Everyone loves a recluse—especially brilliant ones. Syd Barrett is perhaps the consummate example of this very ideal. After helping found Pink Floyd and contributing largely to their early musical direction, he was removed from the group in 1968 because of mental illness brought on by excessive drug use.
Years later, he’s still a legend celebrated for his musical prowess. In 1981, he became the subject of a song called “I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives,” written by largely obscure post-punk band called Television Personalities.
At its core, “I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives” is sweet and gentle pop tune, set to an acoustic guitar and sung ever so softly by Television Personalities frontman Dan Treacy. Its innocuous lyrics and meanderous melodies make the song effortlessly listenable and it’s one of the band’s most popular songs.
For all intents and purposes, the song appears to be a mere homage to one of Treacy’s heroes, and in most ways, that’s precisely what it is. “I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives” is a clear testament to the artist, with its single chord repeated for the duration of the song acting as a nod to Barrett’s own musical preoccupations.
Behind the track, the sound of chirping birds and flowing water can be heard, making for a serene and ethereal listen.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the song is the distinct admiration Treacy has for his subject. Despite the somewhat sardonic tone—at times, the song sounds like it might be just a bit too sentimental to be sincere—there’s no mockery at play. If anything, Treacy is scolding those who seemingly forgot about him once his mental issues set in.
“He was very famous/Once upon a time/Now no one knows/Even if he’s alive,” Treacy sings, a tone of remorse in his voice. He goes on to say, “But I know where he lives/And I visit him/In a little hut/In Cambridge.”
Turns out, Barrett really did live in Cambridge and Treacy’s song was a little more than just an ode to one of his heroes. In fact, when Pink Floyd’s own Dave Gilmour set out to tour for his first solo effort, he invited Television Personalities to open. During the tour’s first show, Treacy horrified Gilmour and the crowd by reading aloud Barrett’s actual address.
They didn’t continue the tour.
The song remains one of the bands most popular tunes, and, as fate would have it, has spurned a number of its own tributes. Punk rockers The Mr. T Experience have a song called “I Don’t Know Where Dan Treacy Lives,” while Brooklyn electro-pop outfit MGMT have tune titled “Song For Dan Treacy,” which features lyrics that say, “I don’t know where he lives/But he’s a myth of a man.”
It’s a strange thing when tribute songs get tribute songs, but then again, mythologizing in pop music is nothing new. Artists frequently make reference or pay honor to people who’ve inspired them, immortalizing them the only way they know how: through music.
As it stands, “I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives” remains perhaps the most charming example, if not the strangest. If the song paints a picture at all, it’s of Treacy and Barrett drinking tea and eating sausage atop a grassy knoll. That image itself makes the song a classic.
