Welcome back to Top Ten Tuesdays, my weekly series where I rank personal favorites across music, film, books, and more. This week, I’m focusing on Pink Floyd, a band whose music defined my youth and still shapes how I experience sound, emotion, and time itself.
I grew up with Floyd on the radio, in my headphones, and later blasting through cheap speakers in a one-room apartment. Their songs aren’t just classics, they’re emotional landmarks. These are the ones that stayed with me.
It’s 1975 and I Wake Up
My younger sister Lisa brought Pink Floyd into my life around 1974 or 1975. She “loaned” me two albums: Even in the Quietest Moments by Supertramp and Animals by Pink Floyd.
I can still picture myself sitting in front of a tired old record player listening to both albums for the first time. Animals was unlike anything I’d heard before. So was the Supertramp album, to be honest.
Both bands became favorites. Along with Steely Dan, they form the holy trinity of my musical youth. I still listen to all of them. When the day comes, songs from each will play at my funeral.
God, I really love music.
My Top 10 Pink Floyd Songs
- Wish You Were Here – My favorite song of all time. When I’m down, it lifts me up. When I’m upset, it brings me down. A perfect song.
- Comfortably Numb – I saw Floyd perform The Wall live in L.A. in the late ’70s. I lost my voice singing along. This song still echoes in my head when I wake up.
- Shine On You Crazy Diamond – This one taught me that music could be more than just pop. A full-circle portrait of loss, memory, and the fragility of brilliance.
- Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 – A disco-tinged protest song with bite. Still relevant. Maybe more now than ever.
- Time – The sound of the ’70s: rock, rebellion, and the haze of youth. The clocks, the lyrics, the guitar… pure truth.
- The Great Gig in the Sky – Clare Torry’s improvised vocals move me to tears when the mood and the light are right. Wordless beauty.
- Money – The first Floyd song I ever heard. I remember it playing on KMET. A bluesy, funky, biting little beast of a track.
- Echoes – It took time for this one to grow on me. Now it’s the background music to my writing life. Ambient and deep.
- Dogs – Cynical, brutal, and aging well. I didn’t get it at 14. I do now.
- Hey You – The song that spoke to the lonely version of me I didn’t know how to talk about. Late teen anthem, no question.
Closing Thoughts
Pink Floyd’s music is emotional architecture. Each track is a room I’ve lived in, full of echoes, regrets, and the faint hum of hope. These aren’t just songs I like. They’re songs that built me.
Listen On Spotify: Top 10 Pink Floyd Songs
Peanuts In My Pocket 
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