Ice-T‘s long-running rap-metal band Body Count are releasing their new album Merciless on November 22 via Century Media (pre-order), and one of its songs is a reworked version of Pink Floyd‘s “Comfortably Numb” featuring Pink Floyd’s own David Gilmour on guitar. Ice-T takes the song and adds in his own verses about his own life experiences, and here’s what he says about it:
For me “Comfortably Numb” is an introspective song—it’s me acknowledging that I’m older now. I’m telling the younger generation, you’ve got two choices: you can keep the fire burning or you can give up. It’s me trying to make sense of what’s happening, but also pointing out that we’re all in a place where we don’t have to face reality. We’ve got flat-screen TVs and popcorn, and we can just sit back and watch the chaos of the world like it’s a TV show. It doesn’t feel real until it shows up at your door. I’m a little numb, too—we all are.
David Gilmour says:
Body Count’s version of “Comfortably Numb” is quite radical, but the words really struck me. It astonishes me that a tune I wrote almost 50 years ago is back with this great new approach. They’ve made it relevant again. The initial contact from Ice-T was for permission to use the song, but I thought I might offer to play on it as well. I like the new lyrics, they’re talking about the world we’re living in now, which is quite scary. Ice-T and Body Count played in London recently, sadly I couldn’t make it, but if another opportunity came up to play with them, I’d jump at it.
“Comfortably Numb” is the third single released from Merciless so far. Check out the YouTube visualizer for this one and hear all three tracks below.
Merciless also features guest appearances from Cannibal Corpse’s Corpsegrinder, Sepultura co-founder Max Cavalera, former Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones, and Fit For An Autopsy’s Joe Bad.
Tracklist
1. Interrogation Interlude
2. Merciless
3. The Purge (feat. Corpsegrinder)
4. Psychopath (feat. Joe Bad)
5. Fuck What You Heard
6. Live Forever (feat. Howard Jones)
7. Do or Die
8. Comfortably Numb
9. Lying Motherfucka
10. Drug Lords (feat. Max Cavalera)
11. World War
12. Mic Contract