March 1 was the fiftieth anniversary of Pink Floyd’s album, “The Dark Side of the Moon,” the fourth best-selling album of all time. People are drawn to this album because it presents a unique array of musical versatility and juggles different themes. Its themes are in tune with the harsh realities of the world which only adults can really understand.

The album opens with a minute intro called “Speak to Me.” This intro takes sounds from different songs in the album and overlays them, such as clocks and metronomes, a heartbeat, people rambling, psychotic laughing and distressed screaming. This creates a  crazy-sounding and unique intro, which is the perfect way to describe the album as a whole.

“Speak to Me” transitions into “Breathe (In the Air),” which relaxes the listener just right after the insanity from the previous track. It also outlays the universal principle that all we have in our lives are the people we meet and love and the things we possess. This is a theme we must always remind ourselves of when we want something too out there or a different kind of life. It’s a message that most adults struggle to accept as they live their lives.

“On the Run” is an instrumental song with sounds of a man running, an intercom in an airport and a plane crashing with a synthesizer in the background. The track emotes the fear of traveling, but on a deeper level, exemplifies how fear and anxiety take hold of and makes you feel as if you are always “on the run.”

“Time” discusses how life is consistently moving and how we grow older and change and not even realize it sometimes. When we do realize it, it scares us like a bunch of clocks going off at once (this is how the song begins).

“The Great Gig in the Sky” is a piano instrumental with opera vocals as an overlay. A couple of sentences in the beginning of the song detail how death is a natural part of life and how people should not fear it. The opera vocals represent the five stages of grief. When they begin, they are powerful and angry (the denial and anger stages); then, they slow down and become somber until it fades out (the bargaining, depression and acceptance stages).

“Money” is a rock track that declares money runs the world. Sounds of a cash register transitions into the bassline and then the other instruments follow. Despite the song being more simple on a lyrical level, it is filled with complex drum beats, the bassline, a saxophone solo, a guitar solo and  straightforward lyrics that makes the song shine.

“Money” transitions into “Us and Them” with people discussing how they are in the right. “Us and Them” subtly discusses the conflict within war and takes on a bluesier tone, given that the true reality of this song is the most difficult to muster.

In “Any Colour You Like,” the synthesizer takes the reins and provides a bright electronic song with high tuned guitars. The song has no lyrics to accompany it, and a theme is undefined. I believe the theme of “Any Colour You Like” is that you perceive the world in any way you like, in any color you like.

“Brain Damage” discusses the insanity in life and how all the darkness we face in our lives can be overwhelming and can turn us crazy. “Brain Damage” correlates directly with the final track, “Eclipse.” “Eclipse” talks of how everything is done under how we perceive it, but how we perceive it can be clouded by the darkness life has to offer.

Considering how much of a slap in the face the real world has to offer when people finish high school, get their first jobs, undergo their career or go into the military, “The Dark Side of the Moon” shows how rough life can be. Although, understanding these dire realities is crucial to understanding the world.