The Day Trip That Became 'San Tropez': Roger Waters' Vacation and Gilmour's Jazz Solo

Roger Waters wrote the lyrics for “San Tropez” after a day trip to the French Riviera town of Saint-Tropez in the late 1960s. He later described the song as a simple, whimsical observation of the sun-soaked holiday atmosphere—a rare moment of lightness in his typically brooding catalog. The lyrics name-check a “blue car” and a leisurely escape, reflecting the actual relaxed drive he took along the coast.

David Gilmour’s guitar solo on the track is a clear departure from his soaring, blues-rock style heard on songs like “Echoes” or “Comfortably Numb.” Instead, he plays a clean, single-note line with a dry, almost cocktail-jazz tone, using bent notes and chromatic runs that echo the song’s laid-back samba rhythm. It’s one of the few times Gilmour sounds like he’s sitting in with a lounge band rather than headlining a stadium.