[Checks calendar] No, it’s not April the first. And yes, notorious rap-rock LA metalheads Body Count have just dropped their cover version of one of prog rock’s most untouchable classics.
If you’ve ever wondered what the band who brought you Cop Killer might do when let loose on Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb – the standout centrepiece of Floyd’s enduring concept album, The Wall, and multiple tours – then prepare to wonder no longer.
And if you’re wondering what David Gilmour has to say about it all, fret not – because the legendary Floyd guitarist even plays on it.
“Body Count’s version of Comfortably Numb is quite radical, but the words really struck me,” said Gilmour alongside the release. “It astonishes me that a tune I wrote almost 50 years ago is back with this great new approach. They've made it relevant again.
“The initial contact from Ice-T was for permission to use the song, but I thought I might offer to play on it as well. I like the new lyrics, they're talking about the world we’re living in now, which is quite scary. Ice-T and Body Count played in London recently, sadly I couldn't make it, but if another opportunity came up to play with them, I'd jump at it.”
The cover is described by the band as “a fresh take on the classic Pink Floyd track that explores themes of detachment and introspection. Gilmour's seminal guitar work adds a haunting, authentic touch, seamlessly blending with Body Count's signature intensity and Ice’s profound new lyrics.” The track is the lead from their new album, Merciless, primed for release on 22 November via Century Media.
"For me, Comfortably Numb, is an introspective song – it's me acknowledging that I'm older now,” offers Body Count lead vocalist Ice-T. “I'm telling the younger generation, you've got two choices: you can keep the fire burning or you can give up. It's me trying to make sense of what's happening, but also pointing out that we're all in a place where we don’t have to face reality.
“We've got flat-screen TVs and popcorn, and we can just sit back and watch the chaos of the world like it’s a TV show. It doesn’t feel real until it shows up at your door. I’m a little numb, too – we all are.”
Listen to the new version and make up your own mind as to the merits of the reworking via the visualiser video below.
“It sounded so amazing that people said to me, ‘I can hear the bass’, which usually they don’t say to me very often”: U2 bassist Adam Clayton contrasts the live audio mix in the Las Vegas Sphere to “these sports buildings that sound terrible”
“It didn’t even represent what we were doing. Even the guitar solo has no business being in that song”: Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song that “changed everything” after it became their biggest hit
“It sounded so amazing that people said to me, ‘I can hear the bass’, which usually they don’t say to me very often”: U2 bassist Adam Clayton contrasts the live audio mix in the Las Vegas Sphere to “these sports buildings that sound terrible”
“It didn’t even represent what we were doing. Even the guitar solo has no business being in that song”: Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song that “changed everything” after it became their biggest hit
