The ‘Obscured by Clouds’ Track That Should’ve Been a Single

Most casual fans know “Free Four” from Obscured by Clouds, but hardcore listeners point to “Childhood’s End” as the track that deserved single treatment. It has a driving, almost pop-rock feel—Rick Wright’s organ floats over a steady acoustic strum, and the lyrics tackle mortality with the same weight David Gilmour would later bring to Dark Side of the Moon. The song even borrows its title from Arthur C. Clarke’s novel, and the band liked it enough to use it on tour in 1972, but Capitol Records never pushed it.

Obscured by Clouds gets overlooked because it’s a soundtrack—commissioned for Barbet Schroeder’s film La Vallée—and it landed between the breakthrough of Meddle and the monster of Dark Side. The band recorded it in a rush during breaks from touring, so it lacks the conceptual polish of their later work. Still, it’s full of underrated gems: “Stay” is a gorgeous Wright vocal