Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on 12 September 1975 by Harvest Records in the United Kingdom and a day later by Columbia Records in the United States.

Inspired by material the group composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded in numerous sessions at Abbey Road Studios in London, England. Two of the album’s four songs criticise the music business, another expresses alienation, and the multi-part composition “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is a tribute to Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett, who had left seven years earlier following mental health problems.

It was lead writer Roger Waters’ idea to split “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” into two parts that would bookend the album and introduce a concept linking them. As with their previous album The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), the band used studio effects and synthesizers, and brought in guest singers: Roy Harper, who provided the lead vocals on “Have a Cigar”, and Venetta Fields, who added backing vocals to “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”.

Wish You Were Here topped record charts in the United Kingdom and the United States; Harvest Records’ parent company EMI was unable to print enough copies to meet demand. Although it initially received mixed reviews, the album went on to receive critical acclaim, appearing on Rolling Stone’s lists of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” and the “50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time”. Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour cited Wish You Were Here as their favourite Pink Floyd album.