10 Greatest Unplugged Rock Songs
2. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Whenever you touch an acoustic guitar for a song, you usually try to just let the music speak for itself. After all, when you have no other instrument to hide behind, you only have the guitar and your voice to stand on. In Pink Floyd's case though, Wish You Were Here feels like they actually captured a ghost on vinyl.
Before you even consider Wish You Were Here as a song, you have to realize where Pink Floyd were at the time. Coming off of a grueling tour and witnessing their friend and bandmate Syd Barrett rapidly deteriorate before their eyes, this song serves as both a comforting listen and a mournful goodbye to their friend.
Though Barrett was still among the living, it was clear that things were never going to be the same between him and the rest of the band after his mental issues started going south.
Although the verses are a lot more universal, the simple chorus about missing Syd cuts right to the heart and brings to mind any of your own friends that you never got to properly say goodbye to. Even though the members of Floyd will always wrestle with what could have been, take this as a reminder of how you treat your friends.
You only have so much time on this Earth, so it's best to appreciate the people you share it with.