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Louder than Words (Pink Floyd song)

original song composed by David Gilmour, lyrivs by Polly Samson; first recorded and released by Pink Floyd

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 23, 2026
Entity authorityQ18228613 ↗
Source-derived summary

"Louder than Words" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, written by David Gilmour and Polly Samson. The song, featuring lyrics written by Samson to accompany a composition by Gilmour, was recorded by the band as the closing track of their fifteenth studio and final album, The Endless River. The track features a posthumous appearance by former keyboardist and founder member of Pink Floyd, Richard Wright, and an appearance by electronic string quartet Escala. "Louder than Words" is the only song on the album with lyrics, which were sung by Gilmour.

The track was released to US mainstream rock radio on 14 October 2014, serving as the first and only release in promotion of The Endless River.

Composition

The music accompanying the song, composed by David Gilmour, has been described by various music critics and writers, including Exclaim! writer Josiah Hughes as "a slow-burning, melodramatic track complete with plenty of intense guitar and synth work" and by Clash writer Robin Murray as a "sparse, trippy track, one which is heavy on guitar led atmosphere and ominous electronic production". The lyrics, written by Gilmour's wife, Polly Samson, provide "stately depiction of undying love, a tribute to Richard Wright and the importance of overcoming petty differences". Gilmour spoke about the song with The Guardian, stating:

Well, Rick is gone. This is the last thing that'll be out from us.

Editorial summary

“Louder than Words (Pink Floyd song)” enters the record as original song composed by David Gilmour, lyrivs by Polly Samson; first recorded and released by Pink Floyd. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Louder, than and Words can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2014—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2014. Its strongest next move is a source search built around Louder, than and Words.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“Louder than Words (Pink Floyd song)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Louder, than and Words provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18228613. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2014.

Critical limits

Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Louder than Words (Pink Floyd song)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.