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Pink Floyd<\/a>\u2019s 1975 album Wish You Were Here<\/em><\/a> is the subject of a new poem by British poet laureate Simon Armitage.<\/p>\n Entitled \u201cDear Pink Floyd,\u201d the piece \u2013 which can be heard in the video below \u2013 will appear in the 50th anniversary edition<\/a> of the album, arriving on Dec. 12.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a personal piece from lifelong fan Armitage, commissioned by the band. He was appointed poet laureate, a position that dates back to 1616, by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong>\u00a0Ranking Every Pink Floyd Live Album<\/a><\/p>\n His words include the definition of the album as \u201ca time-capsule treasure chest message in a bottle, tied to a life buoy, thrown on a life raft from a ghost ship.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was thinking about the album and their noise, and what effect that has had on people right across the globe,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cI didn\u2019t know whether I could put into words what that music sounded like. I only get involved with projects if I think I can\u2019t do them, so this was a natural invitation.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cI wanted to write something that was album-shaped, that would fit onto the side of an LP and bleed right to the margins of a square.\u201d<\/p>\n Armitage, 62, recalled being a member of the generation that \u201ccaught the tail-end of punk,\u201d saying it was \u201ca sort of a musical resetting of the clock for me. That\u2019s how I wanted everything at that time.<\/p>\n \u201cThen eventually you get to 17, 18, and you want something more introspective. That came in the form of Pink Floyd.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so profound, so thought-provoking. There aren\u2019t many artistic experiences in the form of noise that send shivers up my spine and make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. But when I put Wish You Were Here<\/em> on as a record, and it begins, I get that feeling every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Dear Pink Floyd\u2019 by Simon Armitage<\/strong><\/p>\n They return to ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and ‘The Wall,’ again and again. But which was best?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nPink Floyd Album Still Gives Simon Armitage Shivers<\/h3>\n
Pink Floyd Live Albums Ranked<\/h2>\n