Pink Floyd's Second Single: See Emily Play

Post by **Keith Jordan** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 4:24 pm

Another of my favourite Pink Floyd songs!!!

Is there a story behind the single See Emily Play? What was the reaction like from the undergroud scene at UFO/London?

Was there ever a video for See Emily Play?

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 8:59 pm

One of my favourite singles of all time this one. The video is also great from it, not sure if this link will work and the quality in this version isnt great but here it is anyway.

sagetavigirl · Post by **sagetavigirl** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:19 pm

This video was great.... loved the song... I guess we'll never know if "Emily" was indeed a girl Barrett "shagged" with or just a hallucination....

davidsss · Post by **davidsss** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:50 am

Trouble with that video is that it's got Dave in it instead of Syd. Wish there was a video of Syd doing Emily (the song that is).

DS

sagetavigirl · Post by **sagetavigirl** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 1:47 am

I would have to agree with you there - it seems only right that Syd should have been in this video, unfortunatly, I don't believe the video was even made til 68, so he wasn't even in the band when it was finally done..... Still a great vid though - Nick was great. So often we don't get to see the "playfull side" of him...

Massed Gadgets · Post by **Massed Gadgets** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 3:44 am

According to what I've read, See Emily Play was originally written for the Games For May concert at Queen Elizabeth Hall, May 12, 1967. Hence the line: "You'll lose your mind and play free games for May". The studio version that was released as the single was recorded a couple of weeks after the show on May 23). Emily was reportedly a reference to a girl named Emily Tacita Young who used to come to the UFO Club and dance, but she was so obviously not part of "the scene" that she seemed awkward and out of place, but this somewhat endeared her to Syd, who wrote in the opening lines of the song, "Emily tries but misunderstands. She's often inclined to borrow somebody's dream till tomorrow." Apparently Syd also said that Emily was a girl he saw in the woods late one night while under the influence of LSD, but he later said he'd just made up that story.

Anyway, it's one of my favourite PF tunes, and probably my very favourite of Syd's pop songs. It's surprising that you actually still here it occasionally on classic rock radio to this very day.

Here's the poster from the Games For May show...

sagetavigirl · Post by **sagetavigirl** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:34 pm

Hey! Thanks for the little "tid bit" there... enjoyable read... I've also heard that this song was originally titled: Games for May... which would have also been suitable.. but actually enjoy the name it became..

cwta eugene · Post by **cwta eugene** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:12 pm

I know I saw a video somewhere that has Syd playing this with the band and a girl (Emily?) is dancing around. Anybody know the video I'm talking about?

Groovybass77 · Post by **Groovybass77** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:39 pm

cwta eugene wrote:I know I saw a video somewhere that has Syd playing this with the band and a girl (Emily?) is dancing around. Anybody know the video I'm talking about?

yes, i do recall this. ill search around on youtube and see if i can find it. I think i saw it during the promo for Echoes Best Of album, where in the background of See Emily Play you can see Syd and some girl.

EDIT: I found it, go here and at about 1:26 it will do see emily play.

After looking at it there i noticed it looked very familiar. It is actually a clip of Floyd playing Interstellar Overdrive but they put See Emily Play over it

thats what tricked us. Click herefor the interstellar overdrive video and you will notice it.

cwta eugene · Post by **cwta eugene** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:03 pm

Thanks Groovybass!

ObscuredEchoes · Post by **ObscuredEchoes** » Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:35 am

This is my favourite Syd-era song... I love the first line. As many of you already know, I named my 3rd daughter Emily, in honor of Syd. I wanted to name her Sydney, but her dad is a huge Emily Dickinson fan, so we compromised.

mhspiper · Post by **mhspiper** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 10:26 pm

As for the story behind this, I've read somewhere that Emily is a girl Syd met once while wandering in the woods (while tripping, if I remember right). It's probably an urban legend, but it's the story I've heard.

Post by **Keith Jordan** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 10:28 pm

http://www.neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk/news/?y=03&id=07012

It would appear that the legendary Pink Floyd song from Relics "See Emily Play" was written about a young lady - at the time - called Emily Young.

Emily is now an accomplished 51 year-old sculptor whose pieces include Angel Head, Dancing Green Torso, and Crouching Angel. She comes from a family of artists, writers and politicians and was brought up in London, Rome and Wiltshire.

The song written by Barrett portrays Emily as somebody trying to be something they are not: not understanding the music of Floyd. Just a rich kid trying to be trendy.

According to Emily herself though, "My friend and I used to go dancing on a Friday night, and the band was this thing called The Pink Floyd Sound. I didn't pay that much attention to them because I was sort of dancing around and chatting - there was a bunch of crazy people in Notting Hill in those days, lots of poets and beatnik types. Somebody wrote a biography of Syd Barrett the other day and they said that I was a fan and that's why I was there. And I have to say that I really wasn't - I barely paid attention to the band because I was far more interested in these beat poets."

She continued to say "But apparently Syd saw me and my friend, and they knew we were 'well-born' and for some reason, he decided to write this song.

"Maybe we shared a joint..." She shrugs almost dismissively. "It's not like it was a love song or anything". That may be so, but she keeps a copy on her studio wall - well, wouldn't you?

Emily Young's Website > http://www.emilyyoung.com/

Space Cadet · Post by **Space Cadet** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:43 pm

Did the band ever perform this song live other than at the 'games for may' festival.

As I`ve never see it on any live boots, not that I have that many.

Cheers

SP

lovescene4 · Post by **lovescene4** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:50 pm

Space Cadet wrote:Did the band ever perform this song live other than at the 'games for may' festival.

According to Nick, they played it only occasionally... Povey and Russell's 'In The Flesh' book includes it in the setlist for the early show at Blackpool, Lancashire, 25 November (on the Hendrix Tour). Jimi's set at this show was filmed and recorded, but there's no evidence of a Pink Floyd recording.