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Did Pink Floyd rip off The Kinks in 1970?
David Gilmour has reflected on the possibility that Pink Floyd's 1970 song 'Fat Old Sun' may have been influenced by The Kinks during its creation, revealing a connection between his admiration for the band and his own songwriting. Throughout his career, Gilmour has repeatedly praised The Kinks as a major artistic influence, describing their composition 'Waterloo Sunset' as an ideal example of pop songwriting.
In discussing the song's composition years later, Gilmour expressed uncertainty about whether he had drawn from The Kinks' style, though the decades that followed produced no public claims of musical similarity from critics or the band themselves. This ambiguity reflects how musicians often absorb the aesthetics of artists they admire into their creative process before developing their own recognisable voice, a pattern Gilmour has acknowledged throughout his career.
In short
- Gilmour suggested Pink Floyd's 'Fat Old Sun' (1970) may have been influenced by The Kinks
- He has long admired The Kinks, particularly their song 'Waterloo Sunset'
- No formal plagiarism claims have emerged despite decades passing
Explained simply
Pink Floyd and The Kinks were both influential British rock bands from the 1960s, each contributing significantly to the development of modern popular music. The Kinks pioneered a distinctive British rock sound in the mid-1960s, whilst Pink Floyd became known for experimental progressive rock and conceptual albums that emerged from the late 1960s onwards.
Rock musicians of the same era commonly absorb and reference the work of artists they admire, making questions about influence a natural part of analysing music. Identifying whether a song draws from another artist's style involves examining not just obvious similarities, but also the creative process through which musicians develop their distinctive voice.
These kinds of connections between artists help listeners understand how rock music evolved through a web of influences and creative responses. Rather than viewing songs in isolation, recognising influence enriches our appreciation of how different musicians contributed to the broader development of the genre.