Pink Floyd's "Fearless" - my analysis
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Topic: Pink Floyd's "Fearless" - my analysis
Posted By: Fearlessly
Subject: Pink Floyd's "Fearless" - my analysis
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 02:22
Hi there. Yep, as you can from my avatar and username, Fearless is one of my very favourite songs. So much so, I spent 45-60 minutes yesterday giving my own personal, entirely subjective interpretation of the song. To me, the song is about subversion and empowerment of one's own ideas and convictions. I'll let the review do the rest of the talking.  Fearless is one of Pink Floyd's most overlooked songs. The track comes from the album Meddle, one of Pink Floyd's most experimental and complete works. This period in Pink Floyd's musical career is certainly an interesting one - it was after Syd Barrett's departure; it was before Waters' dictatorial ego fragmented the band; and it was before the mainstream breakout of Dark Side of the Moon. Indeed, it was a time where Floyd had a fervent creative and artistic drive to be the best, most accomplished rock band in the world. There were no limits here other than the sky. Whilst Meddle is largely known for the twenty-three minute magnum-opus Echoes, the album also spawned a (then) uncharacteristically quiet, slow-burning track that also happens to be one of the most radical and subversive works in all of Floyd's catalogue. That song is Fearless, and it is more meaningful now than perhaps ever before. Let's take a closer look at it, shall we? We will break it down section-by-section. The song begins with the following: You say the hill's too steep to climb Chiding You say you'd like to see me try Climbing This sets up the philosophical principles of the song. Essentially, we are being told that the protagonist of the song can not climb a hill because it is, apparently, too steep. Of course, the hill is metaphorical here - it is not literally a hill, but a symbol of doing something that nobody around you (whether it be your family, your community or even society at large) believes you can do or believes you should do. They 'chid' (i.e., express disapproval of) the idea. Rather, you are expected to be complacent and subservient just like everybody else, and not follow your inner-ambitions or convictions. Just conform, essentially.
And I'll climb the hill in my own way Just wait a while, for the right day These lyrics will become particularly salient as the analysis of the song continues. Here, the protagonist of this song decides to take the challenge to climb the hill...but he is still somewhat doubtful and ambivalent. While he agrees to challenge himself by climbing the hill in his 'own way', he still wants somebody else (i.e., an authoritative figure, perhaps, in his family, community or society) to pick the place. And if the place is indeed set, he wants to 'wait a while' for the 'right day'. So, what is being said here? The person we are following in this song is beginning to become an individual, beginning to stand by his convictions, beginning to perhaps not conform to the values and doctrines set by those around him. But he has not fully evolved yet on a philosophical level. He is still hesitant and he is still doubting his prospective actions. He wants to wait a while because he is not yet set to do the very thing that will clearly undermine and subvert those around him. It is this thought that indeed many dissenters across world history have presumably encountered. Is taking the risk worth it? Am I willing to risk everything based on my convictions and personal philosophy? Or should I just continue the way I am? It represents a state of indecision. And as I rise above the treeline and the clouds I look down hearing the sound of the things you said today Rising above the treeline and the clouds is, once again, metaphorical. Here, it represents the protagonist of the song standing fully by his convictions and taking a radical risk, probably at the expense of ostracism, condemnation and social sanctions. Yet what Pink Floyd is saying here is really quite beautiful and inspiring - it is above the treeline and clouds where all the dissidents and subversives go when they decide to do what they believe is true. This section of the song has some subtle Christian symbology, denoting heaven as a place where all the true dissidents will go. I don't mean to say that Pink Floyd are referencing heaven in a Christian context, per-se, but more subscribing to the idea that up above the clouds, up in the sky, is a place where the 'good one's' go. And, in this case, the good are indeed those who stand by their convictions and do not remain subservient to oppression or immoral wrongdoing. This is very important to Floyd, and it is consistent across much of their work. Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd, smiling Merciless, the magistrate turns 'round, frowning We have reached a period in the song where our protagonist has clearly decided to take actions into his own hands. He is now being socially sanctioned and punished for it. Perhaps he was a political dissident or whistleblower? Maybe he was somebody who lived in an oppressive society and decided to courageously speak out against the state? Or perhaps he did something that was not lawful and law-abiding? The song refers to the protagonist as an 'idiot'. This is interesting. It is clearly being used in a sardonic context here. The dissenter is labeled as an idiot by society, not by Floyd. When we look at some of the most eccentric and non-conformist individuals in world history, they have often been outcasted and marginalised in their time as weird, stupid, or, indeed, idiotic. The protagonist smiles at the crowd. To me, this shows that this dissident or social misfit is somebody well ahead of his time. The smile is a fearless one, but also probably a snarky one. He has no fear being persecuted or sanctioned because he believes that his actions, his convictions, his principles are right and for the greater good. He refuses to be seen as an example of the state or some authoritative institution. Indeed, showing fear and vulnerability when persecuted is what any authority entity wants. This is because it dissuades others not to do the same thing. But the dissident in the song refuses to show his fear. Consequently, the 'magistrate', clearly the embodiment of authority, is frowning mercilessly. All figures of authority detest subversive individuals who undermine their power and status. And who's the fool who wears the crown Go down in your own way And everyday is the right day And as you rise above the fear lines in his brown You look downHear the sound of the faces in the crowd Here, the dissident has made the evolution and development that initially impeded him earlier on in the song. If you recall, the dissident originally wanted to 'wait a while for the right day' before he did what he did. This was because he was hesitant and doubtful. But now, 'everyday is the right day' to, yep, you guessed it, 'go down in your own way'. He no longer feels constrained or restricted. He is fully empowered and liberated. While the dissident has indeed been persecuted for what he has done, he did it in his own way. He refused to show his fear to be seen as an example to those watching in the crowd; he subverted and lampooned authority by implying that they are merely fools who wear crowns; and because of this, everyday is the right day to do exactly what he did. His persecution brought him incredible empowerment and conviction. The song ends with a recorded chant from a football match where the crowd are singing You Will Never Walk Alone. This is a nice thematic conclusion to the song. While the dissident has become persecuted and sanctioned by the state, there appears to be this overwhelming support from the crowd. This suggests that the dissident perhaps engendered the start of a revolution or uprising. And his actions, those that were deemed idiotic, were indeed anything but. His sacrifice has a legacy, and it is precisely this legacy that will inspire others to incite radical and meaningful change. The greatness of Fearless is that we can interpret who the dissident is. He could be a whistleblower, a political activist or maybe just a son or daughter from an oppressive family. It is a truly poignant and beautiful song about standing by your convictions, being empowered and liberated by your conscious, and standing up for what you believe in, regardless of how much you may be sanctioned and persecuted. Thanks for reading. Please do share your thoughts! |
Replies:
Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 03:52
| That some analysis for one song...........and a fine one at that !! |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 04:09
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Sigmund Freud once said that "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" when speaking about metaphorical meanings. The same can hold true with the hill in the song. It can be just a hill, as in just a dirt mound. The only one who knows for sure of what it actually refers to is the songwriter. And sometimes songwriters don't even have a clue as to the meaning of what they're writing. Ultimately, the song's meaning is in eye of the beholder, or in this case, the ear of the listener.
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Posted By: brainstormer
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 04:29
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Good job on the analysis of the song. It's one of my favorite songs in the prog vein and has given me strength over the years. Thanks for doing it. ------------- -- Robert Pearson Regenerative Music http://www.regenerativemusic.net Telical Books http://www.telicalbooks.com ParaMind Brainstorming Software http://www.paramind.net |
Posted By: Fearlessly
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 04:42
Thank you, sir.
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Tom Ozric wrote:Posted By: Fearlessly
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 04:48
I agree. As I said at the beginning of my post, this is entirely a subjective interpretation. I think part of why I love Pink Floyd so much, particularly their pre-Dark Side of the Moon work, is that their lyrical content is very open. They leave a lot for the imagination, and their choice of wording is deliberately ambiguous (in comparison to something like Dogs, which is also very political). To me, this song is about dissidence and subversion, especially when you take into account the sociocultural context of the time. But to somebody else, it could mean something entirely different, and that is the beauty of it.
Thanks for reading it. It has had a similar effect on me too.
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Posted By: Kotro
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 05:15
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I always thought it was about Bill Shankly. ------------- Bigger on the inside. |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 08:38
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Well...first of all you have several lyrics wrong according to the re-mastered cd digital Meddle version and the inside lyric sheet. ------------------------ You say the hill's too steep to climb, climbing You say you'd like to see me try, climbing You pick the place and I'll choose the time And I'll climb the hill in my own way Just wait a while for the right day And as I rise above the tree line and the clouds I look down hearing the sound of the things you said today Fearlessly the idiot faced the crowd, smiling mercilessly the magistrate turns around, frowning And who's the fool who wears the crown No doubt in your own way And every day is the right day And as you rise above the fear lines in his brow You look down hear the sound of the faces in the crowd ------------ At any rate as Steve said sometimes lyrics are just straight up....and are more about the general imagery than any deep message. It implies to me to be yourself and stick to what you believe as you go through life doing your own thing. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: omphaloskepsis
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 11:40
| Excellent job at analyzing Fearless. Flawless Pink Floyd song. Makes my heart soar above the tree line and the clouds. |
Posted By: aglasshouse
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 11:56
I've always really overlooked Fearless, but this really makes me appreciate it more. Great job!  ------------- http://fryingpanmedia.com |
Posted By: Fearlessly
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 15:53
I don't think there is anything particularly deep or obfuscated in my interpretation of the song. Thank you to everybody else who appreciated the analysis.
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Posted By: Tom Ozric
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 17:58
| As an aside, I think Mason's drumming on this track is quite interesting, especially how it fits with the guitar riffs. |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 18:07
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A couple things. You've chosen an internet lyric site that has mistaken words in the song. For instance, the correct lines are... You say the hill's too steep to climb Climb it. You say you'd like to see me try Climbing. It is an instigation: You say the hill's too steep to climb? Climb it anyway! -and also And as you rise above the fear-lines in his brow You look down, hearing the sound of the faces in the crowd. "fear-lines in his brow" refer to the worry lines on one's forehead (brow), most likely referring back to the fool who wears the crown.
------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Fearlessly
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 18:29
So I guess Roger Waters goes by the Internet lyrics of the song, then? |
Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 18:46
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According to the CD booklet of my official 90s Floyd remasters: You say the hills too steep to climb, climbing You say you'd like to see me try, climbing Of course CD booklets can be wrong too. Edit: Just noticed Dr. Wu already stated the Floyd CD lyric sheet.  |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 18:50
Merely going off of lyrics sheets from Pink Floyd's Meddle CD (as mentioned above by Dr. Wu), and the sheet music I've had for over 30 years that was published through TRO - Hampshire House Publishing Corp., Pink Floyd's publishing house from the 60s through the 80s.
------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 18:55
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^ Wu's (and my) lyrics sheet say "climbing" ending the first line though, not "climb it" Does your CD insert really say "Climb it" ?? |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 19:01
No, you're right. The CD says "Climbing", but the sheet music from their publishing house says "Climb it!" (with exclamation point). Both say "brow" and not "brown" (brown makes no sense linguistically).
------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 19:11
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Just played the song again and gotta admit (no pun) it does sound like "chiding" on Dave's original take. I can hear a distinct "ch" sound at the beginning. |
Posted By: Fearlessly
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 19:13
If it really did originally say: No doubt in your own way And every day is the right day Then it did not really sound as such in the versions I have heard of Fearless, for instance.
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Posted By: Fearlessly
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 19:14
And it also clearly sounds like David says "go down" instead of "no doubt" ... in your own way, too.
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Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 19:24
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In any case Matt, thanks for sharing an interesting take that got me thinking of the song again. I had a friend once quite like your dissident. It didn't end well for him though. No beating the state, no one cheering for revolution. Just a lot of sadness and unfulfilled promise. But, I will always respect that he spoke his mind, didn't compromise his ideals, and lived every minute of his life his way. The friendship was both exhilaration and tragedy unfolding simultaneously. He was a highlight in my life. |
Posted By: Fearlessly
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 19:30
Thanks. Undoubtedly, the song is fundamentally an optimistic one, although I am sorry to hear about your friend. Sometimes I ponder about just how many dissidents have gone largely unnoticed, in all areas of the world.
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Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: December 30 2016 at 20:40
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I actually think there are quite a few such guys out there, like my buddy...someday I'd like to write about that time. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 31 2016 at 04:55
Or afraid of what the audience might think. Which I am sure, by that time, PF had seen plenty of, and this was soon to change, although a few years later hearing Roger's rants at Anaheim Stadium, I would think that ... he was still hearing their sound, and didn't like it! FAME ... what a business! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: January 01 2017 at 19:38
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Nice analysis. Of course, it is based on a particular reading of the lyrics. With what you are working with, it makes a lot of sense. And of course, if we change any of the lyrics, we change the meaning of the song. We can only work with what we are given. The lines about the idiot always reminded my of the Tao Te Ching, when Lao Tzu writes that everybody is learning something new each day, that only he forgets something each day. The criticism there is that what all those people are learning is meaningless and that they do not understand what he the Taoist is actually doing. Indeed, one has to follow the Tao in his(her) own way, and very few, if any can understand just what that is. To get started, though, one must shed the crowd and climb the hill in one's own way in one's own time. ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 01 2017 at 20:44
I think they just want Liverpool to win. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: January 02 2017 at 04:21
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Hmm. Interesting. A few things to consider:
SO... Notice that the song starts in the first person singular in that it is written from the perspective of the singer, and the protagonist is in the second person (singular or plural - "things you said" ect.). This changes to the third person in the second verse ("the idiot" and "the magistrate") before concluding in the second person singular ("you rise above") with the protagonist being the first person singular ("his brow").
Pedro's notion that it has something to do with fame could have some merit given that this is a recurring theme in Waters' lyrics ('Cymbaline', 'Free Four', 'Welcome to the Machine', 'Have A Cigar', etc..) but in this instance I think it is not the case, especially given the Liverpool Kop singing 'You'll never walk alone' at the beginning and end of the song. I simply see it as a song of optimism and nothing more.
------------- What? |
Posted By: Atavachron
Date Posted: January 02 2017 at 04:23
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Sheet music is always wrong. ------------- "Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: January 02 2017 at 09:03
| I'm just glad to see that someone finally brought attention to an awesome song...It's always been a favorite for me even the first time I heard it. Of course it's all entertainment folks (thank you Devin Townsend)....but then so is this post since I found reading it to be highly entertaining. The true meaning of the song is how it is interpreted into your own life and/or the life of the composer. |
Posted By: Terrapin Station
Date Posted: January 03 2017 at 14:28
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One of the most surprising things to me about prog fans that I've encountered here since I started posting is the number of people who seem focused on lyrics. I'm used to pop fans being focused on lyrics, singer-songwriter fans, hip-hop fans, etc., but I've always assumed that the vast majority of prog fans wouldn't really care about lyrics. |
Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: January 03 2017 at 20:39
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I don't (generally) care about lyrics. ------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: Shad
Date Posted: January 07 2017 at 14:21
| Thanks for reminding me about this great song. I like it a lot. As to the meaning it may well be that you put more than there is to it. It is rather straightforward. |
Posted By: Davesax1965
Date Posted: January 09 2017 at 03:43
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I'm a musician and I also studied English at University. Let me tell you a story. Ted Hughes, a famous English poet, was asked by an exam board if one of his poems could be used in an exam paper. No problem, said Ted, no fee, just let me sit the exam. So he sits the exam. The first question was "What is the poem all about ?" "I don't know" wrote Ted. "Perhaps the poet was angry and frustrated and depressed when he wrote it, as it's all so dark and gloomy." Back to University. There are all kinds of methods for critiquing prose and poetry. Guess what ? None of them are worth anything. What a poem means to you is not necessarily what it means to the person who wrote it. May I also point out that music is for listening to and enjoying, not dissecting ? ------------- |
Posted By: Fearlessly
Date Posted: January 14 2017 at 04:49
What an authoritarian thing to say. Speak for yourself.
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Posted By: Tillerman88
Date Posted: January 14 2017 at 05:26
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"There are all kinds of methods for critiquing prose and poetry. " Also for critiquing music . Whenever I hear to prose, poetry and music I can find beauty both on their meaning and their sounds. Nonetheless, when hearing music, the beauty and feeling of the sounds played will always be my preference over whatever it can mean. Well, what the heck is the essence of music if not that?
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Posted By: Big Ears
Date Posted: February 19 2017 at 16:15
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Songs, like paintings, bear analysis and it is good to see an example
here, although I am not sure I agree with all of your observations. I remember when Meddle was released and assumed that the Rodgers and Hammerstein chant, from the terraces, was thrown into the song because Pink Floyd were football fans. The group were often publicised at the time for playing football. Some of Floyd's use of sound effects/ voices seem random, like the studio visitors reading from cards for the spoken snippets on Dark Side (albeit later). There is some analysis of Fearless on the football blogs. One of the most convincing comments I have seen is the following, which assumes that Waters is an Arsenal supporter, '... 1971 (the year the album Meddle was released), Arsenal had won the double. They played LFC in the FA Cup Final and after the game won much respect from Liverpool fans. The song may even be a nod of respect to a great match.' Here is the link, although much of the assumptions about Waters' politics are improbable: http://www.worldsoccer.com/blogs/liverpool-fc-the-pink-floyd-connection-333543 |
Posted By: happythe
Date Posted: March 06 2017 at 04:10
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Well I'm late to the party but this looks fun...! Side note on (over-)analysis: why not dissect, if dissecting makes you happy? There are some songs I want to eat whole like a lychee, reclining eyes closed in just a loincloth, and others whose innards I want to scoop out all over the floor like a pomegranate that the dog got to, and analyse to death and look at from every angle. So Fearless. I guess the feeling I get from the song is kind of similar to the OP's, although less far (I hadn't thought about dissidents) and more vague. Before I ever thought about the meaning of the song, it felt like a sort of cocoon, like a formative, confidence-building song from father to daughter (the gentle vocals and easy, comfortable chords make me think of Kooks by Bowie too). The easy, simple "climbing" guitar refrain also makes me think of a kid taking a few steps and then falling on its ass before getting up and going for it again without wasting any time worrying. That same idea then extends further into the song and into adult life: it's not worth stressing about failure or what people think, just be quietly confident and you'll get by just fine on your own terms. I think it also visits the old difference between book-smart and world-smart (compare the musical simplicity I mentioned before with the "row row row your boat" penny whistle section of The Fool on the Hill), what with the idiot who does his ting and lives happy, and the authority/crown who's book-smart, presumably, but has missed the point of life. Bearing in mind that "idiot", which now just means "an outrageous dumdum", used to mean something more like "commoner/layperson who gets on with his own stuff and doesn't trouble himself with the affairs of the city". I always associate the bit about the magistrate and the crowd with a few images from stuff like The Stranger by Camus (on the theme of acting or reacting the way you're "supposed to" vs. following your own nature) and The Trial by Kafka (on the theme of being persecuted by wait who why where am I?!). It's pretty comforting to replace the unease of books like that with the simplistic "ploddy ploddy forward" confidence of a song like Fearless.
------------- Stop me from dreaming? Okay :-( |
Posted By: Crumple
Date Posted: March 17 2017 at 08:40
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Thanks for sharing your analysis. I enjoyed it. My take it is two views of the same metaphorical event or process. First verse, from the protagonist. Second verse, from an observer. But generally I agree with your conclusions that it represents confident victory in the face of of outside fear. Hence the title. ;)
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