Search - Scissor Sisters :: Comfortably Numb

Covering Pink Floyd??

GarionOrb | Houston, Texas United States | 08/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I always thought that Pink Floyd was one of those bands that no one should touch. Their legendary music should remain theirs and their alone. However, once in a while, someone comes along and makes a great Floyd cover. Dirty Vegas did it with "Another Brick In The Wall", and now Scissor Sisters do it with "Comfortably Numb". Sure, it's not traditional, and hardcore Floyd fans will want to run over this CD with a tractor, but this track is not about authenticity. The Scissor Sisters knew nothing they could do would come close to the original version, so they made it a fun romp of a song! The Bee-Gees-style vocals fit perfectly with this song, and the disco beat is intoxicating. They took this classic track and made it their own. As much as I didn't want to like this song, I can't help but sing along. Check out their full-length, self-titled debut album also. No other track is like "Comfortably Numb", but it's also great."

Irony at its finest!

Jennifer C. | Houston, TX USA | 12/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I only just heard this track on Saturday Night Live tonight, like a previous reviewer, but I am in love with it. Everyone here has picked up on the Bee Gees vibe, but nobody has mentioned the huge nod to Cerrone's "Supernature" in the beginning of the song. Does nobody pick up on the sheer, blissful irony of this song? Everyone seems to be missing the mark here, or maybe I am just interpreting it differently than everyone else here so far. Pink Floyd are undoubtedly one of the best bands ever, but that doesn't mean they should be this sacred cow never to be touched, either, and I actually consider myself a huge fan of everything from Syd Barrett's early material through to the later Floyd.



To put it bluntly, Pink Floyd's original version of Comfortably Numb is a track I can't listen to unless I'm in a certain frame of mind, because it is sure to depress me to no end, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It's a classic and nobody denies this. However, the fact that this cover can make such a well-known, depressing song a danceable bit of retro disco fluff I actually want to play over and over again... it really blows my mind. The fact that they were even able to conceive of meshing the lyrics of Pink Floyd with Cerrone's "Supernature" and the sound of the Bee Gees is simply amazing to me. Anyone who covers "Comfortably Numb" is knowingly putting themselves up for ridicule by the legions of fans of the original song. It's one of those classics that is so sacred to Pink Floyd fans that I honestly doubt anyone could do it justice in their eyes without keeping predictably close to the original.



Count me in as a fan of this cover. They really brought something entirely different to the table with this single, not just another warmed over, boring, safe rehash. This single took brass ones to make, that's for sure."

Disco boogie returns!

Adam Todd | 04/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After a few listens I've really taken to this track! I'd never heard of the band before so this was an awesome track to be introduced to them by.The dance track has a real seventies sound to it, with Bee Gee like vocals (think Stayin' Alive!). The music is infectious with its electric beats and ongoing introduction of new sounds really drawing you into the track. You are so taken in by the music that you hardly even take notice of the lyrics; simply the song as a whole!The remix of the track isn't too far from the original and is only thirty seconds longer but is still worth a play, especially if you're feeling like a boogie!Track three, "Rock my spot" sounds at first like a live track but I realised it is just the effective use of sound effects being used to create a live sound. "Rock my spot" is lyrically fun and does have a catchy beat to it but "Comfortably Numb" is too memorable. I just want to skip back to track one and experience it all over again!"