The Argument Over 'Free Four' During the Obscured by Clouds Sessions

The nasty spat over “Free Four” wasn’t about the song’s waltz time or its music-hall bounce – it was about Roger Waters’ determination to make Pink Floyd sound more like a pop singles band. Waters had written the lyrics to be deliberately blunt, even morbid, and he pushed for the song to be released as a single. David Gilmour and Rick Wright hated the idea, arguing it was too flippant and too commercial for an album that was already a rushed film soundtrack.

The argument got hot enough that Waters threatened to walk out if