The Scarecrow (song)

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1967 single by Pink Floyd

"The Scarecrow"

Single by Pink Floyd
from the album  The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
A-side| "See Emily Play"
Released| 16 June 1967
Recorded| 22 March 1967
Studio| Abbey Road, London
Genre|

* Psychedelic pop[1]
* psychedelic folk[1]

Length| 2:11
Label|

* EMI Columbia (UK)
* Tower (US)

Songwriter(s)| Syd Barrett
Producer(s)| Norman Smith
Pink Floyd singles chronology
| "Arnold Layne"
(1967)  | "The Scarecrow"
(1967)  | "Apples and Oranges"
(1967)

|
|

"The Scarecrow" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd on their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,[2][3] though it first appeared as the B-side of their second single "See Emily Play" (as "Scarecrow") two months before. It was written by Syd Barrett and recorded in March 1967. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.[4]

## History[edit]

The song contains nascent existentialist themes, as Barrett compares his own existence to that of the scarecrow, who, while "sadder" is also "resigned to his fate". Such thematic content would later become a mainstay of the band's lyrical imagery. The song contains a baroque, psychedelic folk instrumental section consisting of 12-string acoustic guitar and cello. Reflecting the experimental nature of many of the band's early psychedelic pieces, all instruments are panned to the extreme left hand and right hand sides of the stereo, with two vocal lines, one spoken and one sung. The US single (Tower 356) was released by Tower Records three times between July 1967 and late 1968. Each time it failed to duplicate its UK success.

## Music videos[edit]

A promotional film for the song, made for a Pathé newsreel and filmed in early July 1967, features the band in an open field with a scarecrow, generally fooling around. It shows Roger Waters falling down as if he were shot, and Nick Mason exchanging his hat with the scarecrow's.[5] Part of this film has been featured in Waters' live performances of "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun".

A second promo was filmed in 1968 in Brussels, Belgium, with David Gilmour replacing Barrett, and Waters lip-syncing while playing his Rickenbacker bass with a violin bow.

## Cover versions[edit]

The industrial band Rx covered "The Scarecrow" on their album Bedside Toxicology. The vocals for the cover were provided by Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy.

## Personnel[edit]

* Syd Barrett – lead vocals, electric guitar, 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars
* Richard Wright – Farfisa organ, cello, backing vocals
* Roger Waters – bass guitar, bowed bass
* Nick Mason – temple blocks, metal cups

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Wild, Andrew (2017). Pink Floyd: Song by Song. Fonthill Media. pp. 48–49.
2. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177\. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
3. ^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
4. ^ Guthrie, James. "James Guthrie: Audio: Building A Compilation Album". Pink Floyd. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
5. ^ "Video". Nme.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.

## External links[edit]

* AMG song review

* v
* t
* e

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Songs|

| Side one|

* "Astronomy Dominé"
* "Lucifer Sam"
* "Matilda Mother"
* "Flaming"
* "Pow R. Toc H."
* "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk"

|

Side two|

* "Interstellar Overdrive"
* "The Gnome"
* "Chapter 24"
* "The Scarecrow"
* "Bike"

Related articles|

* Tonite Lets All Make Love in London
* "Arnold Layne"
* "See Emily Play"
* "She Was a Millionaire"
* A Nice Pair
* The Early Years 1965–1972

* The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
* A Saucerful of Secrets
* More
* Ummagumma
* Atom Heart Mother
* Meddle
* Obscured by Clouds
* The Dark Side of the Moon
* Wish You Were Here
* Animals
* The Wall
* The Final Cut
* A Momentary Lapse of Reason
* The Division Bell
* The Endless River

* v
* t
* e

Pink Floyd

* David Gilmour
* Nick Mason

* Syd Barrett
* Bob Klose
* Roger Waters
* Richard Wright

Studio albums|

* The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
* A Saucerful of Secrets
* More
* Ummagumma
* Atom Heart Mother
* Meddle
* Obscured by Clouds
* The Dark Side of the Moon
* Wish You Were Here
* Animals
* The Wall
* The Final Cut
* A Momentary Lapse of Reason
* The Division Bell
* The Endless River

Live albums|

* Ummagumma
* Delicate Sound of Thunder
* Pulse
* London '66–'67
* Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81
* The Dark Side of the Moon Live at Wembley 1974

Compilations|

* The Best of the Pink Floyd
* Relics
* A Nice Pair
* A Collection of Great Dance Songs
* Works
* Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
* The Best of Pink Floyd: A Foot in the Door
* 1967–1972: Cre/ation
* The Later Years: 1987–2019

Extended plays|

* 1967: The First Three Singles
* 1965: Their First Recordings

Box sets|

* Shine On
* Oh, by the Way
* Discovery
* The Early Years 1965–1972
* The Later Years
* The Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary

Soundtracks|

* San Francisco
* The Committee
* Tonite Lets All Make Love in London
* More
* Zabriskie Point
* La Carrera Panamericana

Singles|

* "Lucy Leave" / "I'm a King Bee"
* "Arnold Layne" / "Candy and a Currant Bun"
* "See Emily Play" / "The Scarecrow"
* "Flaming" / "The Gnome"
* "Apples and Oranges" / "Paint Box"
* "It Would Be So Nice" / "Julia Dream"
* "Let There Be More Light" / "Remember a Day"
* "Point Me at the Sky" / "Careful with That Axe, Eugene"
* "The Nile Song"
* "One of These Days" / "Fearless"
* "Free Four"
* "Money" / "Any Colour You Like"
* "Time" / "Us and Them"
* "Have a Cigar" / "Welcome to the Machine" / "Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part I"
* "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" / "One of My Turns"
* "Run Like Hell" / "Don't Leave Me Now"
* "Comfortably Numb" / "Hey You"
* "When the Tigers Broke Free" / "Bring the Boys Back Home"
* "Not Now John" / "The Hero's Return"
* "Learning to Fly" / "Terminal Frost"
* "On the Turning Away"
* "One Slip" / "The Dogs of War"
* "Keep Talking"
* "Lost for Words"
* "What Do You Want from Me"
* "Take It Back" / "Astronomy Domine"
* "High Hopes"
* "Wish You Were Here" / "Coming Back to Life"
* "Louder than Words"
* "Grantchester Meadows"
* "Childhood's End"
* "Green Is the Colour"
* "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!"
* "Brain Damage"
* "The Great Gig in the Sky"

Films|

| Concerts|

* London '66–'67
* Live at Pompeii
* Delicate Sound of Thunder
* Pulse

|

Narratives|

* The Wall

Documentaries|

* The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story
* London '66–'67
* La Carrera Panamericana
* The Story of Wish You Were Here

Tours|

* World Tour 1968
* The Man and The Journey Tour
* Dark Side of the Moon Tour
* 1974 French Summer/British Winter Tour
* North American/Wish You Were Here Tour
* In the Flesh/Animals Tour
* The Wall Tour
* A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour (Concert in Venice, Italy)
* The Division Bell Tour

Lists|

* Discography
* Songs
* Unreleased songs
* Videography
* Band members
* Live performances
* Bootleg recordings

Related media
and tributes|

* 19367 Pink Floyd
* The Amazing Pudding
* The Australian Pink Floyd Show
* Brit Floyd
* The Dark Side of the Moo
* "Echoes"
* "Embryo"
* Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd
* Live at the Empire Pool
* The Man and The Journey
* Music from The Body
* Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets
* Pinkfloydia
* Pink Floyd: The Music and the Mystery
* "Proper Education"
* Roger Waters: The Wall
* Synalpheus pinkfloydi
* Umma gumma
* Their Mortal Remains

Related topics|

* The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream
* Azimuth Co-ordinator
* Blackhill Enterprises
* Britannia Row Studios
* The Dark Side of the Rainbow
* Games for May
* Pink Floyd pigs

* Category

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* MusicBrainz work

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