Many of us have Pink Floyd songs as one of the backdrops of our childhoods. Pink Floyd “Comfortably Numb,” Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall,” and Pink Floyd “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” are all classics we will never forget.
The band hasn’t recorded in about 30 years (1994), but the heartbreak over what is happening in Ukraine brought the Pink Floyd members together to record this gorgeous song as a tribute to the patriotic people of Ukraine.
It all started when the singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk cut short his tour of the U.S. and went home to Ukraine to become a soldier to defend his country. When Khlyvnyuk put a video on Instagram showing himself in army fatigues and a New York Yankees baseball cap, it caught the attention of Pink Floyd members.
In the video, Andriy Khlyvnyuk is standing near a gold-domed church in Kyiv.
In the clip, Andriy Kihlyvnyuk is performing a Ukrainian World War I protest song called “The Red Viburnum In The Meadow.” Pink Floyd members decided to take the young singer’s lyrics and compose a charity single around the song.
Pink Floyd Members
The song is called “Hey Hey Rise Up” named by the last line of the song. The recording features a full 90 seconds of the legendary guitarist David Gilmour playing a solo. Also featured is Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. The Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters is estranged from the group, so he wasn’t present for the recording or the video.
Pink Floyd Songs: Will There Be More?
How did the newest of the Pink Floyd songs come about? Gilmour has a daughter-in-law and grandchildren who are Ukrainian, and what’s going on there really touched his heart. In a statement, Gilmour said that when he saw Andriy Khlyvnyuk’s video, it was a “powerful moment” and it made him want to put the lyrics to music.
According to David Gilmour, this single is a one-off and there will not likely be more songs to follow.
Nevertheless, this may go down in history as being one of the Pink Floyd best songs only because the war in Ukraine has stirred so many hearts around the world.
Note that at this time, Andriy Khlyvnyuk is recovering from a shrapnel injury. All proceeds from the single will be donated to Ukrainian humanitarian relief. Watch the video below.
Bless Pink Floyd, and bless the courageous people of Ukraine.
