Pink Floyd: "Young Lust" (1979)

"Young Lust" is a song by Pink Floyd. It appears on The Wall album in 1979. It is approximately 3 minutes, 30 seconds in length. The lead vocals in the song are sung by David Gilmour, except when Roger Waters sings background vocals during the chorus. The song has a distinctive, raw hard rock sound that, along with their earlier piece "The Nile Song" from More, stands out among Pink Floyd's œuvre as one of the band's few pieces in that genre.

It follows "Empty Spaces" on the album, segueing into "Young Lust." However, there is a promo single which contains the full-length version with a clean guitar intro and outro. This is rare among Pink Floyd collectors, and has been bootlegged on the mammoth 17-CD set "A Tree Of Secrets".

The guitar line used at the end of the second verse was later used after the final guitar solo of "Learning to Fly" on the live recordings Delicate Sound of Thunder and P*U*L*S*E.

As with the other songs on The Wall, "Young Lust" tells a portion of the story of "Pink", the album's protagonist. Pink has become a rock star, and is always away from home as a result of his demanding lifestyle. He begins inviting groupies into his room between concerts, having not seen his wife in months.


- Lyrics:

I am just a new boy
Stranger in this town
Where are all the good times?
Who's gonna show this stranger around?

Ooooo I need a dirty woman
Ooooo I need a dirty girl

Will some woman in this desert land
Make me feel like a real man?
Take this rock n roll refugee
Ooo Babe, set me free

Ooooo I need a dirty woman
Ooooo I need a dirty girl

Ooooo I need a dirty woman
Ooooo I need a dirty girl

(Phone Ringing)
[Man:] "Hello?"
[Operator:] "Yes, a collect call for Mrs. Floyd from Mr. Floyd.
Will you accept the charges from the United States"
(Phone is Hung Up)
"He hung up. Is this your residence, sir?"
"I wonder why he hung up..."
"There must be someone else there
besides your wife to answer."
(Phone Ringing)
[Man:] "Hello?"
[Operator:] "This is the United States calling."
"Are we reaching?"
(Phone is Hung Up)
"See he keeps hanging up."
"But it's a man answering."
(Operator cuts connection)