‘HAVE A CIGAR.’ THIS SONG IS ABOUT CORPORATIONS AND HOW THEY CONTROL MUSICIANS. PINK FLOYD HATED
THE RECORD INDUSTRY AND WAS PEEVED AT THEIR LABEL AND THEIR PERSISTENT REQUESTS FOR A FOLLOW-UP TO THE GROUP’S MEGA ALBUM ‘DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.’
THIS WAS ONE OF THE LAST SONGS ADDED TO THE LP ‘WISH YOU WERE HERE’ AND WAS A TRACK THE BAND WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING THE RIGHT VOCALLY IN THE STUDIO. ROGER WATERS VOICE WAS FRIED FROM JUST SINGING ‘SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND’ AND GILMOUR DIDN’T FEEL HE WAS RIGHT FOR THE SONG. PINK FLOYD ENDED UP USING ENGLISH SINGER ROY HARPER TO HANDLE THE LEAD VOCALS ON “HAVE A CIGAR”. IT MARKS ONLY 1 OF 2 PINK FLOYD SONGS TO FEATURE EVER GUEST VOCALS. (THE OTHER SONG IS “GREAT GIG IN THE SKY”). IN AN INTERVIEW WITH MOJO MAGAZINE, GILMOUR RECALLED HOW HARPER ENDED UP PERFORMING ON THE SONG: “Roger had a go at singing it and one or two people were unkind about his singing. One or two people then asked me to have a go at it. I did, but I wasn’t comfortable. I had nothing against the lyrics. Maybe the range and intensity wasn’t right for my voice. I can distinctly remember Roy leaning on the wall outside Abbey Riad, while we were nattering away and (growls) ‘Go on, lemme have a go, lemme have a go.’ We all went, ‘Shut up Roy.’ But eventually we said, ‘Go on then, Roy, have your bloody go.’ Most of us enjoyed his version, though I don’t think Roger ever liked it.”
THIS IS THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR ‘HAVE A CIGAR’
