The Dark Side of the Moon Still Shines Today

March 1, 2025
8:56 pm

The Album That Changed Everything

52 years ago today, Pink Floyd dropped Dark Side of the Moon, and it’s still a timeless masterpiece that holds up to this day. I know that the term masterpiece is thrown around a lot, but believe me when I say that I only regard a handful of albums as true works of art …and DSOTM is one of them.

Back in ‘73, there were a lot of monumental albums like Alice Cooper‘s Billion Dollar Babies, ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres, Quadrophenia by The Who plus Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, The Wings, Genesis, Elton John, the Rolling Stones. It was a great year for rock, and even in a year with unique musical sounds from Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells and Bowie’s Aladdin Sane – Pink Floyd stood out. You see it was rare for an album to use synthesizers and electronic elements the way they did. Pink Floyd kicked off a new wave of psychedelic rock with Dark Side, blending deep philosophical themes with mind-bending soundscapes. But even when you listen to it today, you wouldn’t guess it was from the ‘70s; it still feels fresh, it like it could’ve been released in the last decade.

What even is the dark side of the Moon?

This album isn’t pop, hard rock, or disco – it’s very different. It’s unique, it’s… well, Dark Side of the Moon. It transcends genre, era, and whatever else you think music is supposed to be. Even if you weren’t deep into progressive rock, this album found you. Maybe it was through that one friend in high school who thought he was a philosopher after one too many hits from his “tobacco” pipe. Or maybe it was just sitting in the background of life, subtly changing how you thought about time, money, and mortality. Every teenager who listened to this album back then was trying to figure “it” out – and that still applies today.

Because that’s what Dark Side does—it makes you think. About life. About wasted time. About that conversation you had with your best friend decades ago, when the world felt wide open and the future was one big who the hell knows? It was the soundtrack for dreamers, stoners, and anyone staring out their bedroom window wondering what comes next.

Speaking of stoners, it used to be popular to listen to this album with a haze of smoke. But here’s the kicker: you didn’t need to be high to feel the full effect. One guy on Reddit put it best:

“I didn’t need to smoke weed to have that album kick my ass.”

Amen, my friend.

The Tracks That Never Age:

By the way, I’d recommend you listen to this tracklist all the way through – NOT shuffled.

Side 1

Speak to Me
Breathe (In the Air)
On the Run
Time
The Great Gig in the Sky

Side 2

Money
Us and Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse

It’s hard to pick a favorite track from this album. The “Great Gig in the Sky” hits you in the gut with those wailing vocals. “Brain Damage” taps into that creeping feeling that life might just be a little too much sometimes – and of course, it reflects on Syd Barrett’s real mental breakdown. My dad used to play Money on repeat, while also complaining about a lack of it! My personal favorite: “Time.” That one’s a brutal reminder that you blink, and suddenly, you’re not that high school kid anymore, decades down the road, wondering where it all went.

The Album That Became a Cultural Icon

Even if someone’s never listened to Pink Floyd, they’ve seen the album cover. That prism? That’s tattooed on rock culture. Kids today wear the T-shirt without even knowing what it is. It’s so recognizable that you’d think of the music reference before any scientific one. The prism is Pink Floyd.

Also the name is still so f**kin cool! What is cooler than the dark side of the moon? Literally nothing!

So, here’s to The Dark Side of the Moon. Fifty-two years later, and it still speaks to us like an old friend who knows all our secrets.

If you have 43 minutes to your commute to work, put this album on. Let it turn that long drive into something deeper—your own personal time machine.

Stay cosmic,

Sam