The Reason Roger Waters Thought Pink Floyd Wasn’t His Breakthrough

Roger Waters’s name is often related to his former band Pink Floyd even though he left the band more than three decades ago. The reason behind this is that the musician served as the band’s lyricist, co-lead vocalist, and conceptual leader for many years following the departure of singer-songwriter Syd Barrett in 1968.

Throughout his music career with the band that lasted about 20 years, Waters’s artistry led the band to success as he wrote most of the lyrics of the five Pink Floyd albums, starting with ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ and ending with ‘The Final Cut.’ His brilliance helped the band create one of the most successful rock albums ever, ‘The Dark Side of the Moon,’ and the lyrics were written by Waters. The record didn’t only spend 736 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, but it also sold over 40 million copies worldwide.

While many consider that such a successful tenure with a band that is considered one of the greatest of all time was Roger Waters’ breakthrough, the rocker himself doesn’t agree, as he once revealed. Since his motive has always been his artistry, the rocker named something else as his greatest breakthrough.

Roger Waters Named His Breakthrough

During a 2013 interview with the Sun, Roger Waters reflected on the possibility of a reunion with Pink Floyd. The bassist stated that his ex-bandmate Nick Mason would love the idea of a reunion, but he left the band for very good reasons as it was the right thing to do for his music career.

To prove his point, the Pink Floyd icon stated that he started touring and working with his own band following his departure, which helped him connect with people that he couldn’t before leaving Pink Floyd. According to Waters, to be able to tour and perform with his own band instead of Pink Floyd was the breakthrough in his career rather than his former band’s success.

According to Gigwise, Waters said:

“I can’t. I’m having dinner with Nick tonight. He’d jump back in a heartbeat. But I left Pink Floyd for very good reasons, and it was the right and proper thing to do. It was over in 1985, and it’s still over. Suddenly I’m touring with a brand name, which is ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon,’ and people began connecting it with me. ‘Oh that’s who Roger Waters is. We never knew that.’ Being able to tour with my band instead of Pink Floyd was my breakthrough.”

It appears that the success he achieved with Pink Floyd was surpassed when Roger Waters connected with his fans on a personal level, thanks to his solo career. Without the band, he found the opportunity to be completely free within his work, and his spiritual breakthrough was more important than Pink Floyd’s endless chart, commercial, and award success.