Ice-T and David Gilmour Team Up for New Version of Pink Floyd's 'Comfortably Numb'

Ice-T put a new spin on the Pink Floyd classic.

On Friday, September 20, the rapper and his heavy metal band Body Count teamed up with David Gilmour to release a new version of the rock group’s 1979 track “Comfortably Numb” from their seminal album Wall.

The new rendition of the song adds incredible instrumentation from former Pink Floyd guitarist, 78, which creates a fascinating dichotomy with the intensity of Body Count. The song also includes new verses from Law and Order: Star of the Special Victims Unit66.

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“For me, ‘Comfortably Numb’ is an introspective song — I’m the one admitting that I’m older now,” Ice-T said in a statement. “I say to the younger generation, you have two choices: you can keep the fire burning or you can give up.”

He added: “I’m trying to figure out what’s going on, but I’m also pointing out that we’re all in a place where we don’t have to face reality. We have flat screen TVs and popcorn, and we can just sit and watch the chaos in the world as if it were a TV show. No it feels real until it shows up at your door, and I’m a little numb.”

In a statement, Gilmour called Body Count’s performance of “Comfortably Numb” “pretty radical.”

“Those words really hit me,” he said. “It amazes me that a song I wrote almost 50 years ago has come back with this great new take. They’ve made it relevant again.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone on Friday, September 20, Ice-T revealed that Pink Floyd initially wouldn’t let him do his own version of the song.

Ice-T in June 2018.

Katja Ogrin/Redferns/Getty

“When we initially contacted their publisher, they said ‘no,'” he told the publication. “It wasn’t a diss, it was something like ‘Pink Floyd don’t do samples. They don’t even do commercials.’ We were fucked. I wasn’t going to take the text and put it on another track. I was just going to set it on fire.”

After the “Mind Over Matter” artist decided to ask Gilmour and Roger Waters directly, things changed.

“When we got to David, he said, ‘Y—, yeah. i love this song. I approve of that,’ Ice-T said. “And then Roger listened to it and his only comment was, ‘Who’s singing?’ When he heard it was Ice-T, he approved.’ To have two people sitting on two opposite sides of the fence agreeing on a song means it has to be good.”

Body count.

Alessandro Solca

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Body Count have also announced the release date of their new album, Without mercywhich is scheduled for November 22.

The band’s latest release, Carnivoreit came out in 2020.

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Source: HIS Education