At the same time, “You” refers to anyone you ever loved and lost, which is part of why the album and its title track are so enduring. The “You” in the title refers to Syd Barrett, who led the band until his disintegration in the late ’60s. Those two themes-of tragic loss and outsized stardom, absence and success-are at the heart of their 1975 Wish You Were Here album. But that’s the main thrust of the Pink Floyd saga. Few bands have lost their star and their leader, the writer and singer of their songs, and only then rocketed to stratospheric levels of success.
