"Fearless" is the third track on the 1971 album ''

Meddle ''Meddle'' is the sixth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, released by Harvest Records. The album was produced between the band's touring commitments, from January to August 1971 at a series of locations around London, including EM ...

'' by Pink Floyd. It is a slow acoustic guitar-driven song written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, and includes audio of football fans singing "

You'll Never Walk Alone "You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and enco ...

". It was also released as the B-side of the single along with " One of These Days", and was praised by critics as one of the better songs from ''Meddle''.

Recording

The song's slow tempo and mellow acoustic sound bear similarities to some of the other tracks on the first side of the album. Roger Waters performed the acoustic guitar parts using an open tuning in G major, taught to Waters by former member Syd Barrett. Near the beginning and at the end of the song, a

field recording Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside a recording studio, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It also applies to sound recordings like electromagnetic fields or vibra ...

of fans in Liverpool's Kop singing "

" is superimposed over the music. This

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

song became the anthem of

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

after

Gerry & the Pacemakers Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongsid ...

had a number one hit with their recording.

Other releases

Although it was not released as a single in the UK and never played live, it was released as the "B-side" of the single "One of These Days" in 1971. Roger Waters briefly resurrected the song for a small number of shows in 2016, and the song was played by

Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets are an English rock band formed in 2018 to perform the early music of Pink Floyd. The band comprises the Pink Floyd drummer and co-founder Nick Mason, the bassist Guy Pratt, the guitarists Gary Kemp and Lee Harr ...

on their tours in 2018, 2019 and 2022. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, '' Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd'', but was ultimately rejected for inclusion.

Reception

In a review for the ''Meddle'' album, Jean-Charles Costa of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' described "Fearless" as "a clever spoof" that "leads up to a classic crowd rendition of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "You'll Never Walk Alone"." ''Classic Rock Review'' described "Fearless" as "the best overall song on the album and talks about meeting challenges in the face of adversity." They went on saying "Fearless" is "highlighted by Gilmour’s calm yet strong guitar strumming and the odd beat from drummer Nick Mason."

Personnel

* David Gilmour – double-tracked vocals, acoustic and

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

s * Roger Waters – bass guitar, acoustic guitar * Richard Wright – piano * Nick Mason – drums, tambourine with: *

Fans Kop – chanting "You'll Never Walk Alone"

In popular culture

* In Richard Linklater's film '' Everybody Wants Some!!'' (2016), stoner/philosopher Willoughby (

Wyatt Russell Wyatt Hawn Russell (born July 10, 1986) Retrieved December 31, 2016Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2013. is an American actor and former ice hockey player. Russell portrayed Corporal Lewis Ford in Julius Avery's 2018 horror film ''Overl ...

) plays Pink Floyd's "Fearless" for his housemates while praising the arrangement.

References

{{authority control Pink Floyd songs 1971 songs 1970s ballads Liverpool F.C. songs Folk rock songs Rock ballads Songs written by David Gilmour Songs written by Roger Waters Song recordings produced by David Gilmour Song recordings produced by Roger Waters Song recordings produced by Richard Wright (musician) Song recordings produced by Nick Mason