Comfortably Numb(ed)... Are we?

For every Pink Floyd fan (and even for others who are not) this song is a must have in one's music collection. The eerie sounds that the band was famous for, culminated into the best mix of surreal lyrics and orchestrated rhythm to give a punch of a song in the form of Comfortably Numb.

The tune is haunting and the words speak of despair and darkness. Or does it? Why does it attract people irrespective of their moods or personality or the phase that they are going through? Sure... One might be tempted to say that it is a pleasure to listen to and pleasure need not (or cannot) be explained. But what about the people to whom it tugs the strings of the innermost senses?

I raise these questions on account of the recent suicide by a wannabe model in Kolkata. Lets not delve into the circumstances that lashed out at her or whether suicide could have been avoided. What caught my attention was this line scribbled on her wall alongside some other lines which talked about death and were inspired from X-Men series.


" I have become Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd "



What is it about the Pink Floyd line that appealed to her?


Rock Music came out of a desire to give a vent to emotions. Yes, music in general and poetry did that too. But Rock was (and is till, last check) supposed to be hard hitting and not serene in any way. Rock has always been identified with angst, a relentless search of realisation and more acutely speaking, with a positive channelisation of the negative emotions. And Pink Floyd is psychedelic rock.

What cannot be denied however, is that rock appeals most to people looking to solve the jargon in life. The upheaval of emotions and rock music, have always shared a special relationship. If one has never been down, rock is just music. For the ones who have trodden over the troughs, rock is closer to the heart. Singing along (rather, screaming along) with the song sets one's heart racing and with the lyrics not just being mouthed but felt, it turns out to be a heart wrenching experience. The degree might vary, but the appeal remains the same.

Pink Floyd has mad lyrics. The subtle gaps in the lyrics which spins one into imagination has a startling effect for the admirers. Be it the Lunatic Song or Echoes or Mother or Hey You (and so many), there is a hidden sense of despair which cremates normal imagination. The lyrics resonates with the ripples within, turning them into huge waves that surge beyond. And all this with the right enhancements amplifies into unquenched passion. But isn't that the source of strength?

When one hits rock bottom, the idea is to rise well above everything, to surpass the bindings and emerge as the best. When there is nothing but the wall behind, there is only one way to go. Rock clears the way of the hindrances, the backlogs and the unwanted baggages - to make the corresponding journey a lighter and a better one. Pink Floyd does just that. Anger can be such a good energiser. It pumps up the adrenaline, and harnessing the same for betterment is what rock music tries to achieve. Even Comfortably Numb talks about just the same.

"Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts?
There's no pain, you're receding..."


I have for long tried to decipher the meaning of Comfortably Numb. What state can it be, when one is numbed, yet comfortable? Is it intense pain or just hallucination? Yes, the song does take one into the whirlpool of misery. But it is the kind of whirlpool that hurls sense back and gives strength. Wounds require open air to heal not closed dingy chambers to rot. Comfortably Numb ventilates the pungent smell and that foul air which stimulates depression.It is the gateway to solitude, wherein thoughts are just that, not pangs of the ever faithful negativity.


"The distant ship's smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you are saying
When I was a child....
...
Now I have got that feeling once again
I can't explain, you'll not understand
This is not how I am..."


It is about being oneself. And that is what Comfortably Numb is all about.