‘See Emily Play’ is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released as their second single on 16 June 1967. Written by original frontman Syd Barrett, it was released as a non-album single, but appeared as the opening track of Pink Floyd, the US edition of the band's debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967).
The song was written by Barrett following the Games for May concert, and became a top 10 hit when released in the UK the following month. The group appeared three times on Top of the Pops, where Barrett started showing signs of erratic behaviour, which ultimately led to him leaving the group in early 1968. Although Pink Floyd seldom performed the song live, it has been recorded subsequently by a number of diverse artists and regarded as a classic psychedelic pop single. ‘See Emily Play’ is also known as ‘Games for May’, named after the free concert on 12 May 1967 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's South Bank, in which Pink Floyd performed. It was the first show where the group set up a quadraphonic PA system, which would be a regular feature of future gigs.
The song was reportedly about a girl named Emily, who Barrett claimed to have seen while sleeping in the woods after taking a psychedelic drug. According to A Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey, by Nicholas Schaffner, Emily is the Honourable Emily Young, daughter of Wayland Young, 2nd Baron Kennet and nicknamed "the psychedelic schoolgirl" at the UFO Club. Barrett's then-girlfriend, Libby Gausden, disputes this theory – she said that she and Syd had discussed marriage, and that "Emily" was going to be the name of their first child. Bassist Roger Waters later said the woods mentioned in the song were based next to the Gog Magog Hills near Cambridge.
The UK single was released by Columbia Records on 16 June 1967, with ‘The Scarecrow’ as the B-side. It reached number 6 in the charts. Gary Brooker, reviewing the single for Melody Maker, said he recognised the single as Pink Floyd's "by the horrible organ sound" but said it was "much better than Arnold Layne". The US single was released by Tower Records on 24 July 1967, both as a standard issue and a white label promotional pressing. Cash Box said that it's "one of those hard to predict outings that could hit in a grand manner or fall flat." It reached number 134 in the charts. A further white label promo was issued on 22 July 1968 with a note asking if DJ's would play it.
Labels – EMI Columbia (UK), Tower (US)
Songwriter – Syd Barrett
Producer – Norman Smith
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Emily tries, but misunderstands (Ah-ooh)
She's often inclined to borrow
Somebody’s dreams till tomorrow
[Chorus]
There is no other day
Let’s try it another way
You’ll lose your mind and play
Free games for May
See Emily play
[Verse 2]
Soon after dark, Emily cries (Ah-ooh)
Gazing through trees in sorrow
Hardly a sound till tomorrow
[Chorus]
There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You’ll lose your mind and play
Free games for May
See Emily play
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 3]
Put on a gown
That touches the ground (Ah-ooh)
Float on a river
Forever and ever, Emily (Emily)
[Chorus]
There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You’ll lose your mind and play
Free games for May
See Emily play