Hey You

The story behind

The first part of *The Wall* leaves us with the character of Pink completely isolated, and it is right there where *Hey You* comes in. The song starts with an acoustic guitar that sounds different, almost as if it were tuned in a particular way, similar to Nashville tuning but with a low string replaced by a high one, tuned two octaves higher than normal. This allows the notes of the arpeggios to sound clear and separate on different strings, creating a very particular sonic texture. Then a fretless bass, played by David Gilmour, and the Fender Rhodes electric piano handled by Richard Wright are added. Gilmour's voice introduces Pink in the first person, wondering if they can feel him. Later, the song transforms. After a guitar solo by Gilmour, accompanied by a distorted Hammond organ that reprises the main melody of *Another Brick in the Wall*, the vocals change. Roger Waters takes over, singing from a narrative perspective, referring to Pink in the third person and then addressing him directly. The section that connects with *Bring the Boys Back Home* takes us to a moment of reflection before the instrumental introduction returns, now enriched with ARP Quadra riffs. Towards the end, a sound reminiscent of a sonar ping is heard, similar to that in *Echoes*, and a drill effect that simulates the sound of worms devouring the brain, created by recording engineer James Guthrie. The recording of *Hey You* extended between April and November 1979, and it was part of the album *The Wall*, released in 1979.