Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here hit No. 1 in America in 1975, becoming the band’s second chart-topper and later one of its most celebrated classics. LONDON – JULY 02: (L to R) David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright from the band Pink Floyd on stage at “Live 8 London” in Hyde Park on July 2, 2005 in London, England. The free concert is one of ten simultaneous international gigs including Philadelphia, Berlin, Rome, Paris, Barrie, Tokyo, Cornwall, Moscow and Johannesburg. The concerts precede the G8 summit (July 6-8) to raising awareness for MAKEpovertyHISTORY. (Photo by MJ Kim/Getty Images)
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Pink Floyd is one of the most highly-regarded rock bands in history. The group found immense commercial success and (largely) critical acclaim throughout the years that the band was producing new music, especially in the late ’60s and certainly the 1970s.
Pink Floyd is one of the few acts from that era that still regularly appears on charts all around the world, including some of the largest music markets like the United States and United Kingdom, the group’s home base. Half a century ago, the rockers were working in fine form and pushing the boundaries of what rock music could do, and what the public would consume. It was that year that the outfit’s Wish You Were Here became another No. 1 success in America.
Wish You Were Here Reached No. 1 in the U.S.
Wish You Were Here climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — the company’s flagship albums chart in the U.S. — in its second week on the chart, the list dated October 4, 1975. The full-length became Pink Floyd’s second No. 1 in America, and the group’s first to spend more than one frame running the show, as Wish You Were Here spent two weeks in a row ruling the tally.
How Wish You Were Here Followed The Dark Side of the Moon
By the time Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd’s ninth album – arrived, the band had set the stage for incredibly high expectations. Its previous full-length, The Dark Side of the Moon, is still regarded as a masterpiece, and it earned the band its first No. 1 in the U.S.
The Dark Side of the Moon is, to the present day, still the longest-charting title ever on the Billboard 200. While the project doesn’t regularly appear on the list any longer, it is still years ahead of any other studio effort in terms of longevity, and only needs to land on the tally 10 more times to become the first 1,000-week charter.
Pink Floyd Honored Syd Barrett With Wish You Were Here
By the time the band began working on Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd was well aware of its place in the music industry and also how critics talked about its experimental work, which wasn’t always glowing. That didn’t stop the members of the group from shying away from trends of the moment and instead focusing on the groundbreaking work that had endeared the outfit to so many millions throughout the world in the first place.
Wish You Were Here, like other Pink Floyd classics, focuses on heady ideas like absence, loss, and alienation. Much of the full-length is a tribute to former band member Syd Barrett, who had to step away from the group due to the deterioration of his mental health. The rockers also used the LP as a chance to highlight what they felt was wrong with the music industry.
Why Wish You Were Here Is Now Regarded as a Classic
While Pink Floyd was one of the biggest bands in the world in the mid-1970s, not every critic loved what the English rock artists were coming up with. The album received fairly mixed reviews at the time. That was partially due to the fact that it followed The Dark Side of the Moon, which made it difficult for some to judge it based solely on the ideas and musicianship conveyed on the new project alone.
Throughout the decades, however, opinions on Wish You Were Here from those in the business and critics have changed dramatically. These days, the album is regarded as one of the greatest of all time, and is frequently included on many “best ever” lists.
Wish You Were Here Sold Tens of Millions Worldwide
Wish You Were Here has reportedly sold 20 million copies around the world, including six million in the U.S. alone. Helping the project sell so well is the title track, which is still regarded as one of Pink Floyd’s most popular songs. A striking album cover — which features a man who was actually lit on fire for the photograph — is also remembered as one of the most memorable examples of how artwork can change the trajectory of a musical project, and one of the greatest ever.
Pink Floyd Followed Led Zeppelin and Wings
Pink Floyd was one of multiple groups that ruled the Billboard 200 in 1975, which is quite different from how the chart operates today, as it’s relatively uncommon for any non-solo act to lead. Several other blockbusters that year from bands included Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin, That’s the Way of the World by Earth, Wind & Fire, Venus and Mars from Wings, One of These Nights by Eagles, and Red Octopus, the Jefferson Starship full-length that preceded Wish You Were Here and later managed to return to the top spot shortly after Pink Floyd stepped aside to allow John Denver’s Windsong to rule.
Wish You Were Here Remains One of Pink Floyd’s Big Three
Pink Floyd’s legacy is one that is focused largely on experimentation and the gall to push new ideas and find new territory to explore with all manner of instruments, which not every rock band at the time was even attempting. Wish You Were Here is regarded as one of Pink Floyd’s big three albums, alongside The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, and the group is planning on honoring the anniversary of its release in December of this year with a fiftieth birthday reissue – one which may send it back to charts all around the world.