# The Dark Side of the Moon
**The Dark Side of the Moon** is the eighth studio album by the English rock band [Pink Floyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/pink-floyd), released in the United States on 1 March 1973 and in the United Kingdom on 16 March 1973[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSLJHJSNTAM). Built as a single continuous work on the themes of time, money, death, and mental illness, it became one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 45 million copies sold worldwide[2](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/transcript/2025-05-18_1903_Mermikides-T.pdf), and it set a [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) chart record for longevity that stood for decades[3](https://medigroupvn.com/upload/files/8289272974.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and position | Eighth studio album by Pink Floyd; produced by the band[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSLJHJSNTAM) • [4](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-dark-side-of-the-moon/) |
| Release | 1 March 1973 (US); 16 March 1973 (UK)[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSLJHJSNTAM) |
| Recording | Abbey Road Studios, 30 May 1972 to 9 February 1973, in Studios Two and Three[5](https://www.abbeyroad.com/news/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-studio-documents-3299?search=The+Dark+Side+of+the+Moon) |
| Sales | Over 45 million copies worldwide; 15x platinum certification in the US[2](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/transcript/2025-05-18_1903_Mermikides-T.pdf) |
| Chart record | 741 consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200, from March 1973 to April 1988[3](https://medigroupvn.com/upload/files/8289272974.pdf) |
| Engineering | Grammy nomination for best engineered non-classical recording; engineered by Alan Parsons with mixing supervisor Chris Thomas[6](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/dark-side-of-the-moon.pdf) |
| Honor | Added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2012[6](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/dark-side-of-the-moon.pdf) |
## Development and recording
Pink Floyd developed the album on stage before committing it to tape. The first public performance came in January 1972, under the working title *Eclipse: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics*, and the band spent about a year finessing the material in front of audiences across the world[4](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-dark-side-of-the-moon/). The live debut in Brighton on 20 January 1972 ran into technical trouble half an hour in: the song "Money" required the band to synchronize their performance to a pre-recorded collage of coins and cash registers, and the power-hungry sound system and lighting rig ground the show to a halt[7](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/pink-floyd-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/).
**Studio work.** Recording sessions ran at [Abbey Road](https://www.edgepedia.org/abbey-road) from 30 May 1972 to 9 February 1973, in Studios Two and Three[5](https://www.abbeyroad.com/news/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-studio-documents-3299?search=The+Dark+Side+of+the+Moon). Engineer [Alan Parsons](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-parsons), who had assisted on Beatles recordings at Abbey Road, worked the sessions; the production was essentially a 16-track affair, with many tracks second-generation because the band ran out of tracking room and had to bounce first-generation material, and the "Money" loop alone occupied four tracks[8](https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/alan-parsons-pink-floyd-the-dark-side-of-the-moon). Side One was completed on 1 February 1973, Side Two on 6 February, and the album was finished on 9 February, with copies sent to the Harvest label ahead of the 1 March release[5](https://www.abbeyroad.com/news/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-studio-documents-3299?search=The+Dark+Side+of+the+Moon).
One of the album's most recognizable performances came late in the process. On 21 January 1973, the 25-year-old session vocalist [Clare Torry](https://www.edgepedia.org/clare-torry) spent three hours improvising the wordless vocal for "[The Great Gig in the Sky](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-great-gig-in-the-sky)", replacing Bible readings and a [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://www.edgepedia.org/malcolm-muggeridge) speech that had featured in the live version, for a £30 session fee[9](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-by-pink-floyd-the-ultimate-track-by-track-guide) • [5](https://www.abbeyroad.com/news/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-studio-documents-3299?search=The+Dark+Side+of+the+Moon).
## Music and themes
The album runs as ten tracks on two sides, flowing into one another: Speak To Me, Breathe, On The Run, [Time](https://www.edgepedia.org/time-pink-floyd-song), and The Great Gig In The Sky on side one; [Money](https://www.edgepedia.org/money-pink-floyd-song), Us And Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage, and Eclipse on side two[4](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-dark-side-of-the-moon/). The band described its subject as the things that affect most people: life, work, money, travel, and death[4](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-dark-side-of-the-moon/). The Library of Congress essay on the album summarizes its lyrical territory as "angst, greed, alienation, questioning one's own sanity" and notes that the songs flow together symphonically[6](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/dark-side-of-the-moon.pdf).
**"Money" and the tape loop.** The song grew from a demo [Roger Waters](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-waters) made in a converted garden shed at his [Islington](https://www.edgepedia.org/islington) home, built on a tape loop in an unusual 7/4 time signature. Working with Alan Parsons at Abbey Road, he layered the sound of coins dropping into a mixing bowl, tearing paper, and a cash register, chopping the tape with a razor blade and splicing it so that each sound landed on one of the seven beats per bar[10](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/the-only-way-to-keep-it-in-time-was-to-take-a-piece-of-tape-with-the-sound-on-it-and-measure-it-with-a-ruler-you-would-take-the-exact-length-of-tape-and-then-splice-the-next-exact-length-of-tape-to-it-how-pink-floyd-made-money). Released as a single, "Money" became the band's first big US hit, reaching No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100[11](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/bands/just-the-quirky-7-8-time-reminds-me-of-roger-its-not-a-song-i-would-have-written-it-points-itself-at-roger-the-classic-track-from-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-that-gave-pink-floyd-their-first-us-hit).
**Sound and cover.** The album received a Grammy nomination for best engineered non-classical recording, credited to Parsons's engineering and Chris Thomas's mixing supervision and a warm, lush soundscape[6](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/dark-side-of-the-moon.pdf). The fold-out cover, designed by [Storm Thorgerson](https://www.edgepedia.org/storm-thorgerson) and the graphic arts studio [Hipgnosis](https://www.edgepedia.org/hipgnosis) with artwork by George Hardie, shows a prism refracting a beam of light into a spectrum, with a heartbeat image on the interior[12](https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/03/06/hxsk-m06.pdf) • [4](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-dark-side-of-the-moon/).
## Commercial performance
The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 on 28 April 1973 and then stayed on the chart until April 1988, a run described as a record[3](https://medigroupvn.com/upload/files/8289272974.pdf). Billboard largely barred catalog albums from charting between 1991 and 2009, restricting the albums chart to current and recently released titles[13](https://parade.com/news/1973-classic-and-longest-charting-album-of-all-time-went-to-no-1-on-this-day-53-years-ago). By April 1998 the RIAA had certified US sales of 15 million copies, and the album later reached 15x platinum certification[14](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1998/BB-1998-07-11.pdf) • [2](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/transcript/2025-05-18_1903_Mermikides-T.pdf).
Measured by the data analysis company Chartmasters, which combines physical sales, downloads, and streaming into an "Equivalent Album Sales" total, the album stands at 63,623,000 EAS, a figure that in 2026 placed it below Nirvana's *Nevermind* and AC/DC's *Back in Black* in the all-time ranking[15](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/nirvanas-nevermind-passes-acdcs-back-in-black-to-become-the-sixth-best-selling-album-of-all-time). In the United Kingdom, it ranks among the ten biggest-selling albums of the last 70 years[16](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/singles-albums/its-scale-and-influence-remain-extraordinary-a-defining-british-record-that-continues-to-unite-generations-fill-stadiums-and-soundtrack-lives-as-the-uk-album-chart-turns-70-the-biggest-seller-of-all-time-has-been-confirmed).
## Legacy and later releases
The Library of Congress added the album to the [National Recording Registry](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-recording-registry) in 2012[6](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/dark-side-of-the-moon.pdf). Writers have treated it as a seminal, even quintessential, example of the concept album, in which tracks are linked by a theme or idea[2](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/transcript/2025-05-18_1903_Mermikides-T.pdf), and its success pushed Pink Floyd from cult band to one of the central acts of rock culture[17](https://sydbarrett.net/syd-barrett-articles/pink-floyd-mojo-1994/).
**Anniversary editions.** For the 50th anniversary, Warner Music ([Sony Music](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-music) outside Europe) released a newly remastered deluxe box set on 24 March 2023, remastered by James Guthrie, alongside the first official release of a 1974 live recording, *The Dark Side of the Moon – Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974*, and a Thames & Hudson anniversary book[18](https://www.legacyrecordings.com/2023/03/24/50th-anniversary-of-pink-floyds-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-celebrated-with-new-box-set-and-global-activities/?_=1791641431). The 2023 remaster later reached standalone CD, LP, and Blu-ray editions[19](https://www.floydianslip.com/news/2023/09/dark-side-50th-anniversary-stand-alone-release/), and in 2025 the album returned to cassette through a Pink Floyd-endorsed bundle with the French company We Are Rewind, carrying the 50th anniversary mix on the format for the first time[20](https://www.musicradar.com/music-tech/gear-gadgets/were-happy-we-can-play-a-part-in-helping-preserve-the-physical-album-experience-pink-floyds-dark-side-of-the-moon-officially-returns-on-cassette-nick-mason-has-some-thoughts-on-whats-next-for-the-prog-classic).
## References
1. [The Story Of The Dark Side Of The Moon, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSLJHJSNTAM)
2. [Mermikides, M. Gresham College lecture transcript on music and medicine](https://www.gresham.ac.uk/sites/default/files/transcript/2025-05-18_1903_Mermikides-T.pdf)
3. [Dark Side of the Moon chart history compilation](https://medigroupvn.com/upload/files/8289272974.pdf)
4. [The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd official site](https://www.pinkfloyd.com/albums/the-dark-side-of-the-moon/)
5. [The Dark Side of the Moon Studio Documents, Abbey Road Studios](https://www.abbeyroad.com/news/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-studio-documents-3299?search=The+Dark+Side+of+the+Moon)
6. [The Dark Side of the Moon, National Recording Preservation Board, Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/dark-side-of-the-moon.pdf)
7. [Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/pink-floyd-the-dark-side-of-the-moon/)
8. [Alan Parsons interview on The Dark Side of the Moon, GuitarPlayer](https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/alan-parsons-pink-floyd-the-dark-side-of-the-moon)
9. [The Dark Side Of The Moon: the ultimate track-by-track guide, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-dark-side-of-the-moon-by-pink-floyd-the-ultimate-track-by-track-guide)
10. [How Pink Floyd made Money, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/the-only-way-to-keep-it-in-time-was-to-take-a-piece-of-tape-with-the-sound-on-it-and-measure-it-with-a-ruler-you-would-take-the-exact-length-of-tape-and-then-splice-the-next-exact-length-of-tape-to-it-how-pink-floyd-made-money)
11. [The classic track that gave Pink Floyd their first US hit, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/bands/just-the-quirky-7-8-time-reminds-me-of-roger-its-not-a-song-i-would-have-written-it-points-itself-at-roger-the-classic-track-from-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-that-gave-pink-floyd-their-first-us-hit)
12. [Why Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon continues to resonate after 50 years, WSWS](https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/03/06/hxsk-m06.pdf)
13. [Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' Went to No. 1 On This Day 53 Years Ago, Parade](https://parade.com/news/1973-classic-and-longest-charting-album-of-all-time-went-to-no-1-on-this-day-53-years-ago)
14. [Floyd Passes 15 Mil. In June Certs, Billboard (11 July 1998)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1998/BB-1998-07-11.pdf)
15. [Nirvana's Nevermind passes AC/DC's Back in Black to become the sixth best-selling album of all time, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/nirvanas-nevermind-passes-acdcs-back-in-black-to-become-the-sixth-best-selling-album-of-all-time)
16. [As the UK album chart turns 70, the biggest seller of all time has been confirmed, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/singles-albums/its-scale-and-influence-remain-extraordinary-a-defining-british-record-that-continues-to-unite-generations-fill-stadiums-and-soundtrack-lives-as-the-uk-album-chart-turns-70-the-biggest-seller-of-all-time-has-been-confirmed)
17. [Pink Floyd, Mojo (1994), Syd Barrett Archives](https://sydbarrett.net/syd-barrett-articles/pink-floyd-mojo-1994/)
18. [50th Anniversary Of Pink Floyd's 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' Celebrated With New Box Set, Legacy Recordings](https://www.legacyrecordings.com/2023/03/24/50th-anniversary-of-pink-floyds-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-celebrated-with-new-box-set-and-global-activities/?_=1791641431)
19. ["Dark Side" 50th anniversary stand-alone release, Floydian Slip](https://www.floydianslip.com/news/2023/09/dark-side-50th-anniversary-stand-alone-release/)
20. [Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon officially returns on cassette, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/music-tech/gear-gadgets/were-happy-we-can-play-a-part-in-helping-preserve-the-physical-album-experience-pink-floyds-dark-side-of-the-moon-officially-returns-on-cassette-nick-mason-has-some-thoughts-on-whats-next-for-the-prog-classic)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Progressive and art rock albums › Classic progressive rock albums*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license