"Paint Box" (or, "Paintbox" on later reissues) is a song by the rock band

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 groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

, written and sung by keyboardist

Richard Wright Richard Wright may refer to: Arts * Richard Wright (author) (1908–1960), African-American novelist * Richard B. Wright (1937–2017), Canadian novelist * Richard Wright (painter) (1735–1775), marine painter * Richard Wright (artist) (born 19 ...

. It was first released in 1967 as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to the 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 ...

". The song is about a man who lives in an abusive relationship and has artificial friends.

Lyrics and music

Musical features of the song include its long drum fills by

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 i ...

, and a piano solo by Wright, which is panned around the stereo spectrum. Wright also doubles on

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 ...

in addition to the ordinary acoustic piano. The song's lyrics begin with ''"Last night I had too much to drink / Sitting in a club with so many fools",'' and feature an ambivalent chorus: ''"I open the door to an empty room / Then I forget".'' The song is the first of many Pink Floyd songs to prominently feature an E minor added ninth chord. This chord would become a signature aspect of their better-known material: It opens ''

The Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of ...

'' with " Breathe". It is prominent in "

Welcome to the Machine "Welcome to the Machine" is the second song on Pink Floyd's 1975 album ''Wish You Were Here''. It features heavily processed synthesizers and acoustic guitars, as well as a wide range of tape effects. Both the music and the lyrics were written b ...

" from ''

Wish You Were Here Wish You Were Here may refer to: Film, television, and theater Film * ''Wish You Were Here'' (1987 film), a British comedy-drama film by David Leland * ''Wish You Were Here'' (2012 film), an Australian drama/mystery film by Kieran Darcy-Smith ...

'', where it alternates with a C Major seventh chord for most of the song. "

Dogs The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. ...

" from ''

Animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

'' centers around the chord as played on down-tuned guitars, resulting in a

concert pitch Concert pitch is the pitch reference to which a group of musical instruments are tuned for a performance. Concert pitch may vary from ensemble to ensemble, and has varied widely over music history. The most common modern tuning standard uses ...

of D minor ninth. It appeared again in " Hey You" and "

Vera Vera may refer to: Names * Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarr ...

" from ''

The Wall ''The Wall'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released on 30 November 1979 by Harvest/EMI and Columbia/ CBS Records. It is a rock opera that explores Pink, a jaded rock star whose eventual self-imp ...

''. It would appear in no less than four songs from '' The Final Cut'': "

Your Possible Pasts "Your Possible Pasts" (mislabeled as "Your Impossible Pasts" on a radio promo single) is a song from Pink Floyd's 1983 album '' The Final Cut''. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, '' Echoes: The Best of Pi ...

"; " The Hero's Return"; " The Gunner's Dream"; and "

The Fletcher Memorial Home "The Fletcher Memorial Home" is a song by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd. The song appears on their 1983 album, ''The Final Cut (album), The Final Cut''. It is the eighth track on the album and is arranged between "Get Your Filthy Hands Of ...

Release

"Paint Box" was originally issued in mono for the single. A stereo mix was later included on the '' Masters of Rock'' compilation, and on the compilation album ''

Relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

'' as "Paintbox", which was also the spelling used when the mono mix was issued on the third disc of the 40th Anniversary deluxe edition of ''

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 ...

''. "Paintbox" was again reissued on the ''Cambridge St/ation'' and ''Cre/ation'' discs in the 2016-2017 Early Years box set.

Video

A promotional film for this song was shot for Belgian television on February 18 or 19, 1968, in which the band mimes to the song on a bridge in Brussels. Although Syd Barrett was still a member of the band when the song was recorded (October 1967) and at the time of the film shooting, the film features

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 ...

on guitar, in his first appearance on film with Pink Floyd.Pink Floyd: Belgian TV 1968 — 40th Anniversary Edition DVDThe Concert / Roio Database
The

Atomium The Atomium ( , , ) is a landmark building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed for the 1958 Brussels World's Fair ( Expo '58). It is located on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), where the ex ...

monument can be seen in the background as the band plays.

Personnel

– lead vocals, piano,

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...

– acoustic and electric guitars, backing vocals *

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-s ...

– bass guitar, backing vocals *

– drums

References

{{Authority control 1967 singles 1967 songs Pink Floyd songs Psychedelic pop songs Songs about alcohol Songs written by Richard Wright (musician) Columbia Graphophone Company singles