What is the Meaning of “Pigs (Three Different Ones)”?

The song “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” from Pink Floyd’s album Animals is a scathing commentary on the greed and exploitation committed by elite members of society. The “pigs” in the songs title likely refers to three different types of oppressive authorities that the band wished to call out:

1. Political leaders who abuse their power and manipulate the system for personal gain at the expense of citizens.
2. Crony capitalists and big business executives who prioritize profits over people, perpetuating economic inequality.
3. Military figures with hawkish tendencies who insulate themselves from the devastating effects of war.

Ultimately, the “pigs” represent those at the top who perpetuate the ruthless, dog-eat-dog social dynamics satirized on the album for their own benefit. By calling them out in this cynical song, Pink Floyd voiced their conviction that such systems of oppression led by the powerful “pigs” at the top needed to change.

Who Wrote “Pigs (Three Different Ones)”?

“Pigs (Three Different Ones)” was written by British musician Roger Waters, who was the bassist and primary creative force of Pink Floyd in the late 1970s. Though the band wrote songs collaboratively, Waters emerged as the principal lyricist and visionary behind concept albums like 1977’s Animals by this point.

As Pink Floyd’s chief songwriter in the post-Syd Barrett era, Waters spearheaded the album’s critique of social stratification and greed. With its layered metaphors invoking ruthless pigs, docile sheep, and vicious dogs, Animals demonstrated his growing disillusionment with capitalism and authority figures who manipulate society to their own benefit. “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” specifically targeted those powerful elites Waters deemed corrupt and greedy oppressors – the eponymous pigs at the top.

So while Pink Floyd was credited as a whole for Animals, the pointed sociopolitical themes and lyrical content of its songs can be largely attributed to Roger Waters’ conceptual direction and signature style of songwriting in that period of the band’s career.

What is Pink Floyd’s Pig Called?

The giant pig featured on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 Animals album has an intriguing backstory behind its name. As the urban legend goes, the inflatable pig was originally christened “Algie” during the photoshoot for the album artwork.

Designed by bassist Roger Waters and artist Jeffrey Shaw, Algie was set up to float between smokestacks over London’s Battersea Power Station. But the photoshoot went awry when the pig broke from his tethers and sailed away on his own over southern England. This pig balloon’s high-flying antics that day endowed him the nickname “Algie” – a play on the word “algal”, meaning airborne.

While Algie the runaway pig has lived on in rock mythology after providing the memorable album cover imagery, Pink Floyd would go on to feature a succession of flying pig balloons at their live performances in the years following. So while Algie may have been the original, he was certainly not the last of the band’s iconic floating pigs that became symbols of their music and anti-establishment commentary in the late 1970s.

The Symbolism of Pigs in “Animals”

Beyond the famous imagery of the pig balloon, pigs hold a significant symbolic meaning in Pink Floyd’s album Animals. As conceived by Roger Waters, the album envisions a social hierarchy made up of three animal archetypes – pigs, dogs, and sheep. Within this structure, the pigs represent the ruling class elite who control power and resources at the expense of others.

Waters uses pig imagery to call out those he deemed greedy authorities that perpetuate inequality through crony capitalism and manipulative governance. The pig is an appropriately provocative metaphor for these perceived self-serving leaders – their gluttony and ignorance of the harm they cause in pursuit of profit and control. Just as real-world pigs roll in the mud without regard for others, Waters’ “pigs” wallow in excess and exploitation.

So while the inflatable pig became an enduring symbol across Pink Floyd’s visuals, the metaphorical pig served an important purpose in conveying Waters’ sociopolitical criticism of supposed capitalist excess and dysfunction at the top levels of 1970s society. The pigs represent all that the band found abhorrent about authority figures that carry on without concern for people they figuratively trample in the mud.

The Legacy and Influence of “Pigs”

While “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” originated as a controversial critique of 1970s British politics and society, the song’s scathing sentiment and memorable imagery have cemented its legacy as one of Pink Floyd’s most iconic works still relevant today.

Many music critics and fans consider “Pigs” a highlight of Pink Floyd’s storied discography – an exemplary blending of Roger Waters’ poetic lyrical prose and the band’s progressive rock stylings. The track’s overlook of a societal divide between elite “pigs” and oppressed “sheep” arguably set the stage for Waters’ landmark concept album The Wall just a few years later in 1979.

Beyond its artistic merits, “Pigs” emerged as an anti-establishment anthem speaking truth to power in an age of economic upheaval and class divisions. While some at the time slammed Waters’ rhetoric as extreme or overtly political, the song reflected wider societal tensions that listeners around the world identified with. This universal relatabilityaccounts for why “Pigs” remains a staple of classic rock radio and even still inspires modern acts looking to channel revolutionary angst in their music.

So while created as a reactionary critique of its era, the evergreen nature of “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” continues to perpetuate Pink Floyd’s legacy and influence on counterculture sentiments for generations to come.