Pink Floyd: New song from world-renowned band 28 years later pays tribute to Ukrainian singer’s bravery
Members of the famous British music band Pink Floyd have reunited after 28 years for a new song. This is a protest song against the war in Ukraine.
Pink Floyd’s bass guitarist Gay Pratt and keyboard player Nitin Cahoon have teamed up with David Gilmore and Nick Mason for the song titled ‘Hai Hai Rise Up’.
The song revolves around the bravery of Andre Klinik, the Ukrainian singer of the music band Boom Box.
“This song is an expression of anger against the attack on a peaceful nation by a superpower,” said David Gilmore.
According to him, it is also to encourage the people of Ukraine and emphasize peace.
A few weeks ago, Gilmore was shown an Instagram post by Andre Clinic, after which work on the song began.
The Ukrainian singer posted a video on Instagram in which he stands with arms outstretched in the capital Kiev’s Sofisakawa Square and prepares to face the Russian army.
Andre Clinic was singing the protest song “The Red Why Burn in the Meadow” in front of the camera, which was written during the First World War. The song has now become a symbol in Ukraine for the past six weeks.
Speaking to BBC Six Music, David Gilmore said: “It shocked me. It was a song without music that could be turned into a beautiful song.”
It is a coincidence that Gilmore performed with the Boom Box in 2015 for the Belarus Free Theater in London. So Gilmore knew the clinic well in advance and contacted the clinic for permission.
When I spoke to him, he was in the hospital with minor injuries from a piece of mortar. They were at war. I sang this song to them on the phone and they gave me permission.
The song was released between Thursday and Friday night and the proceeds will be used for relief work.
The song is also important to David Gilmore because his daughter-in-law is Ukrainian-born singer Jenina Paden.
Gilmore told the BBC that the artwork for the song was chosen by Jenina, which includes Ukraine’s national flower, the sunflower.
“My daughter-in-law told us at the beginning of this war the story of a woman who gave sunflower seeds to Russian soldiers and said that these flowers would come out where they would die.”
Gilmore said he was angry at the West’s helplessness in the face of Russian aggression. He said he supported sanctions on Russia.
It is unfortunate that ordinary Russians will be most affected by these sanctions, but that is what sanctions do. They increase the anger in the country and as a result, there is hope that the government will be able to change.
When asked about the British government’s response to the Ukraine crisis, he expressed frustration with the government’s slow response to Ukrainian refugees.
Most European countries are welcoming the people of Ukraine, while the British government is asking you to fill out several forms on the computer. I suggest you let them come first and complete the paperwork later.
Pink Floyd member Roger Waters is not included in the new song. He left Pink Floyd in 1985 and has performed with very few bands ever since.
