Have a Cigar

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Have a Cigar is a Pink Floyd song from the 1975 album Wish You Were Here. It’s the third track on the record and opens side two on the original vinyl; in some places it was released as a single.

Lead vocals are by English folk-rock musician Roy Harper. Waters and Gilmour tried singing the line themselves but weren’t happy with their takes, so Harper recorded the lead while working at Abbey Road on his own album. This makes Have a Cigar one of only three Pink Floyd songs with a guest singer on lead vocals (the others being The Great Gig in the Sky with Clare Torry and Hey Hey Rise Up with Andriy Khlyvnyuk).

The song, written by Roger Waters, critiques greed and cynicism in the music industry and is often seen as a follow-up to Money, reflecting the demands of a record executive after Pink Floyd’s big success with The Dark Side of the Moon. Musically it’s more rock-oriented than much of the album, starting with a strong, driving guitar-and-bass riff and building with electric piano and synthesizers. It ends with a guitar solo and a quick synth-filter sweep, followed by a radio-off sound that leads into Wish You Were Here.

Harper sang the lead because Waters and Gilmour felt they couldn’t deliver the vocal the song deserved. Some accounts say Waters disliked Harper’s version for being too cynical, while Gilmour loved it and called it perfect. Critics at the time praised the track for its sound and its biting message.

Live history and reception: Harper performed Have a Cigar with the band at the 1975 Knebworth Festival and during the 1975 North American tour. It remained in Floyd’s set only until 1977. Waters later performed the song on many of his solo tours, with a few exceptions.

Harper later said he wasn’t properly credited or paid for his contribution, and he even had to hire a lawyer to resolve the dispute. Waters and Gilmour have discussed the collaboration, with Waters noting he would have preferred a less cynical vocal, while Gilmour admired Harper’s delivery.