Roger Waters Said Some Listeners Misunderstood Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)’
Some of the most famous classic rock songs ever were misunderstood. For example, Roger Waters said some listeners misinterpreted Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II).” Subsequently, Waters said he has no regrets regarding the tune.
Roger Waters said some ‘intelligent writers’ misunderstood Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)’
Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” includes the famous lyrics “We don’t need no education / we don’t need no thought control.” During a 2015 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Waters discussed the meaning of the song.
“After ‘Brick 2’ was released as a single, even some intelligent writers thought it was an anti-education song and said it was disgusting and obscene,” he said. “But the song was never that.
“It’s a protest song against the tyranny of stupidity and oppression, not just in schools but universally,” he continued. “It’s about the malign influence of propaganda. Obviously, I care deeply about education. I just wanted to encourage anyone who marches to a different drum to push back against those who try to control their minds rather than to retreat behind emotional walls.”
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters doesn’t want to ‘tear the wings off’ the song
While the song was misinterpreted, Waters had no regrets about writing it. “Listening to ‘Brick 2’ today, I wouldn’t touch a thing,” he said. “If you have something to do with a four-minute song that has proved to be as powerful as this one, you would have to be an idiot to tear the wings off to see what makes it fly.”
Waters said he couldn’t take credit for the song alone. He praised his fellow Pink Floyd members and producer Bob Ezrin for their work on the track. For context, Ezrin is also known for his work on Kiss’ Destroyer and Alice Cooper’s Billion Dollar Babies.
How ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, staying on the chart for a total of 25 weeks. None of the band’s other songs reached the top 10. Pink Floyd included “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” on The Wall. The album reached No. 1 for 15 of its 160 weeks on the Billboard 200.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” topped the chart in the United Kingdom for five weeks. It spent 12 weeks on the chart altogether. Meanwhile, The Wall reached No. 3 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for a total of 68 weeks.
“Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)” was a huge hit even if some fans misunderstood it.
