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"Bike"
"Bike"
Song by Pink Floyd
from the album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Released	5 August 1967
Recorded	21 May 1967
Genre	Psychedelic pop; psychedelic rock;
Length	3:21
Label	EMI Columbia (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Syd Barrett
Producer(s)	Norman Smith

"Bike" is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, which is the final track featured on their 1967 debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.^[3]^[4]

Background

In the song, Syd Barrett's lyrical subject shows a girl his bike (which he borrowed); a cloak; a homeless, aging mouse that he calls Gerald; and a clan of gingerbread men, because she "fits in with [his] world". With each repetition of the chorus, a sudden percussive noise is heard similar to the firing of two gunshots. The heavy reverb from these bangs immediately cuts out when the following verse begins. Towards the end of the song, he offers to take her into a "room of musical tunes". The final verse is followed by an instrumental section that is a piece of musique concrète: a noisy collage of oscillators, clocks, gongs, bells, a violin, and other sounds edited with tape techniques, apparently the "other room" spoken of in the song and giving the impression of the turning gears of a bicycle. The ending of the song fades out with a tape loop of geese squawking. The song was written for Barrett's then girlfriend, Jenny Spires. She is also mentioned as "Jennifer Gentle" in the song "Lucifer Sam", which is also on The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Other album appearances

The song also appears on two Pink Floyd compilation albums: Relics (1971) and Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd (2001);^[5] it serves as the closing track on both albums.

Cover versions

P-Model covered the song for their 1984 album Another Game.^[6] The lyrics were adapted by bandleader Susumu Hirasawa, who focused on Japanese lyrics that sounded similar to the English version rather than a direct translation, turning it into a parodic version. It features a toy piano sound played by a Yamaha DX7.
The Hotrats covered the song on their 2009 album Turn Ons.^[7]
Phish has performed this song at (to date, Nov. 2023) 42 of their shows, often with drummer Jon Fishman playing a baby blue Electrolux vacuum cleaner.^[8]
The song was played by Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in 2018.^[9] "The interesting thing is how complex Syd's writing was," Mason observed. "I think we'd all agree that one of the most challenging songs is 'Bike', which has a very curious feel."^[10]

Personnel

Syd Barrett – electric guitars, double-tracked lead vocals, laughing, tape effects
Richard Wright – piano, harmonium, tack piano, celesta, violin, double-tracked backing vocals, laughing, tape effects
Roger Waters – bass guitar, laughing, tape effects
Nick Mason – drums, timpani, chimes, percussion, laughing, tape effects

References

^ Wild, Andrew (2017). Pink Floyd: Song by Song. Fonthill Media. p. 48.
^ Jim DeRogatis (2003). Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 4. ISBN 9780634055485.
^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. p. 1177. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
^ Mabbett, Andy (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-4301-X.
^ "Echoes: the album credits". Pink Floyd. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
^ "[PA-05] Another Game". NO ROOM. Archived from the original on 18 July 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
^ Thomas, Stephen. "Turn Ons - The Hotrats : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
^ "Bike History - Phish.Net". Retrieved 9 September 2015.
^ "Nick Mason Setlist at The Half Moon, London". setlist.fm. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
^ Yates, Henry (July 2018). "Set the controls for 60s Floyd". Classic Rock. No. 250. p. 14.