Though both “Have a Cigar” and “Rock n’ Roll Band” are about the road to fame for musicians, Pink Floyd incorporates a cynical tone and stereotypical symbolism in order to show that record executives only care about “Riding the Gravy Train,” while Boston utilizes a reminiscent tone and characterizing symbolism to convey what a band experiences when they are “goin’ to be a sensation.”
The types of tone used in both of the songs contradict each other even if the subject of the two works is the same. The cynical tone in “Have a Cigar” helps to show the intentions of the record executive. First, the man starts the conversation by saying, “Come in here, Dear boy, have a cigar.” This commandment is used as a way for the executive to put the band in their place which he believes is lower than him. Also, the executive says, “We’re so happy we can hardly count.” To the band, this might mean the fans that go to watch them, but the way it is intended by the executive is that he can hardly count the money. This shows that the man is cynical in that he only cares about the money he gets from the shows, not the band or the fans. On the contrary, the tone in “Rock n’ Roll Band” is happier and reminiscent. The band is talking about the good old times when they were struggling through life trying to get famous. Boston says, “We barely made enough to survive but when we got up on stage and got ready to play, people came alive.” The band reminisces about the fun times that they had on stage, even if they barely had anything. Also, they mention the time when a record executive confronted them to make a deal with them. The rich man tells them, “You know I’ve got great expectations…you’re goin’ to be a sensation!” this makes the band members happy when they think back to the times when they were trying to make it big. The way the members of the band look back at their struggling times makes them feel happy while in “Have a Cigar,” they only know about the cynical tone from the record executive.
The examples of symbolism in the two songs both carry very different meanings. In “Rock n’ Roll Band,” the symbolism is used to characterize a typical band just trying to make it big. Boston says they were “playin’ all the bars, sleepin’ in our cars.” This is typical of many people who want to become famous musicians. The road to fame is not easy and many bands experience the same hardships in the process. Also, the band was localized to one area. They mention “Boston,” “Hyannis,” and “Rhode Island.” This means that the band did not have enough money or power to travel to many places, so they just played where they could locally. These messages symbolize the struggles that many bands face in becoming famous rock stars. On the other hand, “Have a Cigar” has different kinds of symbolism. It is very stereotypical in the way that Pink Floyd characterizes the record executive. First, the executive mentioned has a “cigar,” something that is very stereotypical of rich people who are heads of companies. The cigar itself could be a symbol of any rich person in general. Also, the man likes “Riding the Gravy Train.” This is a symbol of many greedy, rich people as well. Sitting back and watching their money come to them is something that makes “everybody else…just green” with envy. Many wealthy, greedy men would love to be riding the gravy train. The personality of the rich man in “Have a Cigar” and the experiences of the band in “Rock n’ Roll Band” both symbolize the stereotypical ways of a wealthy executive and a band on their rise to stardom.
Whether a band has many happy and exciting memories of their rise to stardom or they have faced harsh, cynical record executives, they have many stories to tell when all is said and done. With the help of cynical tone and stereotypical symbolism by Pink Floyd and reminiscent tone and characterizing symbolism by Boston, “Have a Cigar” and “Rock n’ Roll Band” describe what musicians and bands go through when they are “gonna go far” and they are “goin’ to be a sensation.”
