Pink Floyd vs. Scissor Sisters | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 8^th edition of Head 2 Head, Pink Floyd and Scissor Sisters duke it over their respective takes on “Comfortably Numb.” 

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing and contrasting their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  For our 8th head-to-head, the source material is the song 🎵 “Comfortably Numb.” The two artists going head-to-head are 🎙 Pink Floyd, who original wrote and performed it, and 🎙 Scissor Sisters, who boldly cover it. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. Pink Floyd, “Comfortably Numb”

💿 The Wall • 🏷 Sony • 📅 1979

“Hello? / Is there anybody in there? / Just nod if you can hear me / Is there anyone at home?” Long before 🎙 Chester Bennington and 🎙 Linkin Park would sing about numbness, 🎙 Pink Floyd would be 🎵 “Comfortably Numb.”  “Comfortably Numb” appeared on the band’s 1979 🏆 Grammy-nominated album, 💿 The Wall (1979).  Yes, somehow the album missed out on both the Grammys it was nominated for! BUMMER!

On “Comfortably Numb,” 🎙 Roger Waters sang the verses, which includes those beloved, epic lyrics excerpted above.  If you know no other lyrics from the record, Waters’ opening lines from the first verse are iconic to the nth degree. As for 🎙 David Gilmour, he sang the pre-choruses (as seen below) and choruses (“I have become comfortably numb”).

“There is no pain, you are receding
A distant ship, smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can’t hear what you’re saying
When I was a child, I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Now I’ve got that feeling once again
I can’t explain, you would not understand
This is not how I am
I have become comfortably numb.”

Besides the most famous lyrics, the music is absolutely extraordinary on this six-and-a-half-minute juggernaut, set in a minor key.  As we’d describe it today, this is a total vibe.  

Also Appears On 🔽:

🔗 🎧 Prepare to Be Numbed by These 16 Numbing Songs

🔗 🎧 Comfort: 5ive Songs No. 16

🔗 🎧 11 Totally Intriguing, Comfortable Songs

2. Scissors Sisters, “Comfortably Numb”

💿 Scissors Sisters • 🏷 Polydor • 📅 2004

LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 band extraordinaire 🎙 Scissors Sisters boldly covered 🎵 “Comfortably Numb” on their awesome 2004 debut, 💿 Scissors Sisters.  Here’s the deal though – you probably wouldn’t believe that Scissor Sisters’ take is even the same song! If there was an award most transformed cover, surely 🎙 Jake Shears and company would be in the running.  “Comfortably Numb” in their hands is a stark, stark contrast, including a quicker tempo, falsetto vocals, and perhaps most notably, D-I-S-C-O.

It’s truly intriguing to me that “Comfortably Numb” in the Scissor Sisters’ hands sounds more disco than Pink Floyd’s original could ever hope to, and it arrives at the tail-end of the disco era! That said, Shears and company definitely give the tune a queerer vibe, which is both intentional and utterly brilliant.  SS definitely played a key role in the advancement of LGBTQIA musicians historically.

Turning one of the greatest, most beloved prog-rock classics into a dance anthem fit for gay bars and discos everywhere is pretty cool.

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

So, is it the original by Pink Floyd or the fabulous cover by Scissor Sisters?  I think everyone knows the answer. As awesome as the remake by Scissor Sisters is – I mean it’s totally rad – Pink Floyd gets the edge because, well, this is one of the biggest rock classics of all time.  Sure, I’d love to be dancing up in the club to the most disco version of the song (though I don’t dance or go to the club being honest), but Roger Waters and David Gilmour take this one.

Pink Floyd vs. Scissor Sisters: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 8 [📷: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, Polydor, Sony, Valentin Tikhonov from Pixabay]