Analysis of Pink Floyd’s Lyrics in the Context of Kierkegaard’s Existentialism

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 29 Sayı: 4, 1 - 11

Necip Uyanık

https://doi.org/10.53487/atasobed.1670032

Öz

Pink Floyd has a unique style and perspective as a musical group. By addressing the
humanitarian crises of the 20th century in their lyrics, they incorporated distinct issues
such as war, economy, education, family, and politics into their agenda. However, it is
also possible to state that their lyrics focus on the pains of individual existence. By
examining this through sample lyrics, we can see how existential relationships are
revealed. The fundamental problem of existential philosophy is to assert that human
beings are individuals and that this should be a crucial consideration for philosophy. One
of the first to make this claim was Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, and it is
possible to state that he evaluated the human problem of the 19th century in this
context. In this study, existential themes in Pink Floyd’s song lyrics (Hey You, Time,
Echoes, Us and Them) were analyzed by Kierkegaard’s existentialism. Therefore, this
study aims to think together and discuss Pink Floyd, the influential music group of the
20th century, in the existential philosophy of Kierkegaard, who lived in the 19th century
and witnessed.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Pink Floyd , Kierkegaard , Esistence

Kierkegaard’ın Varoluşçuluğu Bağlamında Pink Floyd’un Şarkı Sözlerinin Analizi

Öz

Pink Floyd, bir müzik grubu olarak kendine özgü bir üslup ve bakış açısına sahiptir. Şarkı
sözlerinde 20. Yüzyılın insani krizlerini ele alarak savaş, ekonomi, eğitim, aile, siyaset gibi
farklı sorunları gündemlerine almışlardır. Ancak şarkı sözlerinin bireysel varoluşun
sancılarına odaklandığını söylemek de mümkündür. Bunu örnek şarkı sözleri üzerinden
incelediğimizde varoluşsal ilişkilerin nasıl ortaya çıktığını görebiliriz. Varoluşçu felsefenin
şüphesiz temel sorunu, insanların birey olarak görülmesi gerektiğini ve bunun felsefe için
önemli olması gerektiğini güçlü bir şekilde öne sürmektir. Bu iddiayı ilk ortaya atanlardan
biri de Danimarkalı filozof Søren Kierkegaard’dır ve onun 19. Yüzyılın insan sorununu da
bu bağlamda değerlendirdiğini söylemek mümkündür. Bu çalışmada Pink Floyd’un şarkı
sözlerindeki (Hey You, Time, Echoes, Us and Them) varoluşsal temalar Kierkegaard’ın
varoluşçuluğu bağlamında incelenmiştir. Bu nedenle bu çalışma, 20. Yüzyılın etkili müzik
grubu Pink Floyd’u, 19. Yüzyılda yaşamış ve çağına tanıklık etmiş Kierkegaard’ın varoluşçu
felsefesi bağlamında birlikte düşünmeyi ve tartışmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Pink Floyd , Kierkegaard , Varoluş

Kaynakça

• Golzadeh, A. F., & Ghorbanpour, A. (2016). We don’t need no education: A stylistic analysis of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall”. İdil, 5 (19), 1-16.
• Hannay, A. (2001). Kierkegaard a biography. Cambridge University Press.
• Golomb, J. (2005). In search of authenticity from Kierkegaard to Camus. Routledge.
• Gonin, P. (2017).The rise and fall of Pink Floyd. Éditions Universitaires de Dijon Collection Essais.
• Gupta, A. (2005). Kierkegaard’s romantic legacy: Two theories of the self. University of Ottawa Press.
• Kant, I. (1996). Practical philosophy. Mary J. Gregor (trans.), Cambridge University Press.
• Kierkegaard, S. (2000). Either/Or, a fragment of life. In Howard V. Hong & Edna H. Hong (Eds.), The essential Kierkegaard. Princeton University Press.
• Kierkegaard, S. (2019). Loose Papers, 1830–1843). In N. J. Cappelørn, A. Hannay, B. H. Kirmmse, D. D. Possen, J. D. S. Rasmussen & V. Rumble (Eds.), Journals and notebooks. Princeton University Press.
• Kierkegaard, S. (2009a). The book on Adler. Howard V. Hong & Edna H. Hong (Trans.), Princeton University Press.
• Kierkegaard, S. (2009b). Two ages: The age of revolution and the present age a literary review. Howard V. Hong & Edna H. Hong (Trans.), Princeton University Press.
• Kierkegaard, S. (1980). Sickness unto death: A christian psychological exposition for upbuilding and awakening. Kierkegaard’s writings. Howard V. Hong & Edna H. Hong (Trans.), Princeton University Press.
• Mathews, S. P., & Varier, V. (2020). Pink Floyd’s time: An aural metanarrative exploring time through form, lyric, and musical arrangement. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 12(5), 1-8.
• Petr, O. (1992-1993). Kierkegaard’s aesthetics of music: A concept of the musical erotic. Sborník prací Filozofické fakulty brněnské univerzity. H, Řada hudebněvědná, 41-42(27-28), 97-106. http://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/111983
• Pink Floyd. (1979). The wall. CBS.
• Pink Floyd. (1973). The dark side of the moon. EMI.
• Pink Floyd. (1971). Meddle. AIR, EMI and MORGAN.
• Reisch, G. A. (2007). Pink Floyd: From Pompeii to philosophy. In George A. Reisch (Eds.), in Pink Floyd and philosophy: Careful with that axiom, eugene!. Carus Publishing Company.
• Rochberg, G. (2004). The aesthetics of survival: A composer’s view of twentieth-century music. The University of Michigan Press.
• Rychter, M. (2019). Music and philosophy: contemporary challenges. Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture, 3(9), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2019.0026
• Svitavský, O. (2015). Post-war England: Alienation and totalitarian threat in the work of George Orwell and Pink Floyd, (Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis), https://www.academia.edu/36754794/Post_war_England_Alienation_and_Totalitarian_Threat_in_the_Work_of_George_Orwell_and_Pink_Floyd_Bachelors_Diploma_Thesis
• Surber, J. O’neill. (2007). Wish you were here (but you aren’t): Pink Floyd and non-being. In George A. Reisch (Eds.), Pink Floyd and philosophy: Careful with that axiom, eugene!. Carus Publishing Company.
• Uçansoy, N. & Harmandağlı, N. (2000). Pink Floyd. Stüdyo İmge Publishing.
• Ulusoy, Ö., Arslan, K., & Karakuş, B. (2017). Popüler müzikte ‘konsept’ sorunu. İstanbul Aydın Üniversitesi Güzel Sanatlar Fakültesi Dergisi, 3(6), 1-15. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/453336
• Weinstein, D. (2007). Roger Waters: Artist of the absurd. In George A. Reisch (Eds.), Pink Floyd and philosophy: Careful with that axiom, eugene!. Carus Publishing Company.