10 Greatest Tribute Songs In Rock History

In a break from tradition, we're including a song that written for someone who was actually still alive at the time.

Syd Barrett was one of the founding members of Pink Floyd and it's main creative force through its early years. A troubled man, Barrett ended up leaving the group in 1972 and retiring from public life altogether to protect his mental health.

Three years later, the new iteration of Floyd released Wish You Were Here, an album with an extremely pertinent title. The majority of the record was taken up by a 13-minute long instrumental opus entitled Shine On You Crazy Diamond, which also fit Barrett to a tee.

Recording such a long and intensive song took its toll on the band, who all say they felt checked out at various points in the sessions. What didn't help was when Barrett himself wandered into the studio to watch them play it!

Eventually though, they got it done, and the end result is a beautifully crafted piece of music that is left entirely up to the interpretation of the audience.

There is no definitive reasoning behind this track, which is emblematic of the person it is about.