Another Brick in the Wall is the title of three songs set to variations of the same basic theme, on Pink Floyd’s 1979 rock opera,
The Wall, subtitled Part 1 (working title “Reminiscing”), Part 2 (working title “Education”), and Part 3 (working title “Drugs”). All parts were written by Pink Floyd’s bassist, Roger Waters. Part II is a protest song against rigid schooling in general and boarding schools in the UK in particular. It was also released as a single and provided the band’s only number-one hit in the United Kingdom, the United States, West Germany and many other countries. In addition, in the US, along with the tracks, “Run Like Hell”, and “Don’t Leave Me Now”, “Another Brick in the Wall” reached number fifty-seven on the disco chart.
In the UK, it was Pink Floyd’s first single since 1968’s “Point Me at the Sky”; the song was also the final number-one single of the 1970s. For Part II, Pink Floyd received a Grammy nomination for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group and lost to Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind”. In addition, Part II was number 375 on Rolling Stone ’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. The single sold over 4 million copies worldwide.
The single, as well as the album The Wall, were banned in South Africa in 1980 after the song was adopted by supporters of a nationwide school boycott protesting racial inequities in education under the apartheid regime.