Revisiting "Another Brick In The Wall"

I was working out at the gym the other day, and someone played their own personal CD in the CD player. Usually they do not play classic rock in there. Its the techno & hip-hop music that rules - because of the funky beats and sounds that it has. Anyways, coming back to our CD - it was a personal compilation done by the owner of the CD. And the first song in that album was "Another Brick In The Wall". I must have stopped my workout for a minute or so. The song brought back many memories. My mind had gone whirr...

It was my first year in engineering college, and my first experiences of being with a friend's circle bigger than 4 guys. And atleast 3 of those guys were sons of IIT profs (Saurabh Gurujee, Mayur Dewaikar - if you are reading this somewhere in the big world, Hi!). Now, the IIT culture really rubs on to these boys as well. If you have not read Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat, then you may not really know what I mean (unless ofcourse you also have been at the IITs). Well, cutting to the point... there were a few things that I was exposed to when in their company.

Most cherished among them was being introduced to the musical phenomenon called "Pink Floyd". Many call them heavy metal, hard rock, blah blah, et cetera. I have a different take on them. For me, they are among the Gods. Their music elevates me to a different world. And they gave the world the anthem song - "Another Brick In The Wall". A song that became the cry of students worldwide. The effect it had on the society back then was quite huge and some countries even banned playing it or broadcasting it. You can read more trivia about the song in this link.

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey teacher leave them kids alone
All in all it's just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall

This song was written to denounce the bad effects of a formal structured educational system that curbed individuality and freedom to explore and pursue one's preferred subjects. The song by itself did not speak against the formal education system. Education itself is good. It is empowerment of the soul. Whereas how it was being delivered was the complaint. It was very critical of the system prevalent in England in those days.

Pink Floyd has many such songs to its credit. In my musical experience (can even say journeys or explorations), there are very few artists who have made a social issue the main agenda of their creations. U2, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley are some of the big names that come to my mind immediately when we talk of such artists. May their tribe increase!

Sidenote(s):
a) Read the 2 books written till now by Chetan Bhagat. First one mentioned above. Second one - One night @ Call Center. Check at your local bookstore or Landmark.