The Dogs of War (song) explained

The Dogs of War
Cover:Pink Floyd - "The Dogs of War".jpg
Type:promotional single
Artist:Pink Floyd
Album:A Momentary Lapse of Reason
B-Side:On The Turning Away (Live)
Recorded:November – December 1986
Genre:Progressive rock, blues rock
Length:6:11
Label:CBS Records
Prev Title:On the Turning Away
Prev Year:1987
Next Title:One Slip
Next Year:1988

"The Dogs of War" is a song by Pink Floyd from their 1987 album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason.[1] [2] It was released as a promotional single from the album. Live versions have an extended intro, an extended middle solo for the saxophone, a guitar and sax duel and a longer outro as compared to the album version. The track was a minor rock radio hit in the US and reached #16 on MTV's Video Countdown in May 1988.

"The Dogs of War" describes politicians orchestrating wars, suggesting the major influence behind war is money.

Composition

Musically, the song follows a twelve-bar blues structure in C minor, only with significantly different chord changes. A standard blues song in C minor would progress as C minor, F minor, C minor, G (major or minor), F minor, and back to C minor. "The Dogs of War", instead, progresses in this way: C minor, E♭ minor, C minor, A♭ seventh, F minor, and back to C minor. All minor chords include the seventh.

Singer David Gilmour often approaches the C minor chord by singing on the diminished fifth, G flat, before descending to the fourth, minor third, and root. This melody is also compatible with the next chord, E♭ minor, in which G flat is the minor third. It also appears in the A♭ seventh chord, as the dominant seventh.

The majority of the song is in a slow 12/8 time. After a bluesy guitar solo, the song switches to a fast 4/4 tempo for the saxophone solo. This is not unlike what happens in "Money", a minor-key blues-based song from The Dark Side of the Moon, in which a saxophone solos over the song's predominant 7/4 tempo before switching to a faster 4/4 tempo for the guitar solo. "The Dogs of War" also imitates "Money" in its ending sequence, with a "call and response" between Gilmour's voice and his guitar.[3] [4]

Video

The video for the track composed of the backdrop film directed by Storm Thorgerson which depicted German Shepherds with yellow eyes running through a war zone plus a live recording and concert footage filmed during the band's three night run at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia in November 1987 directed by Lawrence Jordan (who has directed concert films for Rush, Mariah Carey and Billy Joel). Videos for "On the Turning Away" and "One Slip" were also filmed at this concert.

Personnel on studio version

Additional musicians:

Personnel on live versions

with:

Cover version

Slovenian industrial group Laibach covered the song on their album, NATO (1994).[5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Strong , Martin C. . The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Books. Edinburgh. 1-84195-551-5. 1177. 2004. 7th.
  2. Book: Mabbett , Andy . The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd. Omnibus Press. London. 0-7119-4301-X. 1995.
  3. Pink Floyd: A Momentary Lapse of Reason Songbook U.K.
  4. Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon (1973 Pink Floyd Music Publishers Ltd., London, England, [USA {{ISBN|0-8256-1078-8}}])
  5. Web site: AllMusic. NATO.