© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Psychologist Daniel Levitin dissects Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon'

Cover art for Pink Floyd's 1973 smash-hit album <em>Dark Side of the Moon</em><em></em>, which turns 50 years old today.
Courtesy of the artist
Cover art for Pink Floyd's 1973 smash-hit album Dark Side of the Moon, which turns 50 years old today.

Here's an enduring legacy: Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon was released 50 years ago today and it's still on the Billboard charts, making it the longest-charting album in history.

Dark Side of the Moon can be enjoyed for its far-out sonic landscapes or its inventive production, which reveals new surprises with every listen. You can also study its lyrics – much of Roger Waters' writing was inspired by a former member of Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, who was forced to leave the band he'd helped found after his behavior became too erratic, influenced in part by drug use and in part by fame. Some say it was a psychotic break.

"His bandmates tried to get [Barrett] to a psychiatrist, but he wouldn't go," explains author and cognitive psychologist Daniel Levitin, a Pink Floyd fan who has studied the lyrics of Dark Side. "The band said the spark had gone out of his eyes." Levitin joins us to discuss the deep psychological themes of this legendary record.

To hear this conversation, use the audio player at the top of this page.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Leila Fadel is a national correspondent for NPR based in Los Angeles, covering issues of culture, diversity, and race.
Phil Harrell is a producer with Morning Edition, NPR's award-winning newsmagazine. He has been at NPR since 1999.
Chad Campbell

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content