One Of These Days (Meddle)

One Of These Days 5:43
     (written by Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour)

Lyrics:
One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces

Vocals: Nick Mason

This was the first song to be recorded for side one of the album, in May. It was not as rushed as the other songs on side one, and benefited from the atmosphere of experimentalism that was prevailing at the time. Roger was messing about with an echo unit when he discovered the sound that would make this the most durable song on the album.

Dave Gilmour: "Roger played a bass through a Binson echo unit and the Floyd had One of These Days because of what that evoked — that's what the whole thing came out of."

The sound was so powerful that the original intention was to create a piece using only the bass guitar; but in the end, other instruments were added, achieving a fuller feeling to the song.

Dave: "You sort of make a rhythm between yourself and the echo. Originally it was just that sound; then later on when we'd recorded that thing, it didn't sound like it held up on its own as a whole number, and we did another piece with a heavy vibrato — the whole middle section, which we then cut in. And then we started laying on all the other boogaloo, all the organs and fast guitars..."

Roger Waters: "I was always fascinated by the very simple fact that if there's an echo delay going Gonk,gonk, gonk, gonk, you can go Gonk, ga ga, gonk, ga ga. Make rhythms with all the work being done for you by a simple delay device."

In an interview with a guitar magazine, Dave said that he used a Fender Stratocaster and a Lewis electric with plain fuzz for the guitar parts. The final addition, which made the piece complete, was the howling wind at the beginning and end of the song, adding to the sinister atmosphere of terror.

Roger Waters: "The simplest things are often the best. For example, the sound of wind at the beginning of One of These Days is bloody effective."

The title and 'lyrics' to this song were created by Roger. When asked by a fan in 1987 just who it was that he wanted to cut into little pieces, he replied nostalgically that it had been an English disc jockey named Jimmy Young! During this period, Roger was in the habit of cutting tapes of Young’s show into little pieces — and then reassembling them in a nonsensical order to play at Pink Floyd shows. An example of this was first heard at a performance of Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast in 1970. A sample of one of these 'mix and match' tapes can be seen under the entry for Raving and Drooling [1974]. Young certainly does seem quite superficial and puerile, and Roger's animosity towards him seems to have continued for at least four years. However, he was not the original inspiration for One of These Days, but rather an afterthought.

One of These Days had its live debut on 12 June 1971, and has been performed since, including the Division Bell tour in 1994.

This song was released as a single in the US in 1971. It was re-released on A Collection of Great Dance Songs (1981) and Works (US only, 1983). Live versions were featured on Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii (1972), Delicate Sound of Thunder (1989), and Pulse (1995).

TRACK LISTING
One of These Days
Pillow of Winds, A
Fearless
San Tropez
Seamus
Echoes