"What Do You Want from Me" is a song by

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

featured on their 1994 album, ''

The Division Bell ''The Division Bell'' is the fourteenth studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 28 March 1994 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and on 4 April by Columbia Records in the United States. The second Pink Floy ...

''. Richard Wright and

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...

composed the music, with Gilmour and his then-girlfriend and subsequent wife

Polly Samson Polly Samson (born 29 April 1962) is an English novelist, lyricist, and journalist. She is married to the musician David Gilmour and has written the lyrics to many of Gilmour's works, both as a solo artist and with the group Pink Floyd. Life an ...

supplying the lyrics. A live version from ''

Pulse In medicine, a pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the cardiac cycle (heartbeat) by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed near the surface of the body, such as at the nec ...

'' was released as a single in Canada, reaching number 28 in the Canadian Top Singles charts.

Song structure and lyrics

The song is a slow, yet rocking ballad. It has a drum roll introduction, followed by a keyboard solo and then a guitar solo. David Gilmour has agreed with an interviewer that it is a "straight

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

tune", while mentioning he is still a blues fan. In an interview, David Gilmour was asked if the song returned to the theme of alienation from the audience. He responded by saying that it "actually had more to do with personal relationships but drifted into wider territory".

Reception

In a contemporary negative review for ''The Division Bell'', Tom Graves of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' described "What Do You Want from Me" as the only track on which "Gilmour sounds like he cares".

Personnel

Pink Floyd *

guitars, lead vocals * Richard Wright Wah wah wurlizer piano,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

, backing vocals *

Nick Mason Nicholas Berkeley Mason, (born 27 January 1944) is an English drummer and a founder member of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He is the only member to feature on every Pink Floyd album, and the only constant member since its formation in ...

drums Additional musicians: *

Jon Carin Jon Carin (born October 21, 1964) is a musician, singer, songwriter and producer who has been a longtime collaborator with the bands Pink Floyd and The Who, and the solo careers of David Gilmour and Roger Waters, Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder, Kate ...

- synthesizers * Guy Pratt – bass guitar * Sam Brown – backing vocals *

Durga McBroom Durga McBroom is an American singer who has performed backing vocals for Pink Floyd and is a member of the house music band Blue Pearl, best known for their hit single " Naked in the Rain". She works as an actress, dancer, and singer in the Unit ...

– backing vocals *

Carol Kenyon Carol Kenyon (sometimes spelt Karol; born 1959) is a British singer. She is best known for her vocals on the Heaven 17 hit song "Temptation", which reached number two in the UK Singles Chart in 1983. When the song was re-released as a remix by ...

– backing vocals *Jackie Sheridan – backing vocals *Rebecca Leigh-White – backing vocals

Releases

* ''

'', Pink Floyd (1994)original release * ''

'', Pink Floyd (1995)live album * ''

'', Pink Floyd (2006)concert film; the song did not appear on the original VHS release (1995), but was added as a bonus feature on the DVD re-release (2006) * ''

Live at Pompeii ''Live at Pompeii'' is a live album and film by David Gilmour, the guitarist of Pink Floyd. It was recorded at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii. It documents his 2015–16 world tour to promote his album, ''Rattle That Lock'' (2015). The concert wa ...

'', David Gilmour (2017)live album and video recorded during Gilmour's

Rattle That Lock Tour The Rattle That Lock Tour was a concert tour by English singer and musician David Gilmour to support his fourth solo studio album, ''Rattle That Lock''. The tour became a commercial success, grossing $47 million and selling 288,997 tickets in 16 ...

References

{{Authority control 1994 songs Columbia Records singles Pink Floyd songs Rock ballads Blues rock songs Songs about music Protest songs Songs written by David Gilmour Songs written by Richard Wright (musician) Songs with lyrics by Polly Samson Song recordings produced by Bob Ezrin Song recordings produced by David Gilmour