How Gilmour and Wright's Writing Sessions for The Division Bell Healed Their Wall-Era Rift

Richard Wright never expected to be welcomed back as a creative partner. After Roger Waters effectively fired him during The Wall sessions—relegating him to a session player for the tour—Wright kept his distance from Pink Floyd for years. When David Gilmour rebuilt the band for A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Wright was brought in as a hired hand, not a co-writer. By The Division Bell, that changed.

Gilmour and Wright started writing together at Gilmour’s home studio and on the houseboat Astoria. For the first time since Dark Side of the Moon, they worked side by side, trading chord progressions and atmospheric piano parts. Wright contributed to songs like “Marooned,” “Wearing the Inside Out” (which he sang), and “Cluster One.” Gilmour deliberately gave him space to shape the album’s texture—something Wright had been denied during the Wall era when Waters controlled the direction.

Wright later called The Division Bell the most enjoyable album he’d made since Dark Side. The collaborative sessions didn’t just produce a record; they repaired a friendship that had been fractured for over a decade. Gilmour said Wright finally felt like a full member again, and that trust fed directly into the music’s warmth.