Ed Sheeran fans mistook the Pink Floyd song he performed alongside Nick Mason from the band at the Olympic Games closing ceremony for a new song.
Sheeran performed "Wish You Were Here" inside the Olympic Stadium last night, playing the song alongside Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, Genesis' Mike Rutherford and The Feeling's Richard Jones.
However, not boasting the widest knowledge of Pink Floyd's back catalogue, some Sheeranites confused the track for a new single.
Elsewhere at the closing ceremony, Liam Gallagher performed the Oasis classic "Wonderwall" with his Beady Eye bandmates and Muse performed their Olympic single "Survival".
George Michael also made an appearance, performing his hit single "Freedom" as well as new track "White Light".
Agreed, I teach guitar and but some well known bands still draw blank looks from some kids faces. Different generation. However I do have a 12 year old just realised how good AC/DC are. Priceless!!!!!
I feel like I owe this article an explanation. I exploded on twitter at the person who posted the tweet in the bottom of the screencap and she, allegedly, made the tweet ten hours before the Closing Ceremony was even aired. Personally I think that's bs, as it's likely she's stupid enough to think she was watching it live. But if she was telling the truth, all it means is she saw a song name she didn't recognise on a leaked setlist and assumed it was a new song. Food for thought. Even still, I have never been more compelled to end my own life than after reading these tweets and actually coming to terms with the fact that these turgid sacks of crap, or "people", actually exist.
Now i'm going to get shot in the face for this but here goes:
They assumed this as Pink Floyd isn't in their music catalogue, which is easily understood.
For example, I watched Manic Street Preachers a few years ago (supporting Foo's) and they played a cover of Rhinna's Umbrella, I had no idea this was a cover until they said afterwards as Rhinna is not within my back catalogue, my sister called me a retard for not knowing that it was a Rhinna song until I explained to her that I listen to good music and not shit, thus i didnt know that song.
All i'm saying is let's be realistic and think about it before jumping on the hate wagon, that's the same as people assuming that if you listen to metal you worship the devil and want to sacrifice small children to your cause.
How exactly is mistaking a classic Floyd track for a new song anything like assuming that metalheads sacrifice small children? The former is ignorance, the latter is stupidity.
Yeah, I'm not a Pink Floyd fan, so I don't know much of their music. Granted, I'd never heard of Sheeran before, and I recognized the song as it went on, but I can understand the possibility of a Sheeran fan having never heard Floyd. This also assumes they've never used a radio in their life, though.
Wel... I bet most of those kids probably don't use a radio... hell I bet most of them don't even know what a radio is. If its not streaming or picked by some soul less corporation, I garantee you they're never gonna hear it
Yeah true, but i think Zanos7 has made the fair point that the reversal of this situation is that e.g. Rhianna's songs would be considered music you would hear "any and everywhere" for the younger generation.
It's not so much the fact that these people have no idea of the existence of one of the most popular songs from one of the most infamous bands in history, but that they seem to virtually worship this guy and his music, yet have no clue about his musical influences.
I don't know about you, but when I really like something, I tend to be interested in what influenced it, and/because 9 times out of 10, I like it, too.
If the guy is willing to play a song of theirs on a global stage, I'd say it's safe to assume he's somewhat affectionate toward their music, but his 'fans' couldn't seem to care less about what potentially inspires the music that they momentarily love.
Well, yeah, I can understand that these people don't know Floyd. After all, they aren't really getting a lot of air-time these days. The people who like Ed Sheeran (of whom I've never heard before he performed that song by the way) probably haven't lived long enough to experience Pink Floyd when they were at their peek. Nowadays, Pink Floyd songs (or rather, a select few Pink Floyd songs) are considered "classics", and therefore everyone "should just know them". So far, I can agree with you.
But I have to disagree as well. I think that it's perfectly understandable that you don't know Rihanna (not "Rhinna" by the way), because you are obviously into other kinds of music (I've never heard about the Manic Street Preachers before, but since they're opening for the Foo Fighters (it was the Foo Fighters, right?), I'm going to assume that they are somewhere in the rock/metal-spectrum), even thoughI actually have to say that I find it strange that you've never heard "Umbrella" before. However, when you claim to be a fan of a special kind of music, I think that it's only logical to have some basic knowledge about other, similar artists, rather than just the one guy you happen to like, and to know a bit about the artist's influences. The people who posted the... well... posts, seem to be pretty big fans of the guy, so I think that they should at least know enough about his influences to recognize a famous Pink Floyd song. Especially since they all seem to think that it's so great. And Pink Floyd is, after all, a part of both British pop-culture, and modern musical history. Being completely ignorant of it's existence is... disturbing.
On another note, if you want another great cover of "Umbrella", check out the swedish band Lillasyster ("Lillasyster" is swedish for "little sister"). They've made a really good one. Lot's of other songs worth listening to as well.
And finally: Mike Rutherford on guitar! Genesis for the win! Would've loved if they had played Supper's Ready... :3
Totally agree. As much as I want everyone to know and recognize a Floyd song, I know the youth and pop folks won't recognize it. You never hear it on the pop radio stations, and it's definitely not in their playlist because of the lack of musical interest. Let's just say I wouldn't have expected anything else from Sheeran's fans.
The difference here is that every radio station plays Pin Floyd... You wouldn't hear a Rihanna song on a rock radio, but you would most certainly hear Pink Floyd on modern pop radio as well as rock radio...
Also, how many songs more famous than "Wish You Were Here" have they done? Obviously "Another Brick In The Wall", but are there any others really?
Never heard of Ed Sheeren before... Anyway, I hate dumb ass musically ignorant bitches. I can garuntee that if they ever found out it was a Pink Floyd song they'd say "Ewwwww! Old music! Nevermind, I hate it!!" ... Lord give me the strength to carry on.
Totally agree, I've seen that a lot of people now-a-days follow the musician/singer/icon over the actual music, and don't really venture out of that pattern.
These are the same people who will say 'oh that bands well crap' without actually knowing anything by them.
Best example, my sister again, loved Rockstar by Nickelback, so she proclaimed her love for nickelback and how she loves everything by them.
I played her Animals and she said: 'Ewww, turn that crap off it's shite!' She was just following the trend because it's 'cool'
Exactly, and that's what pop fans do. All you can do is (as Rush says in the new album ) Wish Them Well. It's really a shame, but I've seen a few of them change their ways.
So if you haven't heard of Ed Sheeran, aren't you musically ignorant as well?
You can say they are ignorant in music history, but then again, they're just in their early teens (i guess). Pink Floyd is something the need to be taught, because they're definitely not gonna see them on MTV.
Well said! I've never seen what is so special about Ed Sheeran. All music has it's place, obviously, but I really do fail to see what people see in him - more so than I do a lot of other, more 'manufactured' (For lack of a better word) pop singers.
I totally understand that his fan's demographic will be NOTHING like that of Pink Floyd's, but I really can't help but get a bit annoyed reading this article.
With any luck they might check out some pink floyd, but alas they probably won't. In fairness most of them are young enough to be Gilmour's great grand children. Ed Sheeran was way out of his depth trying to do that song justice though.
Huge in Britain? I'm from Britain and yes, I have heard the name once or twice but I wouldn't of been able to tell you more than "he is famous for something" until I read this article.
Ed Sheeran actually has some good stuff. And it doesn't make you cool to not know who he is. I'm as much a headbanger as the next guy, but it's important to recognise talent in other genres. And his videos play heaps in England, as I was over there not long ago and he was all I could see on the charts.
Yet another person on the "I'm cool cos I don't know who someone is" train. What, then, is the difference between you and these Ed Sheeran fans who didn't know the Pink Floyd song? You should never revel in your own ignorance, regardless of how good you think the artist is.
I agree with Link no1, I'm British, I listen to a lot of rock, and I've hears the name "Ed Sheeran" around, and could tell you he's a musician, but other than that, nothing. I can't name a single one of his songs, or albums, and my first reaction when I saw the performance was "why is this idiot covering Floyd?" Added to the insult of Jessie J (another singer who I couldn't name anything by) butchering Queen, and the Kaiser Chiefs doing a sub par rendition of Pinball Wizard (much like Arctic Monkeys in the opening ceremony), and I was left extremely disappointed with the current face of British music.
I think it's extremely poignant that I'm listening to Blowin In The Wind, a song I interpret about the futility of finding goodness in the world, as I'm reading this...
Oh and for any "Sheeranites", that's Bob Dylan song! Dumbasses!
Believe it or not, there are many people these days who don't care for 'old' music and thus, don't listen to it. Hence why these people don't know this is a cover because they have never heard it before.
I'd bet that a lot of the people commenting here actually haven't heard of the song 'Wish You Were Here' and are just trying to come off as somewhat clever to other 'musicians' by bashing these people.
Just remember that not everyone listens to the same music as you do and they are by no means 'stupid' by not knowing that an artist they like is actually covering a song.
You're right, but it still suprises me because Wish You Were Here is extremely popular, not only among rock and roll fans. Every group of friends in the world sitting around with a guitar plays it...
I've played guitar for 3 years, I know an incredible amount of 60s/70s/80s rock/metal bands, I've never heard the song wish you were here. It's not that popular, maybe 30 years ago it was, that's a long time ago.
I don't really find this a surprise. Ed Sheeran, despite being a talented young guy with a good voice and an ability to write catchy tunes, has a fanbase made up of hormonal girls. What was worse that I was sat with my whole family during the closing ceremony and I was the only one who identified the song within the first ten seconds and my mum claimed she'd never heard it before.
Pretty sad. Can't stand when people hear songs by an artist/band and think it is their song when it is actually a cover song. Do yourself a favor and look up the originals.
Well, I didn't know it was a Pink Floyd song. I don't regularly listen to Floyd, so my memory abandons me sometimes.
That said, I would never assume a song I'm not too familiar with is a new song. I just take the song for what it is, and do some research on it before I claim something what in this particular case would have been retarded.
My 5 year old son knows Pink Floyd. Give me a break. My 11 yr old hates rap and a lot of pop by his own accord not mine. I always allow them to listen to radio. One day I walk into their room and they are listening to my Led Zep collection. Nuff said. BTW I am only 26 and grew up on this music which I found on my own.
Considering that most of his fans were not born when Pink Floyd were around, and his style of music is entirely different and lacks little to any crossover appeal with Pink Floyd, I don't see how this should be surprising or news to anybody. There is no reason to assume that somebody who likes Ed Sheeran would be familiar with Pink Floyd. News flash: Pink Floyd are not relevant to today's youth. They stopped being relevant to majority culture around 1994.
Oh, wait. I forgot that U-G generates all of its traffic from knee-jerk idiots who will mindlessly rage at anything which doesn't perfectly fit their entirely groundless image of a world dominated entirely by the word of a small handful of men who have picked up an electric guitar. God forbid people aren't intimately familiar with one of U-G's golden idols. How dare they, how dare they , not know a song by a band that was over years before the person in question was concieved.
By far the most reasonable, logical post I have ever read on this site. I fear it'll fall on deaf ears though. Faux outrage appears to be the currency here.
I second that I know I wouldn't have recognized that because pink floyd has never played a part in my musical upbringing! I listened to DSOTM in full for the first time and was blown away by it...but I would not say I'm a fan! so cut these people a break for listening to slightly different music! not even that, not listening to one band that is idolized by so many here! And for people that dont know ed sheeran I recommend you steer clear of his studio album and focus just on him and his guitar a là unplugged: really quality song writer.
I find this hilarious. I was so angry when he started playing it and I turned to a mate and said, "You realise stacks of teenagers are gonna think this a new single.."
So a bunch of idiots make stupid comments on twitter. OK.
Can someone please explain to me why so many "news" outlets are actually using twitter to create front page news?
I'm sure there are plenty of Sheeran fans that know better, but you know what let's just focus on a bunch of nobody's as if their opinion mattered in the least bit.
Wow I was going to post something really mean towards all the people who thought this was not a Pink Floyd song. I mean Wish You Were Here is about Syd and is one of Pink Floyd's most known songs so they are probably already chastising themselves for their stupidity, especially since Nick Mason was performing with him.
This whole thing kinda reminds me of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World" being covered by Nirvana. How Bowie himself said that after fans of Nirvana heard him play his own song would say to him "kids that come up afterwards and say, 'It's cool you're doing a Nirvana song.' And I think, 'Fuck you, you little tosser!'"
I can see Roger doing just that...and spit in their faces...again!!
I don't like Pink Floyd much....if at all and even i knew it was a floyd song, not to mention the commentators said it was a Floyd cover! f*cking idiots!
NEWSFLASH: 15 year old girls don't know who Pink Floyd are.
Slightly hypocritical of everyone to say they should know a 40 year old song when they've not even heard of the guy singing it, who's actually a current artist in the charts.
Conclusion: people like different music and don't know much about music they don't like.
Don't blame the kids, blame their parents and music teachers for not giving them a proper musical education.
I saw that performance. I thought it was really sad that David Gilmour and Roger Waters couldn't put aside their ****in differences for the sake of performing for their country infront of the whole world.
I also thought it was sad that we had to put up with TWO Who songs, and Jessie J butchering Queen while The Rolling Stones didn't get to perform.
How is it that the Spice Girls could reunite "for one night" but the Police also couldn't do the same, again for their Country?
Most of the performers weren't even the original band line up anymore, meanwhile, dozens of other British Bands still go with their original line up and didn't perform...
Ah this is just funny, im not a huge Pink Floyd fan so when i first read it i was thinking ive never heard the song either because i didn't reconize the title, and im not obscure to most kinds of music... then i listened to it and said "oh, those people must have grew up in a cave"
As someone who has heard and played the song literally thousands of times, I would immediately recognize it off the first 5 notes. However, I could see how someone who is not as familiar with the song would not know what it is. After all, I certainly wouldn't recognize any Ed Sheeran songs. I'd never even heard of him before this article. People listen to different music. It's okay. Just try and be as diverse with your tastes as possible, and you'll have much more in common with other people.
I've been clicking around and don't see anything about it. I've checked people's pages who have them, but I don't see them anywhere in their profiles, either. The only place I see anything about them is when they show up beside the name in the comments section.
It's actually a comforting thought that they all love Wish You Were Here, even if they mistook it for this guys song. It means that even these kinds of people actually have good taste. What a great silver lining.
Even though they thought it was good, I'm sure if you put on the Pink Floyd version first they would have said "Eww what is this old people crap?!?!". Teenage girls will listen to any garbage their favorite artist puts out no mater what it is (not saying this guy is crap, the cover was actually pretty good).
AND playing a Pink Floyd song with a member of Pink Floyd. That also seems to show some relevance for him. He can't be relevant enough though. I've never even heard his name until now...
Until now I thought ed sheeran was a good thing for British music. Showing the fans of all this pop drivel what good music was. Turns out the uneducated fools really are Unsavable.
This is not surprising at all. Watching the closing ceremony and all the "musicians" performing there has assured me that the UK pop culture is, at the musical level at least, thoroughly f*cked. Even more so then its US counterpart (and its every other counterpart in the world, probably). F*cking Jessie J singing We Will Rock You... I was never a real Queen fan, and even I felt insulted by that.
considering the commentary on the tv ( bbc in england) SAID ITS BY PINK FLOYD and we were told in national newsapapers the schedule for the ceremony and that sheeran would COVER this song amazes me that they managed to confuse themselves.
Guess what mother****ers Pink Floyd is old. They're one of my favorite bands if not the favorite. But they are old. 60's 70's and 80's guys. These people are young. Not saying that they can't listen to it. I'm 16 and I love Pink Floyd. But is it really that much of a mistake that they didn't know it was a Pink Floyd song? No. They haven't heard the song so they assumed it was a new song. Not that bizarre. Sorry for a little dose of reality that not all kids listen to Pink Floyd. It doesn't make them bad either. It just means they haven't heard it. And even if they knew it was Pink Floyd they don't have to like them. Sorry your opinion isn't final.
this is the new generation... skrillex and Justin Bieber have the upper hand nowadays.. you should look as us, as our (great)grandparents look at our music taste.
I like Ed Sheeran, he's great, but can people be that stupid? I could immediately tell it wasn't a new song by Ed since he had a band and it was not his style, not at all.
You are ignorant if you haven't heard of Pink Floyd before but you aren't ignorant for not knowing the song. Some people just don't like that kind of music. Sad but true.
The saddest part of this to me is that if you asked any of those people that said this if they liked rock/pink floyd, 90% of them would say that it was terrible worthless junk.
I've heard worse. Friend of a friend was at an Avril Lavigne gig where she started played Stairway to Heaven and some 14 yr old girls in front of her were crying saying she's written a new song. Some people are either young or don't know any better.
Anyways, if you guys wanna go force-feed some twelve year old girls (that looks like that would be his fanbase) some Pink Floyd for three weeks straight to make yourselves feel superior, go right ahead. His fanbase will probably grow up to realize what huge idiots they were on their own.
As much as there's all this hate on his fans for not knowing the song (I myself am appalled by this), Sheeran's version was actually quite good. I give him props for being able to do one of the most famous songs to come out of Britain justice, even if his fans dont have a clue whats going on.
And just last week, my friends told me not to play this song: "We have heard this song a million times!, play something that not everybody knows." ahh the irony.
"these shitty Brit-pop bands"? There are only really 2 people have heard of, Oasis and Blur. Oasis are a bunch of ****s but Blur is a ****ing amazing band (listen to their album 13if you don't believe me), and Ed Sheeran is not even close to brit-pop is that's what you're suggesting.
I'm not one to comment on these types of articles as I'm not really into classic rock, but wow, "Wish You Were Here" is probably one of the most well known classic rock song and is played all the time on the radio. Still, it would be forgivable if it weren't for the fact that I believe I recall the commentators on NBC saying it was a Pink Floyd song.
I think its cool that Pink Floyd showed that their music is still relevant and good, even to mindless teenbop fans. and that if we could get writers and musicians to make something as good as floyd again we may have a shot at having some meaningful music once again
i didnt no All Along The Watchtower was a Bob Dylan song till i was 25. of course they didnt play Dylan's version on the radio 10 times a day on the radio for 30 years sooooo.
The fact that I'm part of that generation makes me die a little inside. And then realise that that sect of this generation greatly outnumbers the rest of us.
Please, somebody beam me up. I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
Are we really all music snobs on here. It's like reading an "I'm cooler than you competition" here. Let's be honest - if Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour had played an Ed Sheeran song at the ceremony would any of us have recognised that ? The positive in this is that has awakened the X Factor/American Idol people to the great music that exists outside of the mainstream media. Let's rejoice in the fact that a great song has been performed to a billion people rather than an Ed Sheeran song.
On behalf of my generation (im 16) i apologize for the stupidity and mental retardation of my fellow newbies. As a huge lover of music from 60s to now, I ask you all, please, do not hate my whole generation, there's still some of us left who love anything which has a good riff or a nice lyrics, no matter what year it was made in. Now let us unite and get our pitchforks and torches and burn the idiots of my generation.
To the people saying they don't wanna live on this planet anymore, go die or something, please do, no one wants you here either, with that mentality.
It's not unacceptable to not know a song that's at least 30 years old. If there would be a cover of a 40s song in the 70s, believe me, there would be an incredible amount of people that'd think it's a new song by some artist. Pink Floyd aren't famous AT ALL in this era, don't assume people know your music, just because you know it. You're the one being ignorant and stupid if you assume they know the music that's good in your opinion. Unless you're a deity, please shut up, because your musical preference is interesting to no one, but yourself.
My kids are barely teenagers and they can recognise it a a Pink Floyd song. Even better neither would go near anything Ed Sheeran even if I paid them. I think this says that we should not blame the poor ignorant kids, blame the parents or not educating them in decent music from an early age, and schools for teaching god knows what in music lessons.
shows how stubborn people are limiting them self to one style of music. if people just open their ears and start to listen to all styles of music they will realise that their are so many brilliant songs and artist out there.
An account called "SLAMMED"... Are you perchance the main writer of UG's articles? Also, twitter can be used for good and bad, and the good thing is you can just not follow the morons.
I am disgusted that modern pop bands such as The Wanted and 1 Direction don't even know that "Wish you were here" is by Pink Floyd. It's a crime against music, they should look to the past and learn from that. But of course they wont, music is dying because of these so called "musicians". Nothing more than talentless hacks who just have the pop image.
On a similar note: I`ve downloaded the tab for 5 finger Death Punch`s version and the guy who tabbed has credited the words and music to 5FDP. I didn`t have the heart to comment that the song`s nearly 40 years old ;
Great cover version though.
Hey, I agree with the comments saying they're not supposed to know everything but when you hear one of your favorite artist sing a song you don't already know, go check on the internet to see if it's a cover or a new song before telling something wrong that everybody will see on tweeter... that's what i do all everytime...
k so.... this is a great cover.
I was vaguely upset that people didn't know it was floyd... but there's no control for that is there?
sheeran is pretty damn good. look past the a-team and you'll find some real gems
Lot's of other songs worth listening to as well.
Would've loved if they had played Supper's Ready... :3
