10 Rock Songs With Horrible Backstories
4. Mother - Pink Floyd
Imagine you're just a random music fan in the late '70s. You're in the record shop and you find a copy of Pink Floyd's the Wall sitting in the record shelves. This is the one that had the smooth groove of Another Brick in the Wall, right? Surely, the rest of the album should be awesome too. Afraid not, buddy. You're stuck with a song about Roger Waters' complicated relationship with his mother.
Though most of the Wall is a concept album based around a character named Pink, Waters has made it clear that pieces of the character were loosely inspired by his own life, with Mother being a prime example. After Pink's father is killed in the war, his mother starts to become transfixed with keeping him safe in whatever way she can, which can get more than a little bit uncomfortable at times.
While it starts off pretty tame with David Gilmour talking about a mother keeping her child safe and warm, things start to take a turn when you have this woman picking out girlfriends for her son and ensuring that all of his nightmares will come true. The key line is when you hear her say "mommy's gonna help you build a wall," basically helping Pink close himself off from reality at a young age. You might have the best intentions of your child in mind, honey, but this is the definition of being a helicopter parent.