The Great Gig the Sky

Though most of you have probably not heard the name Clare Torry, you have likely heard her voice.  Clare, was a songwriter and session vocalist during the 1970s.  She sometimes worked at Abby Road Studios.

Back in 1973, the progressive rock band Pink Floyd recorded songs in Abby Road Studios.  One of the songs they recorded grew from a chord progression played by keyboardist Richard Wright.  The progression was known as “The Mortality Sequence” or was sometimes called “The Religion Song.”  

In the year previous, the song had been performed live as an organ instrumental accompanied by spoken word samples from the Bible.  A change in the song’s tittle and a switch from organ to piano landed the song on the recording playlist for the album The Dark Side of the Moon.  After attempts at layering recordings of various sound effects overtop the music—including recordings of NASA astronauts—the dissatisfied band suggested having a female singer simply “wail” overtop the track.

Album sound engineer Alan Parsons suggested, as you might now imagine, a young woman named Clare Torry might be a perfect choice for her voice.

Clare was brought into the studio.  The band played the instrumental track for her and then asked her extemporize vocals for it.  Clare found herself somewhat flustered at first.  With no lyrics to sing, she lacked a proper path.

After some false starts and a little thought, Clare decided she would simply use her voice as if it were another instrument lending itself to the track.  She performed two full takes, and then stopped halfway through a third, convinced she had done the best she could on the second cut.

Though the members of Pink Floyd were very pleased with what she had done, she left the studio thinking her work would end up rejected in the final cut.

The song, with her vocals included, is one of my favorites of all time.  I have listened to this song countless times.  Clare Torry’s voice slices into my very soul at points.

Posted below is a video recording of “The Great Gig in the Sky,” the song Clare lent her voice to in 1973.

—Mitchell Hegman

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVBCE3gaNxc