Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album)

Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US, their first for the label. Based on material Pink Floyd composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded over numerous sessions throughout 1975 at EMI Studios in London.

Wish You Were Here
Standard artwork for most releases. Cover by Hipgnosis.
Studio album by Pink Floyd
Released	12 September 1975
Recorded	13 January – 28 July 1975^[1]
Studio	EMI, London
Genre	Progressive rock^[2] art rock^[3] experimental rock^[4]
Length	44:05
Label	Harvest Columbia
Producer	Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd chronology
The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) Wish You Were Here (1975) Animals (1977)
Additional cover
Banner used for 1970s vinyl releases packaged in black shrink wrap, 1970s tape releases, 1980s European CD re-releases, and slipcase of 2010s vinyl re-release.
Singles from Wish You Were Here
"Have a Cigar" Released: November 1975
Licensed audio
Wish You Were Here playlist on YouTube

The lyrics express alienation and criticism of the music business. The bulk of the album is taken up by "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a nine-part tribute to the Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett, who had left seven years earlier due to his deteriorating mental health. Barrett coincidentally visited during the recording. As with their previous release, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Pink Floyd employed studio effects and synthesisers. Guest singers included Roy Harper, who provided the lead vocals on "Have a Cigar", and Venetta Fields, who added backing vocals to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". To promote the album, Pink Floyd released the double A-side single "Have a Cigar" / "Welcome to the Machine".

Wish You Were Here was certified gold in the UK and the US in its year of release and topped the charts in several European countries. By 2004, it had sold an estimated 13 million copies worldwide. It initially received mixed reviews; critics found its music uninspiring and inferior to Pink Floyd's previous work. It was later acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all time, appearing on lists including Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums. It was cited by the keyboardist, Richard Wright, and the guitarist, David Gilmour, as their favourite Pink Floyd album.

Background

During 1974, Pink Floyd sketched out three new compositions, "Raving and Drooling", "You Gotta Be Crazy" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".^{[nb 1][5]} These songs were performed during a series of concerts in France and England, the band's first tour since 1973's The Dark Side of the Moon. As Pink Floyd had never employed a publicist and kept themselves distant from the press, their relationship with the media began to sour. Mason said later that a critical NME review by Syd Barrett devotee Nick Kent may have had an influence in keeping the band together, as they returned to the studio in the first week of 1975.^[6]

Concept

Wish You Were Here is Floyd's second album with a conceptual theme, mostly at Roger Waters' direction. It reflects his feeling that the camaraderie that had served the band was, by then, largely absent.^[7] The album begins with a long instrumental preamble and segues into the lyrics for "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", a tribute to Syd Barrett, whose mental breakdown had forced him to leave the group seven years earlier.^[8] Barrett is fondly recalled with lines such as "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun" and "You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon".^[9]

Wish You Were Here is also a critique of the music business. "Shine On" crosses seamlessly into "Welcome to the Machine", a song that begins with an opening door (described by Waters as a symbol of musical discovery and progress betrayed by a music industry more interested in greed and success) and ends with a party, the latter epitomising "the lack of contact and real feelings between people". Similarly, "Have a Cigar" scorns record industry "fat-cats" with the lyrics repeating a stream of cliches heard by rising newcomers in the industry, and including the question "by the way, which one's Pink?" asked of the band on at least one occasion.^[10] The lyrics of the next song, "Wish You Were Here", relate both to Barrett's condition and to the dichotomy of Waters' character, with greed and ambition battling with compassion and idealism.^[11]

"I had some criticisms of Dark Side of the Moon…" noted David Gilmour. "One or two of the vehicles carrying the ideas were not as strong as the ideas that they carried. I thought we should try and work harder on marrying the idea and the vehicle that carried it, so that they both had an equal magic… It's something I was personally pushing when we made Wish You Were Here."^[12]

Recording

 

Abbey Road Studios, formerly EMI Studios

Alan Parsons, EMI staff engineer for Pink Floyd's previous studio album, The Dark Side of the Moon, declined to continue working with them due to him starting his own group and working on their first album. The group had worked with engineer Brian Humphries on More, recorded at Pye Studios,^[13] and again in 1974 when he replaced an inexperienced concert engineer.^[14] Humphries was therefore the natural choice to work on the band's new material, although, being a stranger to EMI's Abbey Road set-up, he encountered some early difficulties. On one occasion, Humphries inadvertently spoiled the backing tracks for "Shine On", a piece that Waters and drummer Nick Mason had spent many hours perfecting, with echo. The entire piece had to be re-recorded.^[10][15][16]

The sessions for Wish You Were Here at EMI's Studio Three (now Abbey Road Studios)^[17] lasted from January until July 1975, recording on four days each week from 2:30 pm until very late in the evening.^[18] The group found it difficult at first to devise any new material, especially as the success of The Dark Side of the Moon had left all four physically and emotionally drained. Keyboardist Richard Wright later described these sessions as "falling within a difficult period", and Waters recalled them as "torturous".^[19] Mason found the process of multi-track recording drawn-out and tedious,^[20] while Gilmour was more interested in improving the band's existing material. Gilmour was also becoming increasingly frustrated with Mason, whose failing marriage had brought on a general malaise and sense of apathy, both of which interfered with his drumming.^[19]

It was a very difficult period I have to say. All your childhood dreams had been sort of realised and we had the biggest selling records in the world and all the things you got into it for. The girls and the money and the fame and all that stuff it was all ... everything had sort of come our way and you had to reassess what you were in it for thereafter, and it was a pretty confusing and sort of empty time for a while. —David Gilmour^[16]

Humphries gave his point of view regarding these struggled sessions in a 2014 interview: “There were days when we didn't do anything. I don't think they knew what they wanted to do. We had a dartboard and an air rifle and we'd play these word games, sit around, get drunk, go home and return the next day. That’s all we were doing until suddenly everything started falling into place.”^[18]

After several weeks, Waters began to visualise another concept.^[19] The three new compositions from 1974's tour were at least a starting point for a new album, and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" seemed a reasonable choice as a centrepiece for the new work. Mostly an instrumental 20-minute-plus piece similar to "Echoes", the opening four-note guitar phrase reminded Waters of the lingering ghost of former band-member Syd Barrett.^[21] Gilmour had composed the phrase entirely by accident, but was encouraged by Waters' positive response.^[22] Waters wanted to split "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and sandwich two new songs between its two halves. Gilmour disagreed, but was outvoted three to one.^[23] "Welcome to the Machine" and "Have a Cigar" were barely veiled attacks on the music business, their lyrics working neatly with "Shine On" to provide an apt summary of the rise and fall of Barrett;^[24] "Because I wanted to get as close as possible to what I felt ... that sort of indefinable, inevitable melancholy about the disappearance of Syd."^[21] "Raving and Drooling" and "You’ve Got To Be Crazy" had no place in the new concept, and were set aside until the following album, 1977's Animals.^[7]

Syd Barrett's visit

On 5 June 1975, on the eve of Pink Floyd's second US tour that year, Gilmour married his first wife, Ginger.^{[nb 2]} That day, the band were completing the mix of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"^{[nb 3]} when an overweight man with shaven head and eyebrows entered, carrying a plastic bag. Waters did not recognise him.^[8] Gilmour presumed he was an EMI staff member.^[22] Wright presumed he was a friend of Waters, but realised it was Barrett.^[25] Mason also failed to recognise him and was "horrified" when Gilmour identified him. In Mason's Pink Floyd memoir Inside Out, he recalled Barrett's conversation as "desultory and not entirely sensible".^[26] Cover artist Storm Thorgerson reflected on Barrett's presence: "Two or three people cried. He sat round and talked for a bit but he wasn't really there."^[27] According to Gilmour, Barrett "came two or three days and then he didn't come anymore.".^[28]

Waters was reportedly reduced to tears by the sight of his former bandmate. When fellow visitor Andrew King asked how Barrett had gained so much weight, Barrett said he had a large refrigerator in his kitchen and had been eating lots of pork chops. He mentioned that he was ready to help with the recording, but while listening to the mix of "Shine On", showed no signs of understanding its relevance to him. Barrett joined Gilmour's wedding reception in the EMI canteen, but left without saying goodbye. Apart from Waters seeing Barrett buying sweets in Harrods a couple of years later, it was the last time any member of the band saw him alive. Barrett's appearance may have influenced the final version of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"; a subtle refrain performed by Wright from "See Emily Play" is audible towards the end.^[26] Waters said later: "'Shine On' is not really about Syd—he's just a symbol for all the extremes of absence some people have to indulge in because it's the only way they can cope with how fucking sad it is, modern life, to withdraw completely. I found that terribly sad."^[29]

Instrumentation

 

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond"

The four note phrase from "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", composed by David Gilmour

---

"Have a Cigar"

"Have a Cigar" was sung by Roy Harper, something that Waters later regretted. The song contains lyrics that are critical of the music industry.

---

Problems playing these files? See media help.

As with The Dark Side of the Moon, the band used synthesizers such as the EMS VCS 3 (on "Welcome to the Machine"), but softened with Gilmour's acoustic guitar, and percussion from Mason.^[10] The beginning of "Shine On" contains remnants from a previous but incomplete studio recording by the band known as "Household Objects". Wine glasses had been filled with varying amounts of fluid, and recordings were made of a wet finger circling the edge of each glass. These recordings were multi-tracked into chords.^[7]

Jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli and classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin were performing in another studio in the building, and were invited to record a piece for the new album. Menuhin watched as Grappelli played on the song "Wish You Were Here"; however, the band later decided his contribution was unsuitable and, until 2011, it was believed that the piece had been wiped.^[30][31] It turns out his playing was included on the album, but so low in the final mix that the band presumed it would be insulting to credit him.^[32] He was paid £300 for his contribution (equivalent to £2,700 in 2024).^[33][34] Saxophonist Dick Parry, who had performed on The Dark Side of the Moon, performed on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".^[35] The opening bars of "Wish You Were Here" were recorded from Gilmour's car radio, with somebody turning the dial (the classical music heard is the finale of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony).^[36]

Vocals

Recording sessions had twice been interrupted by US tours (one in April and the other in June 1975),^[37] and the final sessions, which occurred after the band's performance at Knebworth, proved particularly troublesome for Waters.^[23] He struggled to record the vocals for "Have a Cigar", requiring several takes to perform an acceptable version. His problems stemmed in part from the stresses placed upon his voice while recording the lead vocals of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". Gilmour was asked to sing in his place,^[30] but declined, and eventually colleague and friend Roy Harper was asked to stand in. Harper was recording his own album in another of EMI's studios, and Gilmour had already performed some guitar licks for him. Waters later regretted the decision, believing he should have performed the song.^[38] The Blackberries recorded backing vocals for "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".^[35]

Touring

The band played much of Wish You Were Here on 5 July 1975 at the Knebworth music festival. Roy Harper, performing at the same event, on discovering that his stage costume was missing, proceeded to destroy one of Pink Floyd's vans, injuring himself in the process. This delayed the normal setup procedure of the band's sound system. As a pair of World War II Spitfire aircraft had been booked to fly over the crowd during their entrance, the band were not able to delay their set. The result was that a power supply problem pushed Wright's keyboards completely out of tune, damaging the band's performance. At one point he left the stage, but the band were able to continue with a less sensitive keyboard, a piano and a simpler light show. Following a brief intermission, they returned to perform The Dark Side of the Moon, but critics displeased about being denied access backstage savaged the performance.^[39][40]

Packaging

 

Part of the Warner Bros. studio complex in California, where the cover image was photographed

 

Mono Lake in California

Wish You Were Here was sold in one of the more elaborate packages to accompany a Pink Floyd album. Storm Thorgerson had accompanied the band on their 1974 tour and had given serious thought to the meaning of the lyrics, eventually deciding that the songs were, in general, concerned with "unfulfilled presence", rather than Barrett's illness.^[41] This theme of absence was reflected in the ideas produced by his long hours spent brainstorming with the band. Thorgerson had noted that Roxy Music's Country Life was sold in an opaque green cellophane sleeve – censoring the cover image – and he copied the idea, concealing the artwork for Wish You Were Here in a black-coloured shrink-wrap (therefore making the album art "absent"). The concept behind "Welcome to the Machine" and "Have a Cigar" suggested the use of a handshake (an often empty gesture), and George Hardie designed a sticker containing the album's logo of two mechanical hands engaged in a handshake, to be placed on the opaque sleeve (the mechanical handshake logo would also appear on the labels of the vinyl album this time in a black and blue background).^[42][43]

The album's cover images were photographed by Aubrey "Po" Powell, Thorgerson's partner at the design studio Hipgnosis, and inspired by the idea that people tend to conceal their true feelings, for fear of "getting burned", and thus two businessmen were pictured shaking hands, one man on fire. "Getting burned" was also a common phrase in the music industry, used often by artists denied royalty payments. Two stuntmen were used (Ronnie Rondell and Danny Rogers), one dressed in a fireproof suit covered by a business suit. His head was protected by a hood, underneath a wig. The photograph was taken at Warner Bros. Studios in California, known at the time as The Burbank Studios.^[42][43] Initially the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, and the flames were forced into Rondell's face, burning his moustache. The two stuntmen changed positions, and the image was later reversed.^[44] The versions released on Harvest label (in Europe) and on Columbia label (among others, United States, Canada and Australia) use similar, but different photos from the photo session.^[45]

The album's back cover depicts a faceless "Floyd salesman", in Thorgerson's words, "selling his soul" in the desert (shot in the Yuma Desert in California again by Powell). The absence of wrists and ankles signifies his presence as an "empty suit". The inner sleeve shows a veil concealing a nude woman in a windswept Norfolk grove, and a splash-less diver at Mono Lake – titled Monosee (the German translation of Mono Lake) in the liner notes – in California (again emphasising the theme of absence).^[42][43] Various releases of the album on Vinyl included a postcard with this image.^[46] The decision to shroud the cover in black plastic was not popular with the band's US record company, Columbia Records, which insisted that it be changed but was over-ruled. EMI was less concerned;^[44][47] the band were reportedly extremely happy with the end product, and when presented with a pre-production mockup, they accepted it with a spontaneous round of applause.^[42]

Release

The album was released on 12 September 1975 in the UK, and on the following day in the US.^[48] It was Pink Floyd's first album with Columbia Records, an affiliate of CBS; the band and their manager Steve O'Rourke had been dissatisfied with the efforts of EMI's US label Capitol Records.^[49] The band remained with EMI's Harvest Records in Europe.^[50]

In Britain, with 250,000 advance sales,^[51] the album debuted at number three^[52] and reached number one the following week.^{[53][nb 4]} Demand was such that EMI informed retailers that only half of their orders would be fulfilled.^[51] With 900,000 advance orders (the largest for any Columbia release)^[54] it reached number one on the US Billboard chart in its second week. Wish You Were Here was Pink Floyd's fastest-selling album ever.^[51] The album was certified silver and gold (60,000 and 100,000 sales respectively) in the UK on 1 August 1975, and Gold in the US on 17 September 1975. It was certified six-times platinum in the US on 16 May 1997,^[55] and by 2004 had sold an estimated 13 million copies worldwide.^[43] "Have a Cigar" was chosen by Columbia as the first single,^[10] with "Welcome to the Machine" on the B-side in the US.^{[nb 5]} It topped Dutch, English and Spanish charts; in Spain, it remained at number one for 20 weeks.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Retrospective professional reviews

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[57]
Blender	^[58]
Christgau's Record Guide	A−^[59]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[60]
The Great Rock Discography	10/10^[citation needed]
Music Story	^[citation needed]
MusicHound Rock	5/5^[61]
Record Collector	^[62]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[63]
Tom Hull – on the Web	A^[64]

On release, the album received mixed reviews. Ben Edmunds wrote in Rolling Stone that the band's "lackadaisical demeanor" leaves the subject of Barrett "unrealised; they give such a matter-of-fact reading of the goddamn thing that they might as well be singing about Roger Waters's brother-in-law getting a parking ticket". Edmunds concluded the band is "devoid" of the "sincere passion for their 'art'" that contemporary space rock acts purportedly have.^[65] Melody Maker's reviewer wrote: "From whichever direction one approaches Wish You Were Here, it still sounds unconvincing in its ponderous sincerity and displays a critical lack of imagination in all departments."^[48] A positive review came from Robert Christgau in The Village Voice: "The music is not only simple and attractive, with the synthesizer used mostly for texture and the guitar breaks for comment, but it actually achieves some of the symphonic dignity (and cross-referencing) that The Dark Side of the Moon simulated so ponderously."^[66] Years later, he reflected further on the record: "My favorite Pink Floyd album has always been Wish You Were Here, and you know why? It has soul, that's why – it's Roger Waters's lament for Syd, not my idea of a tragic hero but as long as he's Roger's that doesn't matter."^[67]

Wish You Were Here has since been frequently regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, and is generally ranked as one of the greatest progressive rock albums. In 2003, it was ranked at number 209 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,^[68] ranked at number 211 in a 2012 revised list,^[69] and ranked at number 264 in a 2020 revised list.^[70] In 2015, it was chosen as the fourth-greatest progressive rock album by Rolling Stone.^[2] In 2014, Prog readers voted it the seventh-greatest progressive rock album of all time.^[71] In 1998, Q readers voted Wish You Were Here the 34th-greatest album of all time.^[72] In 2000, the same magazine placed it at number 43 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.^[73] In 2000, it was voted number 38 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.^[74] In 2007, one of Germany's largest public radio stations, WDR 2, asked its listeners to vote for the 200 best albums of all time. Wish You Were Here was voted number one.^[75] In 2004, Wish You Were Here was ranked number 36 on the Pitchfork list of the Top 100 albums of the 1970s.^[76] IGN rated Wish You Were Here as the eighth-greatest classic rock album,^[77] and Ultimate Classic Rock placed Wish You Were Here as the second-best Pink Floyd album.^[78]

Despite the problems during production, the album remained Wright's favourite: "It's an album I can listen to for pleasure, and there aren't many Floyd albums that I can."^[8][79] Gilmour shares this view: "I for one would have to say that it is my favourite album, the Wish You Were Here album. The end result of all that, whatever it was, definitely has left me an album I can live with very very happily. I like it very much."^[16]

"Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were the most complete albums we ever made," remarked Waters. "Wish You Were Here came close, without being a complete classic… For me, that album and Animals signalled the end of the band as it had been before."^[80]

Reissues and remastering

Wish You Were Here has been remastered and re-released on several formats. In the UK and US the album was re-issued in quadraphonic using the SQ format in 1976,^{[nb 6]} and in 1980 a special Hi-Fi Today audiophile print was released in the UK.^{[nb 7]} It was released on CD in Japan in October 1982,^{[nb 8]} in the US in 1983, and in the UK in 1985,^{[nb 9]} and again as a remastered CD with new artwork in 1994.^{[nb 10]} In the US, Columbia's CBS Mastersound label released a half-speed mastered audiophile LP in 1981,^{[nb 11]} and in 1994 Sony Mastersound released a 24-carat gold-plated CD, remastered using Super Bit Mapping, with the original artwork from the LP in both longbox and jewel case forms, the latter with a cardboard slipcover.^{[nb 12][43]} The album was included as part of the box set Shine On,^[81] and three years later Columbia Records released an updated remastered CD, 17 seconds longer than the EMI remasters from 1994, giving a running time of 44:28.^[43]

The label was a recreation of the original machine handshake logo, with a black and blue background.^{[nb 13]} The album was subsequently re-released in 2000 for its 25th anniversary, on the Capitol Records label in the US.^{[nb 14][43]} The album was re-released and remixed in 2011.^[82] The Wish You Were Here – Immersion Box Set includes the new stereo digital remaster (2011) by James Guthrie on CD, an unreleased 5.1 Surround Mix (2009) by James Guthrie on DVD and Blu-ray, a Quad Mix (which had been released only on vinyl LP and 8-track tape) on DVD, as well as the original stereo mix (1975) on DVD and Blu-ray.^{[nb 15]} This campaign also featured the 2011 stereo remaster on 180g heavyweight vinyl,^{[nb 16]} as well as the 2011 stereo remaster and the 5.1 surround sound mix (2009) as a hybrid Super Audio CD (SACD). In 2016, the 180g vinyl was re-released on the band's own Pink Floyd Records label (with distribution by Warner Music and Sony Music) this time remastered by James Guthrie, Joel Plante and Bernie Grundman.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Roger Waters.

Side one

No.	Title	Music	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (Parts I–V)	David Gilmour Richard Wright Waters	Waters	13:33
2.	"Welcome to the Machine"	Waters	Gilmour	7:25
Total length:				20:58

Side two

No.	Title	Music	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Have a Cigar"	Waters	Roy Harper	5:08
2.	"Wish You Were Here"	Waters Gilmour	Gilmour	5:35
3.	"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" (Parts VI–IX)	Gilmour Wright Waters (Parts VI–VIII) Wright (Part IX)	Waters	12:24
Total length:				23:07 44:05

Personnel

Pink Floyd

• David Gilmour – vocals, guitars, pedal steel guitar, EMS Synthi AKS, additional bass, glass harmonica, tape effects
• Nick Mason – drums, percussion, timpani, cymbals, tape effects
• Roger Waters – vocals, bass, EMS VCS 3, additional guitar, glass harmonica, tape effects
• Richard Wright – Hammond organ, ARP String Ensemble, Minimoog, Steinway piano, EMS VCS 3, Hohner Clavinet D6, Wurlitzer EP-200 electric piano, Rhodes piano, glass harmonica, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Dick Parry – tenor and baritone saxophone on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”^[83]
• Roy Harper – lead vocals on “Have a Cigar”^[84]
• Venetta Fields – backing vocals
• Carlena Williams – backing vocals

Production

• Brian Humphries – engineering
• Peter James – engineering, assistant engineering
• Bernie Caulder
• Phil Taylor – additional photography (remaster)
• Hipgnosis – design, photography
• Peter Christopherson, Jeff Smith, Howard Bartrop and Richard Manning – design assistants
• George Hardie – graphics
• Jill Furmanovsky – additional photography (remaster)
• Doug Sax, James Guthrie – 1992 remastering at The Mastering Lab^[85]
• James Guthrie, Joel Plante – 2011 remastering at das boot recording^[86]

Charts

Weekly charts 1975–2011 weekly chart performance for Wish You Were Here Chart (1975) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[87] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[88] 2 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[89] 14 Finnish Albums (Suomen Virallinen)^[90] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[91] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[92] 6 Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)^[93] 1 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[94] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[95] 2 Spanish Albums (AFE)^[96] 1 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[97] 14 UK Albums (OCC)^[98] 1 US Billboard 200^[99] 1 Chart (1976) Peak position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[100] 9 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[101] 8 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[102] 6 UK Albums (OCC)^[103] 15 Chart (1977) Peak position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[104] 29 UK Albums (OCC)^[105] 28 Chart (1978) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[106] 23 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[107] 6 UK Albums (OCC)^[108] 52 Chart (1979) Peak position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[109] 44 UK Albums (OCC)^[110] 75 Chart (1980) Peak position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[109] 36 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[111] 40 Chart (1988) Peak position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[112] 29 UK Albums (OCC)^[113] 97 Chart (1990) Peak position Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[114] 26 Chart (1994) Peak position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[115] 33 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[116] 47 UK Albums (OCC)^[117] 52 Chart (1995) Peak position UK Albums (OCC)^[118] 87 Chart (1997) Peak position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[119] 43 Chart (2005) Peak position UK Albums (OCC)^[120] 65 Chart (2006) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[121] 85 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[122] 95 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[123] 13 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[124] 67 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[125] 70 Chart (2008) Peak position Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[126] 70 Chart (2011) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[127] 31 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[128] 77 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[129] 68 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[130] 34 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[91] 62 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[131] 50 French Albums (SNEP)^[132] 34 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[133] 4 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[134] 10 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[135] 24 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[136] 24 Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[137] 20 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[138] 19 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[139] 17 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[140] 22 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[141] 15 UK Albums (OCC)^[142] 38 US Billboard 200^[143] 33

2012–2021 weekly chart performance for Wish You Were Here Chart (2012) Peak position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[144] 28 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[145] 25 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[146] 25 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[116] 60 UK Albums (OCC)^[147] 74 Chart (2013) Peak position Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[148] 19 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[149] 33 UK Albums (OCC)^[150] 65 Chart (2014) Peak position Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[151] 28 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[152] 90 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[153] 74 Chart (2015) Peak position Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[154] 51 Chart (2016) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[155] 70 Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[156] 84 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[157] 73 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[158] 47 UK Albums (OCC)^[150] 93 Chart (2017) Peak position Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[159] 48 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[160] 50 UK Albums (OCC)^[161] 100 Chart (2018) Peak position Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[162] 37 Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[163] 32 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[164] 11 Chart (2019) Peak position Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[165] 76 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[166] 25 Chart (2020) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[167] 94 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[168] 18 Chart (2021) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[169] 78 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[170] 87 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[171] 3 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[172] 58

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Wish You Were Here Chart (1975) Position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[173] 12 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[174] 8 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[175] 6 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[176] 11 UK Albums (OCC)^[177] 22 Chart (1976) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[178] 8 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[179] 26 UK Albums (OCC)^[180] 47 Chart (1977) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[181] 2 Chart (1978) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[182] 2 Chart (1979) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[183] 3 Chart (1980) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[184] 9 Chart (1981) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[185] 53

Certifications and sales

‹See Tfd›‹See Tfd›

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)^[186]	Gold	30,000^^
Australia (ARIA)^[187]	7× Platinum	490,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)^[188]	2× Platinum	100,000^*
Brazil	—	80,000^[189]
Canada (Music Canada)^[190]	3× Platinum	300,000^^
France (SNEP)^[191]	Diamond	1,000,000^*
Germany (BVMI)^[193]	Platinum	1,500,000^[192]
Greece (IFPI Greece)^[194]	Gold	70,000^[195]
Italy sales to June 1979	—	450,000^[196]
Italy (FIMI)^[197] sales since 2009	3× Platinum	150,000^‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[198] Remastered	4× Platinum	60,000^^
Poland (ZPAV)^[199]	Gold	35,000^*
Poland (ZPAV)^[200] Rerelease	Platinum	20,000^‡
Portugal (AFP)^[201]	Gold	20,000^^
Spain	—	325,000^[202]
United Kingdom (BPI)^[203]	2× Platinum	600,000^^
United States (RIAA)^[204]	6× Platinum	6,000,000^^
Summaries
Worldwide	—	20,000,000^[205]
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

Informational notes

1. The first two would later be renamed "Sheep" and "Dogs", and would end up on Animals.
2. There seems to be some confusion about the date that Barrett turned up, and Gilmour's wedding. Blake (2008) writes that Gilmour's wedding was on 7 July, the date also given by Ginger in "The Pink Floyd FAQ", but that witnesses swore they saw Barrett at his reception at Abbey Road. Other authors claim that the reception and Barrett's visit were on 5 June.
3. Nick Mason has expressed doubt over this.^[17]
4. In his group biography, Nicholas Schaffner wrote "In America, the album hit number one in its second week on the Billboard charts; in Britain—where it went directly to the top on the strength of a quarter-million's advance sales ..." [emphasis added]^[51]
5. EMI Capitol 72438–58885^[56]
6. EMI Harvest Q4 SHVL 814 (UK), Columbia PCQ 33453 (US)
7. EMI Harvest SHVL 814
8. CBS/Sony 35DP 4
9. Columbia CK 33453 (US), EMI CDP 7460352 (UK)
10. EMI CD EMD 1062
11. Columbia HC 33453
12. Columbia CK 53753
13. Columbia CK 64405
14. Capitol 72438297502
15. Capitol 509990294352
16. Capitol 5099902988016

Citations

1. Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2017). Pink Floyd All The Songs. Running Press. ISBN 9780316439237.
2. "50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
3. Pink Floyd. 2002. p. 78. {{cite book}}: |magazine= ignored (help)
4. Hoffmann, Frank (2004). Encyclopedia of Recorded Sound. Routledge. p. 1651. ISBN 978-1-135-94950-1.
5. Schaffner 1991, p. 178
6. Schaffner 1991, pp. 178–184
7. Mason 2005, p. 204
8. The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story (DVD), BBC, 2003
9. Di Perna 2002, p. 23
10. Schaffner 1991, p. 187
11. Schaffner 1991, p. 188
12. Fielder, Hugh: "Sinking the pink"; Classic Rock #48, Christmas 2002, p59
13. Mason 2005, pp. 134, 200
14. Mason 2005, p. 200
15. Mason 2005, pp. 202–203
16. , Barbarosa Ltd. Productions, 1992, archived from the original on 14 December 2010
17. Mason 2005, p. 208
18. Buskin, Richard (December 2014). "Pink Floyd 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond'". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
19. Schaffner 1991, pp. 184–185
20. Mason 2005, p. 202
21. Schaffner 1991, p. 184
22. Watkinson & Anderson 2001, p. 119
23. Povey 2007, p. 190
24. Schaffner 1991, pp. 185–186
25. Schaffner 1991, p. 189
26. Mason 2005, pp. 206–208
27. Watkinson & Anderson 2001, p. 120
28. Musician, 1982
29. Watkinson & Anderson 2001, p. 121
30. Mason 2005, p. 206
31. Wilson, John (26 September 2011), Violinist Grappelli found on 'lost' Pink Floyd track, BBC, retrieved 24 September 2012
32. Richard, Metzger (26 April 2013), "Wish You Were Here: Pink Floyd Jam with Stéphane Grappelli, 1975", Dangerous Minds, retrieved 27 April 2013
33. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
34. Schaffner 1991, pp. 188–189
35. Blake 2008, p. 224
36. Blake 2008, p. 230
37. Schaffner 1991, pp. 186–187
38. Schaffner 1991, pp. 187–188
39. Schaffner 1991, pp. 192–193
40. Mason 2005, pp. 211–212
41. Schaffner 1991, p. 190
42. Schaffner 1991, pp. 190–192
43. Povey 2007, p. 346
44. Stuart, Julia (7 March 2007), "Cover stories" (Registration required), The Independent hosted at infoweb.newsbank.com, retrieved 21 August 2009
45. Wish You Were Here Vinyl cover?, 25 April 2015, retrieved 13 January 2023
46. "Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here - Discogs". Discogs.
47. Kean, Danuta (21 June 2007), "Cover story that leaves authors out of picture", Financial Times, archived from the original on 10 December 2022, retrieved 21 August 2009
48. Povey 2007, p. 197
49. Harris 2006, pp. 158–161
50. Schaffner 1991, p. 173
51. Schaffner 1991, p. 193
52. "Official Albums Chart Top 60: 21 September 1975 – 27 September 1975". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
53. "Official Albums Chart Top 60: 28 September 1975 – 04 October 1975". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
54. Blake 2008, p. 235
55. , RIAA, archived from the original on 24 September 2015, retrieved 15 August 2009
56. Povey 2007, p. 347
57. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, Wish You Were Here, AllMusic, retrieved 14 August 2009
58. Twist, Carlo, , Blender, archived from the original on 19 December 2010, retrieved 27 April 2015
59. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: P". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 10 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
60. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
61. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 872. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
62. "Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (CD)". Target Corporation. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
63. Sheffield, Rob (2 November 2004). . Rolling Stone. Wenner Media, Fireside Books. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
64. Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Pink Floyd". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
65. Edmunds, Ben (6 November 1975), , Rolling Stone, archived from the original on 3 May 2008, retrieved 14 August 2009
66. Christgau, Robert (1 December 1975). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
67. Christgau, Robert (1997), Radiohead – OK Computer, retrieved 30 July 2012
68. . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
69. "Wish You Were Here #211 by Rolling Stone in 2012". Rolling Stone. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
70. "Wish You Were Here ranked 264th greatest album by Rolling Stone magazine". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
71. Hannah May Kilroy; Jerry Ewing (6 August 2014). "The 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time: 20-1". Louder.
72. "Q Readers All Time Top 100 Albums", Q (Q137 ed.), February 1998
73. "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever", Q (Q165 ed.), June 2000
74. Larkin, Colin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 52. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
75. (in German), WDR, 3 October 2007, archived from the original on 11 April 2008, retrieved 14 August 2009
76. , Pitchfork, 23 June 2004, archived from the original on 17 January 2013, retrieved 14 August 2009
77. , IGN, archived from the original on 10 March 2010, retrieved 27 January 2010
78. DeRiso, Nick (5 August 2015). "Worst to Best Pink Floyd Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
79. Redbeard (28 September 2008), , inthestudio.net, archived from the original on 13 June 2011, retrieved 14 August 2009
80. Blake, Mark (1992). "Still Waters". RCD. Vol. 1, no. 3. p. 56.
81. Eder, Bruce, Shine On – Review, AllMusic, retrieved 15 August 2009
82. DeCurtis, Anthony (11 May 2011). "Pink Floyd announce massive reissue project". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
83. "The little-known musicians behind some of music's most famous moments". The Guardian. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
84. Blake 2011, p. 231
85. Wish You Were Here (Booklet). Pink Floyd. Capitol Records (CDP 7243 8 29750 2 1). 1994.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
86. Wish You Were Here (Booklet). Pink Floyd. EMI (50999 028945 2 2). 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
87. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 233. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
88. "Austriancharts.at – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
89. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4045a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
90. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 130. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
91. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
92. "15.11.1975". Musikmarkt. Musikmarkt GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
93. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Wish you were here".
94. "New Zealand charts portal (31/10/1975)". charts.nz. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
95. "Norwegian charts portal (40/1975)". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
96. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
97. "Swedish charts portal (14/11/1975)". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
98. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
99. "Pink Floyd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
100. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
101. "Charts.nz – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
102. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
103. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
104. "Charts.nz – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
105. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
106. "Austriancharts.at – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
107. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
108. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
109. "Charts.nz – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
110. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
111. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
112. "Charts.nz – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
113. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
114. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1990. 44. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
115. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
116. "Swedishcharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
117. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
118. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
119. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
120. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
121. "Ultratop.be – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
122. "Ultratop.be – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
123. "Italiancharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
124. "Spanishcharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
125. "Swisscharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
126. "Spanish charts portal (23/11/2008)". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
127. "Austriancharts.at – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
128. "Ultratop.be – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
129. "Ultratop.be – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
130. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 39.Týden 2011 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
131. "Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
132. "Les charts francais (12/11/2011)". lescharts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
133. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
134. "Italian charts portal (17/11/2011)". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
135. "New Zealand charts portal (14/11/2011)". charts.nz. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
136. "Norwegian charts portal (45/2011)". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
137. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
138. "Portuguesecharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
139. "Spanish charts portal (13/11/2011)". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
140. "Swedish charts portal (11/11/2011)". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
141. "Swisscharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
142. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
143. "Pink Floyd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
144. "Charts.nz – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
145. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
146. "Spanish charts portal (15/04/2012)". spanishcharts.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
147. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
148. "Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
149. "Norwegiancharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
150. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
151. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 05.Týden 2014 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
152. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
153. "Swisscharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
154. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 20.Týden 2015 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
155. "Austriancharts.at – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
156. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 43.Týden 2016 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
157. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
158. "Swisscharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
159. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 07.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
160. "Portuguesecharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
161. "Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
162. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 09.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
163. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
164. "Portuguesecharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
165. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 10.Týden 2019 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
166. "Portuguesecharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
167. "Ultratop.be – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
168. "Portuguesecharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
169. "Ultratop.be – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
170. "Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
171. "Portuguese charts portal (24/2021)". portuguesecharts.com. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
172. "Swisscharts.com – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
173. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 427. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
174. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1975" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
175. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1975" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
176. "Top Selling Albums of 1975 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
177. "Top Selling Albums For 1975" (PDF). Music Week. 27 December 1975. p. 10. (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
178. (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1976. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
179. "Top Selling Albums of 1976 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
180. "Top 50 Albums of 1976" (PDF). Music Week. 25 December 1976. p. 14. (PDF) from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021 – via worldradiohistory.com.
181. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1977. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
182. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
183. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1979. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
184. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1980. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
185. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1981. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
186. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
187. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
188. "Austrian album certifications – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
189. Souza, Tarik de (22 April 1983). "Balladas De Pink Floyd Contra A Guerra". Jornal do Brasil. p. 40. Retrieved 10 November 2020. (...) In Brazil, where the trajectory of the group's recent LPs is a little fluctuating, (Animals (77), 60,000 copies, Wish You Were (75), 80,000 copies and The Wall (79), 110,000 copies) (...)
190. "Canadian album certifications – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
191. "French album certifications – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 21 August 2012. Select PINK FLOYD and click OK. 
192. "Long Chart Life For Floyd, Styx". Billboard. 25 October 1980. p. 76. Retrieved 10 November 2020 – via World Radio History.
193. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pink Floyd; 'Wish You Were Here')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
194. "International – Golden Floyd" (PDF). Billboard. 10 June 1978. p. 70 – via American Radio History.
195. "From the Music Capitols of the World – Athens" (PDF). Billboard. 18 November 1978. p. 73. Retrieved 10 November 2020 – via World Radio History.
196. "Italy" (PDF). Billboard. 16 June 1979. p. 64. Retrieved 10 November 2020 – via World Radio History.
197. "Italian album certifications – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 8 February 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Wish You Were Here" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
198. "New Zealand album certifications – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
199. "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2003 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 29 October 2003. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
200. "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2022 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
201. "Portuguese album certifications – Pink FLoyd – Wish You Were Here" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
202. "International – Supertramp $$" (PDF). Billboard. 26 April 1980. p. 57. Retrieved 10 November 2020 – via World Radio History.
203. "British album certifications – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
204. "American album certifications – Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
205. Austin, Krueger (11 September 2018). . TDS Telecom. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2020.

Bibliography

• Blake, Mark (2008), Comfortably Numb—The Inside Story of Pink Floyd, Da Capo, ISBN 978-0-306-81752-6
• Blake, Mark (2011), Pigs Might Fly-The Inside Story of Pink Floyd, Aurum Press, ISBN 978-1-845-13748-9
• Di Perna, Alan (2002), Guitar World Presents Pink Floyd, Hal Leonard Corporation, ISBN 0-634-03286-0
• Harris, John (2006), The Dark Side of the Moon (3 ed.), Harper Perennial, ISBN 978-0-00-779090-6
• Mason, Nick (2005), Philip Dodd (ed.), Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd (Paperback ed.), Phoenix, ISBN 0-7538-1906-6
• Povey, Glenn (2007), Echoes, Mind Head Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9554624-0-5
• Schaffner, Nicholas (1991), Saucerful of Secrets (1 ed.), London: Sidgwick & Jackson, ISBN 0-283-06127-8
• Watkinson, Mike; Anderson, Pete (2001), Crazy diamond: Syd Barrett & the dawn of Pink Floyd (Illustrated ed.), Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-8835-8

Further reading

• Reising, Russell (2005). Speak to Me. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 0-7546-4019-1.
• For a television documentary on the album, see The Story Of Wish You Were Here, Eagle Rock, 25 June 2012

External links

 

Wikiquote has quotations related to Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album).

• Wish You Were Here at Discogs (list of releases)