| "Seamus" | |
|---|---|
| Song byPink Floyd | |
| from the albumMeddle | |
| Released | 5 November 1971 (1971-11-05) |
| Recorded | 24–28 May 1971 (mixed on 26 July 1971) |
| Studio | |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:15 |
| Label | Harvest |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Pink Floyd |
"Seamus" is the fifth song onPink Floyd's 1971 albumMeddle. The group performs it in the style ofcountry blues, with vocals, an acousticslide guitar in anopen D tuning, and piano.[1][2] The song is named after theBorder Collie[3] Seamus (belonging toHumble Pie leaderSteve Marriott) who howls throughout the 2:15 piece.[4] Group biographerNicholas Schaffner calls the tune "dispensable";David Gilmour added "I guess it wasn't really as funny to everyone else [as] it was to us".[5]
The film directorAdrian Maben captured Pink Floyd's only live performance of "Seamus" (in a greatly altered form, excluding lyrics, and retitled "Mademoiselle Nobs") in his filmPink Floyd: Live at Pompeii. To recreate the song,David Gilmour played harmonica instead of singing andRoger Waters played one of Gilmour'sStratocaster guitars. A femaleBorzoi (Russian Wolfhound) named Nobs, which belonged to Madonna Bouglione (the daughter of circus director Joseph Bouglione), was brought to the studio to provide howling accompaniment as Seamus did in theMeddle album version. There is also an audiblebass guitar in this recording, likely overdubbed during mixing of the film soundtrack at another studio.[6] For the 2016surround sound mix of the film, released as part of the box setThe Early Years 1965–1972 (2016), "Mademoiselle Nobs" was omitted for undisclosed reasons.
In a review for theMeddle album, Jean-Charles Costa ofRolling Stone described "Seamus" as "a great pseudo-spoofblues tune with David Gilmour's dog [sic] Seamus taking over the lead 'howl' duties".[7] In a more negative review,Classic Rock Review described "Seamus" a "throwaway" that's "meant to be a humorous filler with an annoying, howling dog throughout".[8]Classic Rock Review further said that Pink Floyd fans have ranked "Seamus" as one of their worst songs.[8]
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