"Flaming" (formerly titled "Snowing") is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, featured on their 1967 debut album, ''

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn ''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 5 August 1967 by EMI Columbia. It is the only Pink Floyd album made under the leadership of founding member Syd Barrett (lead vocals, g ...

''. Written and sung by Syd Barrett, the song remained in their set until late 1968; David Gilmour sang the lead vocal after Barrett's departure.

Writing

Barrett's lyrics describe a childlike game with fantastical imagery, including a line "here we go, ever so high". Prominent organ and driving bass guitar carry the uptempo music.

Single

"Flaming" was also the third US Pink Floyd single (Tower 378) and was released by

Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Recor ...

, but it did not chart. The mono US single mix of "Flaming" is slightly edited from other stereo or mono versions of the recording. This US single was released in place of the UK single, "

Apples and Oranges A comparison of apples and oranges occurs when two items or groups of items are compared that cannot be practically compared, typically because of inherent, fundamental and/or qualitative differences between the items. The idiom, ''comparing ...

" (backed with " Paint Box"), which had then just failed to break into the UK charts. It was the first of two US Pink Floyd singles released on Tower that were not released on a single in the UK. The other US single that was not released in the UK was "

Let There Be More Light "Let There Be More Light" is the opening track on Pink Floyd's second album, ''A Saucerful of Secrets''. It was also released in edited form as the fourth American single by the group. Writing and recording The song is written by Roger Waters. It ...

" b/w " Remember a Day" (Tower 440).

Live performances

A live version of "Flaming" (at that time known as "Snowing") was played in London's All Saints Hall in 1966. The song remained a live staple until the end of 1968, with David Gilmour singing the lead vocal after Barrett left the band early in the year. A version performed at the Paradiso, Amsterdam on 31 May was broadcast on NTS, while a performance in L'Antene du Chapiteau du Kremlin-Bicêtre,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, on 31 October was broadcast on ORTF.

Personnel

* Syd Barrett – lead vocals, electric guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, vocal percussion, wind-up toys *

Rick Wright Richard William Wright (28 July 1943 – 15 September 2008) was an English musician who was a co-founder of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. He played keyboards and sang, appearing on almost every Pink Floyd album and performing on a ...

–

Farfisa organ Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professiona ...

tack piano A tack piano (also known as a harpsipiano, jangle piano, and junk piano) is an altered version of an ordinary piano, in which objects such as thumbtacks or nails are placed on the felt-padded hammers of the instrument at the point where the ha ...

, Hammond organ,

Lowrey organ The Lowrey organ is an electronic organ named for its developer, Frederick C. Lowrey (1871–1955), a Chicago-based industrialist and entrepreneur. Lowrey's first commercially successful full-sized electronic organ, the Model S Spinet or '' ...

, backing vocals, vocal percussion, wind-up toys * Roger Waters – bass guitar, slide whistle, backing vocals, vocal percussion, wind-up toys * Nick Mason – drums,

finger cymbals Zills or zils (from Turkish 'cymbals'), also called finger cymbals, are small metallic cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. They are called () in Egypt. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells. In Western music, several pa ...

, wind-up toys

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flaming (Pink Floyd Song) 1967 singles Pink Floyd songs Psychedelic pop songs Songs written by Syd Barrett 1967 songs