
Pink Floyd’s album cover for Wish You Were Here was designed to attack the music business and the lies that are twisted from it. Around the time this album was produced, Pink Floyd had been receiving a lot of critical press. In response to the negativity, the album was recorded and released in 1975. When you first look at the album cover, it is obvious that two men are shaking hands and one of the men is on fire. However, once you begin to analyze the image, it becomes apparent that Pink Floyd is sending a message that the band does not need to be in the center of pop culture and the press in order to succeed. 

The background of the album photo appears to be a back lot for Hollywood television and music studios. This specific scenery makes it apparent that the music business plays a role in the theme of the photo. By placing these two men in this particular setting, the audience is now aware that they must be a part of the industry. It is not said whether both men work for a production company or if one is the artist, but it makes sense to assume that the man on fire is the artist, because he is getting burned by the music industry. Something odd about the background is that the lot is completely empty except for the two men. Usually, when you picture Hollywood and music studios, you think of it as bustling with workers and props. However, the empty lot is suggesting that nobody else is involved, and the agreement is only between the industry and the artist. 

Looking at the men in the picture, they both are dressed in business suits, another sign of a business-esque theme. Since the two men are dressed this way, nobody would expect that something suspicious is going on in what appears to be a professional consultation. A man in a suit automatically gives an appearance of authority and qualification, and yet one or both of these men are participating in disrespectable behavior.  Pink Floyd was no longer a band who could just write and preform music for the hell of it; they were now multi-millionaires and puppets to the music industry and their label, Harvest Records. After the band had to endure long tours and cope with the separation of one of their bandmates, they were forced back to writing and had to try to quickly top their previous album, The Dark Side of the Moon. All of this was enough to send Pink Floyd in to a rage and feel the need to dis the music industry. Their outfits put up a front that the music business is professional, however, analyzing the picture deeper makes it apparent that what you see is not always what you get.

The men are shaking hands which seems to relate to making a deal or an agreement. Even the man who is on fire seems to be so absorbed by the settlement that he is unaware that he is being consumed by flames. The unawareness is significant because no one expects to be burned. It is not something that is said or made obvious by the industry. The artist is focused on shaking hands because that is all he wants out of this meeting; he wants his music to be produced and spread across the world. It is in his best interest to agree with the industry and go along with what is required. However, Pink Floyd was known to distance themselves from jumping through hoops like other bands and this is a perfect reason as to why they are fighting against getting burned. 

The key piece of evidence on the album cover is the man who is on fire. Him being on fire hints that he is being “burned”, which often means, relative to the music business, being mistreated or ripped off. Even though the man is on fire, it seems that he does not realize it yet and all of his focus is on the handshake. Perhaps, he is being blindsided by the other man and didn’t expect to be cheated by him. The flames are all on the back side of the man, unnoticeable from his perspective. Almost as if he was being “stabbed in the back”. The correlation between the fire and the location of the flames suggests something shady is going on. 

It is no secret that bands eventually begin to get “washed out” and fade out of the music business. And it is not rare to hear about bands disassembling: drama tears everyone apart, jealousy ruins friendships, and personal problems leave individuals isolated. Pink Floyd was experiencing all of these problems prior to the production of Wish You Were Here, but they were given minimal time to sort through these difficulties. Their label was fueled by greed and triumph rather than passion. On top of being rushed to produce and release a new album, Pink Floyd’s audio engineer, Alan Parsons, refused to work for the band again so he could pursue his own career. This betrayal added to the lack of chemistry the band felt while making this album, and resulted in the need for rebellion from the music world. Roger Waters, one of Pink Floyd’s founding members, mentioned in an interview later on that while he was writing this album, he was doing it in spite of the current morals of the industry. “I wanna be in the trenches. I don’t want to be at headquarters; I don’t wanna be sitting in a hotel somewhere. I wanna be engaged” (Waters), he wanted to be a part of the music and production rather than the checks and press. All in all, Wish You Were Here, became a symbol for everything music used to be and what it needed to become again.  

Wish You Were Here holds several meanings behind the title. Most importantly, it is referring to the absence of ex-band member, Syd Barrett, who left the band after suffering a mental break. Speculation concludes that Barrett struggled with the pressures and requests forced on the band by the music industry. After he left, it shocked Pink Floyd’s harmony and they all experienced the difficulties that presided. Years passed and Syd Barrett still refused to be in the public eye and chose to live the remainder of his life as a recluse. 

In conclusion, Pink Floyd was upset with the music business and all of its dishonorable actions. After analyzing the album cover, all of the different pieces of evidence tie together to reach this conclusion. The first sign is the music studio lots, making it obvious that what is going on has something to do with the music industry. Secondly, the suits suggest that it is a professional business meeting. The hand shake articulates that the two men have reached an agreement. Finally, the man on fire suggests that he is getting burned by the industry. The artist is being taken advantage of by the industry’s actions, such as: the hunger for money and success, and the ignorance of repercussions. Pink Floyd does not need a dishonest music industry in order to succeed. All of this did not sit well with Pink Floyd and they used Barrett’s absence and distaste of the music business to create an album that continues to sit on the “50 Greatest Rock Albums” list.  