Coming Back to Life

When you dive into Coming Back to Life, you encounter a piece that, although it bears the exclusive signature of David Gilmour as composer, feels like an intimate reflection. He himself has shared that the lyrics were born with his wife, Polly Samson, in mind, which gives the song a very personal layer of emotion. The recording of this piece, which took place in 1993, stands out for its focus on progressive rock, a genre that Pink Floyd explored in depth.

Since its appearance on the album The Division Bell in 1994, Coming Back to Life became a staple in Gilmour's concerts. We have heard it on tours ranging from the 1994 Division Bell Tour to the most recent Luck and Strange tour in 2024, including semi-acoustic performances in 2001 and 2002, a special concert in 2004, and his 2006 On an Island Tour. The version that appears on the 1995 live album Pulse is particularly interesting, as the audio track comes from a performance different from the one recorded on video. The production credits for this song fall to Bob Ezrin and David Gilmour himself, while the mixing was handled by Gilmour along with Andy Jackson and Chris Thomas.