Pink Floyd, Ukraine, Rock, News, Music News

Pink Floyd Support Ukraine with New Song 'Hey, Hey, Rise Up!'

Yes, you read that title correctly: Pink Floyd has just released their first piece of new music since the 90s. While it's unclear if more Pink Floyd music could be on the way, this new single titled "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" was created to support Ukraine.

The new song features Andriy Khlyvnyuk, a member of the Ukrainian band Boombox who left his tour in the U.S. to return home and fight in Ukraine. The new track showcases Khlyvnyuk’s vocals from an Instagram video of him singing the Ukranian protest song “Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow” while in Kyiv’s Sophia Square earlier this year. Khlyvnyuk is currently recovering from a shrapnel injury.

The song's release also comes with a music video, directed by Mat Whitecross. According to a press release, Pink Floyd recorded “Hey, Hey, Rise Up!” on Wednesday, March 30, and the video was created that same day. The track features David Gilmour and Nick Mason with bassist Guy Pratt and keyboardist Nitin Sawhney. Proceeds from the song will go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund.

“Hey, Hey, Rise Up!” is technically the first new original music from the band since 1994’s The Division Bell. The band released The Endless River in 2014, but that album was mostly material from the sessions for The Division Bell.

The new music isn't the first instance of Pink Floyd supporting Ukraine. Last month, the band pulled their music from Russian and Belarusian digital music platforms to stand in solidarity with the invaded country.

In a statement about the new song, Gilmour said, “I hope it will receive wide support and publicity. We want to raise funds for humanitarian charities, and raise morale. We want express our support for Ukraine and in that way, show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become.”

Listen to "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" and see an English translation below.


“Hey, Hey, Rise Up!” Translation:

In the meadow a red viburnum has bent down low
Our glorious Ukraine has been troubled so
And we’ll take that red viburnum and we will raise it up
And we, our glorious Ukraine shall, hey—hey, rise up—and rejoice!
And we’ll take that red viburnum and we will raise it up
And we, our glorious Ukraine shall, hey—hey, rise up and rejoice!


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Article Image: Close-up of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour as he stares ahead in deep blue lighting. (Pink Floyd via YouTube.)

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About Kathryn Milewski

  • New Jersey