Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press

In 2003 Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour appeared on popular BBC radio segment Desert Island Discs. Here he was presented with a hypothetical scenario: Were he would find himself stranded on a remote island with only eight songs to listen to, which would he pick? Not one to shy away from a difficult task, Gilmour made several interesting selections.

The Kinks’ ‘Waterloo Sunset’

“On a lovely warm beach, to listen to this in ‘somewhere else’ sunset, and missing London would be a wonderful moment,” Gilmour shared. Talking with Uncut Magazine in 2015 Gilmour would also shared The Kinks may have played a part in inspiring ‘Fat Old Sun‘ from Pink Floyd’s 1970 album Atom Heart Mother. “I remember,” he disclosed, “thinking at the time, ‘What have I ripped this off? I’m sure it’s by the Kinks or someone’ But since whenever it was – 1968, ’69 – no one has ever yet said, ‘It’s exactly like this.’ it’s a nice lyric, I’m very happy with that.”

Bob Dylan’s ‘Ballad In Plain D’

“I’d lived through a lot of [Bob Dylan‘s] heavy protest stuff,” Gilmour recalled, “but this was another side I’m very keen on. This sort of love song approach.” The guitarist would also record a much-bootlegged cover of Dylan’s ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ while in the studio producing solo album About Face 1984.

Tom Waits’ ‘I’m Still Here’

“It’s from a recent album called Alice,” Gilmour shared of his next choice. “Which I think was some songs he’d done for a theatrical production in Germany 10 years ago but he’s only recently recorded the music. I love this song.”

Martha and the Vandellas’ ‘Dancin’ In The Streets’

“I need a little dance music to accompany me on this beach,” Gilmour then stated. “This is Martha and The Vandellas ‘Dancing in the Street’ -‘Dancing on the Beach’.” The song was released in 1964, three years before Gilmour joined Pink Floyd.

Leonard Cohen’s ‘Anthem’

Gilmour has never shied away from expressing his admiration for Leonard Cohen. “He’s one of my favorite artists,” Gilmour beamed. “This one’s ‘The Anthem’ which has a slightly Islamic thing to it.”

Neil Young’s ‘A Man Needs A Maid’

“This is Neil Young,” the guitarist shared. When his host questioned the political correctness of Young’s Harvest era song, Gilmour assured them it was the instrumentals he enjoyed. “It’s very beautiful. [There is] a particularly beautiful instrumental, orchestral passage in the middle.”

Joni Mitchell’s ‘For Free’

Following this Gilmour discussed the difficulties letting go of the trappings of his Pink Floyd fame, dealing with the inequalities of wealth and raising a family.”This is a song about the same sort of struggle that I’ve been talking about,” Gilmour said. “This is about Joni Mitchell‘s struggle with her wall if you like. A struggle with her conscience, with being rich person but still being an artist.”

The Lemonheads’ ‘Rudi With A Flashlight’

“[Rudi With A Flashlight’] is sitting out by a campfire,” the guitarist closes off. “It’s something [my family] do in the summer, a lot, just pointing torches at the sky. It’d be a lovely thing, I don’t know if I would have a flashlight or a torch on this desert island. That’s what I’d dow ith it if I had one.”

Listen to Gilmour’s interview in full here.