Though “Have a Cigar” and “Rock n’ Roll Band” both focus of the idea of a band “making it” in the business, Pink Floyd incorporates a mocking tone, and stereotypical motifs in order to represent record dealers and their various lies, while Boston also utilizes stereotypical motifs, but with a joyfully reminiscent tones in order to present the glory of becoming “a sensation”
Pink Floyd writes “Have a Cigar” in the perspective of the record dealer responsible for managing their band. The song consists of short choppy sentences that come together to create an overwhelming and all encompassing mood to the piece. Pink Floyd writes lyrics that show how condescending and fake the band managers and big record dealers are by making seemingly nonsensical statements like “which one’s Pink?” The dealers are lazy and incompetent workers who really are only along for the ride, they are heavily involved in “riding the gravy train” by feeding off of the band’s success and energy. Although it is the band that has to “get an album out” and who “owe” their works “to the people” the manager or dealers still seem to think that they are heavily involved in the success, as though they and the band are a “team” when really they are only free loading off of the band’s talents. Pink Floyd makes use of several motifs to represent the band manager. In general when someone pictures a stereotype of a big Hollywood record dealer he/she pictures the dealer as a man with a nice suit, a fancy car, and a “cigar.” Pink Floyd presents the perspective in the first statement with the condescending term “boy” as the record dealer offers the band member a “cigar.” Pink Floyd adopts the voice of another perspective that is the opposite of their own; they are a band adopting the voice of a record dealer or band manager. They copy, or mock, the record dealer’s way of carrying himself/herself, the way the record dealer speaks/lies, and the dealer’s method of making money, “riding the gravy train.” The speakers tone in the song is condescending, but the song writers tone is mocking, or debatably cynical.
Boston, like Pink Floyd, makes use of stereotypical motifs to represent a big Hollywood record dealer. Boston brings a “Cadillac car” and also “a big cigar” into the imagery to represent the stereotype of a rich business oriented record dealer. However, unlike Pink Floyd, Boston seems to have a different opinion of their rise to fame. Boston is joyfully reminiscent of the days when the band used to “sleep in” their “cars” and “practice right out in the street.” Although at the time these events may not have been ideal or enjoyable, now that the band has moved on to bigger and better things those memories live as happy reminders of their past, and how things have changed. The speaker in “Rock n’ Roll Band” seems excited and happy to be playing music, and hitting the big leagues. He exclaims his excitement as the crowds are “getting crazy” and as he and his band hear from the record dealer that they will “be a sensation.”
Pink Floyd has a much more convoluted idea of the Hollywood scene than Boston; they clearly do not respect or trust record dealers in general due to the way they treat the band. Boston is an excited about their fame, and reminiscent about the memories of how they started out. Although both “Have a Cigar” and “Rock n’ Roll Band” are about the same generalized topic, the two bands share a different perspective of making it big in Hollywood.
