Pink Floyd has reconvened to deliver an anthem of support for the people of Ukraine, “Hey Hey Rise Up”. Out now, the single marks the first new release from the psychedelic rock band since 1994’s The Divison Bell.
Comprised of original members David Gilmour (guitar/vocals) and Nick Mason (drums), the song also hosts longtime Pink Floyd bassist Guy Pratt as well as keyboardist Nitin Sawhney, who replaced Richard Wright after he died in 2008. The song also features vocals from Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the Ukrainian band Boombox.
“We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and the frustration of this vile act of an independent, peaceful democratic country being invaded and having its people murdered by one of the world’s major powers,” Gilmour said in a press release.
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The idea for “Hey Hey Rise Up” came to Gilmour when he saw a video of Khlyvnyuk singing on Instagram. The vocalist wasn’t on stage or in a studio, but instead singing in Kyiv’s Sofiyskaya Square. He sang “The Red Viburnum In The Meadow”, a Ukrainian protest anthem written during the First World War that has seen a reemergence as people all over the world voice their support for the Eastern European country. The title for Pink Floyd’s new single comes from the last line of “The Red Viburnum In The Meadow”, which translates to “Hey Hey Rise Up”. The track uses vocals from Khylvnyuk’s Instagram video.
“In 2015, I played a show at Koko in London in support of the Belarus Free Theatre, whose members have been imprisoned,” Gilmour recalled of his relationship with Khylvnyuk and Boombox. “Pussy Riot and the Ukrainian band, Boombox, were also on the bill. They were supposed to do their own set, but their singer Andriy had visa problems, so the rest of the band backed me for my set—we played ‘Wish You Were Here’ for Andriy that night. Recently I read that Andriy had left his American tour with Boombox, had gone back to Ukraine, and joined up with the Territorial Defense. Then I saw this incredible video on Instagram, where he stands in a square in Kyiv with this beautiful gold-domed church and sings in the silence of a city with no traffic or background noise because of the war. It was a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music.”
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Gilmour was able to play the song for Khylvnyuk over the phone as the Ukrainian musician recovered in the hospital from a mortar shrapnel injury.
“I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing,” Gilmour said. “We both hope to do something together in person in the future.”
The single’s artwork features a painting of a sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine. Cuban artist Yosan Leon created the piece as a direct reference to the woman who was seen giving Russian soldiers sunflower seeds and telling them to carry them in their pockets so when they die, sunflowers will grow.
Pink Floyd – “Hey Hey Rise Up” (ft. Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox) (Official Video)
Pre-save the forthcoming Pink Floyd single “Hey Hey Rise Up” on streaming services here and scroll down to see the lyrics and artwork.
