"Here I Go" is a song by former singer/songwriter of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett and is the sixth track on his first solo album, ''

The Madcap Laughs ''The Madcap Laughs'' is the debut solo album by the English singer-songwriter Syd Barrett. It was recorded after Barrett had left Pink Floyd in April 1968. The album had a chequered recording history, with work beginning in mid-1968, but the ...

''. The song tells the story in which the narrator's girlfriend leaves him because "a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

is far better" than himself. He attempts to win her back by writing her a song, but when he goes to her house to show it to her, he instead finds himself falling in love with her sister.

Writing

The song had already been written as early as 1967 and was previously titled "Boon Tune." While Pink Floyd were still working with

Joe Boyd Joe Boyd (born August 5, 1942) is an American record producer and writer. He formerly owned Hannibal Records. Boyd has worked on recordings of Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, The Incredible String Ba ...

as their producer, Barrett offered Boyd a tape containing several demos, one of which was "Boon Tune," for the band to record. The other members, however, rejected the song, and it was offered to

The Purple Gang The Purple Gang, also known as the Sugar House Gang, was a criminal mob of bootleggers and hijackers comprised predominantly of Jewish gangsters. They operated in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1920s of the Prohibition era and came to be Detr ...

, a jug band who recently saw chart success with the song "Granny Takes a Trip," to record instead; due to pressure from their record label, they shelved the recording until 2006.

Recording

During the recording sessions for ''The Madcap Laughs'', for the session on 17 April 1969, Barrett brought in fellow musicians Jerry Shirley, drummer with Humble Pie, and Willie Wilson, Jokers Wild's drummer, although for this occasion he was playing bass. Working in

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although '' Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly ...

Studio 2, the musicians recorded "No Man's Land" together, then they recorded "Here I Go" – the song required no overdubs of any kind. The session for these two songs only lasted three hours. About 40 years later, for release on ''

An Introduction to Syd Barrett ''An Introduction to Syd Barrett'' is a 'best of' compilation featuring the work of Syd Barrett spanning the period 1967–1970, including both material written during his time with Pink Floyd and his post-band solo career. Release The album wa ...

'', David Gilmour added bass to several tracks, including "Here I Go".

Personnel

* Syd Barrett –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

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 ...

With: * Willie Wilson – drums * David Gilmour – bass (re-release on ''

'')

References

{{authority control Syd Barrett songs Songs written by Syd Barrett Experimental rock songs 1970 songs