Why *The Division Bell* Was Almost Called “Pow Wow” and What Both Titles Really Mean

Before it became The Division Bell, Pink Floyd’s 1994 album was famously referred to internally as “Pow Wow.” The title came from a loose, joking description of the band’s sessions—a chaotic gathering where ideas were thrown around like a Native American pow-wow. But as the album’s themes of miscommunication and fractured relationships sharpened, the band realized the name didn’t carry enough weight.

The final title, The Division Bell, comes from the bell that rings in the British House of Commons to signal a vote—calling members to make a decision. It was also a sly nod to the growing political divide in the UK at the time, and, more personally, to the emotional distance between band members that the album’s lyrics tried to bridge. David Gilmour has said the title perfectly captured the album’s core concern: the way people stop talking and start separating. “Pow Wow,” by contrast, felt too light and culturally insensitive—so the bell tolled instead.