Editing Amused to Death

{{distinguish|Amusing Ourselves to Death}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = Amused to Death
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Roger Waters]]
| cover        = Roger_Waters_Amused_to_Death.jpg
| alt          = 
| released     = 7 September 1992
| recorded     = 1987–1992
| studio       = The Billiard Room (London) <br> [[Olympic Studios]] (London) <br> CTS Studios (London) <br> [[Angel Recording Studios]] (London) <br> [[Abbey Road Studios]] (London) <br> [[Compass Point Studios]] (Nassau) <br> Ameraycan Studios (Los Angeles) <br> Johnny Yuma Recording (Burbank) <br> [[Devonshire Sound Studios]] (Los Angeles)
| genre        = [[Progressive rock]]
| length       = 72:36
| label        = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| producer     = {{flatlist|
* [[Patrick Leonard]]
* Roger Waters
}}
| prev_title   = [[The Wall – Live in Berlin]]
| prev_year    = 1990
| next_title   = [[In the Flesh – Live]]
| next_year    = 2000
| misc         = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = Roger Waters studio
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title = [[Radio K.A.O.S.]]
 | prev_year  = 1987
 | title      = Amused to Death
 | year       = 1992
 | next_title = [[Ça Ira (opera)|Ça Ira]]
 | next_year  = 2005
}}
{{Singles
 | name        = Amused to Death
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[What God Wants, Part I]]
 | single1date = 24 August 1992
 | single2     = [[The Bravery of Being Out of Range]]
 | single2date = 30 November 1992<ref>{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=31|date=28 November 1992}}</ref>
 | single3     = Three Wishes
 | single3date = 1993
}}
}}

'''''Amused to Death''''' is the third studio album by English musician [[Roger Waters]], released 7 September 1992 on [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]. Produced by Waters and [[Patrick Leonard]], it was mixed in [[QSound]] to enhance its spatial feel. The album features [[Jeff Beck]] on lead guitar on several tracks. The album's title was inspired by [[Neil Postman]]'s 1985 book ''[[Amusing Ourselves to Death]].''

In 2015, the album was remixed and re-released with new artwork and in different formats, including a new 5.1 surround sound mix by original engineer [[James Guthrie (record producer)|James Guthrie]], assisted by Joel Plante.

==Background and production==
Roger Waters started working on ''Amused to Death'' in 1987 when he first wrote "Perfect Sense."<ref name=White5>White 1992, p. 5</ref> It was several years before the album was released.

''Amused to Death'' was produced by Patrick Leonard, Waters, and was co-produced with Nick Griffiths in [[London]] at The Billiard Room, [[Olympic Studios]], CTS Studios, [[Angel Recording Studios]] and [[Abbey Road Studios]]. The album was engineered by Hayden Bendall, Jerry Jordan, and Stephen McLaughlan and mixed by [[James Guthrie (record producer)|James Guthrie]].<ref name=Rose254>Rose 2015, p. 254</ref> The album is mixed in [[QSound]] to enhance the spatial feel of the audio, and the many sound effects on the album&nbsp;– rifle range ambience, sleigh-bells, cars, planes, distant horses, chirping crickets, and dogs&nbsp;– all make use of the [[Three-dimensional space|3-D]] facility.

Amused to Death is the only studio album by Waters to not have a tour supporting it, though some songs were performed during the [[In the Flesh (Roger Waters tour)|In The Flesh]]<ref>{{Citation |title=Roger Waters - In The Flesh |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/49989-Roger-Waters-In-The-Flesh |language=en |access-date=2022-06-16}}</ref> and [[Us + Them Tour|Us + Them tours]],<ref>{{Citation |title=roger waters us+them - the bravery of being out of range 2018. live in moscow |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6fKS7fUwIc |language=en |access-date=2022-06-16}}</ref>  and "The Bravery of Being Out of Range" was performed on the [[This Is Not a Drill|This Is Not A Drill]] tour.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roger Waters Setlist at MVP Arena, Albany |url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/roger-waters/2022/mvp-arena-albany-ny-7bb28610.html |access-date=2022-07-28 |website=setlist.fm |language=en}}</ref>

==Themes==
[[File:Family watching television 1958.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|The album centers around the effects of televised mass media.]]
The album is loosely organized around the idea of an ape randomly switching channels on a television,<ref name=Rose200/> but explores numerous political and social themes, including critiques of the [[Gulf War|First Gulf War]] in "[[The Bravery of Being Out of Range]]" and "[[Perfect Sense (song)|Perfect Sense]]".

The first track, "The Ballad of Bill Hubbard", features the voice of [[World War I]] veteran {{ill|Alfred Razzell|de|Alf Razzell}}. A member of the [[Royal Fusiliers]], he describes finding fellow soldier William "Bill" Hubbard – to whom the album is dedicated – severely wounded on the battlefield. After failed attempts to take him to safety, Razzell is forced to abandon him in [[no man's land]]. The tale is continued at the end of the title track, at the very end of the album, providing a coda to the tragic story, with Razzell describing how he finally found peace. The excerpts are from [[BBC Television]]'s 1991 ''[[Everyman (TV series)|Everyman]]'' documentary, "A Game of Ghosts", marking the 75th anniversary of the start of the [[Battle of the Somme]].<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Emma |last1=Hanna |title=The Great War on the Small Screen: Representing the First World War in Contemporary Britain |publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=9780748633906}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0033-8060| issue = 3523| pages = 50| title = A Game of Ghosts| work = The Radio Times| access-date = 2018-04-13| date = 1991-06-20| url = http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5a8fb425cf85478b9881529bbb3c6ad3}}</ref><ref name="GoG">{{Cite episode |title=A Game of Ghosts |series=Everyman |series-link=Everyman (TV series) |network=[[BBC Television]] |date=1 July 1991 }}</ref> "I found it very moving," Waters remarked. "That original programme confronted the horrors of war and told the real story. It was an example of television taking its responsibilities seriously."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Mark|last=[[Mark Blake (writer)|Blake]]|title=Still Waters|magazine=RCD|issue= 3 |date= 1992 |volume=1 |page= 56}}</ref> The opening track also features the sound of several animals.<ref name=Rose200>Rose 2015, p. 200</ref>

The second song, "[[What God Wants|What God Wants, Part I]]", follows and contrasts the moving words of Razzell by opening with the TV being tuned instead into an excerpt of a child who says, "I don't mind about the war. That's one of the things I like to watch – if it's a war going on. 'Cos then I know if, um, our side's winning, if our side's losing..." he is then interrupted by the channel being changed and a burst of ape-chatter.

"[[Perfect Sense (song)|Perfect Sense]]" is a two-part song about a world where live transmissions of wars are the main form of entertainment.<ref name=White5/> The first part begins with a loud, unintelligible rant, then a backwards message from Waters: "Julia, however, in the light and visions of the issues of [[Stanley Kubrick|Stanley]], we changed our minds. We have decided to include a backward message. Stanley, for you, and for all the other book burners." The message climaxes with Waters yelling in the aggressive Scottish voice he used to depict the teacher in ''[[The Wall]]''. In the second part, [[sportscaster]] [[Marv Albert]] narrates a war as if it were a basketball game. "My main inspiration behind the song 'Perfect Sense'," Waters explained, "came from thinking about the days of the [[Roman Empire]], when they would flood the [[Colosseum]] and have fights between rival [[Galley|galleys]]. I've always been intrigued by this notion of war as an entertainment to mollify the folks back home, and the [[Gulf War|Gulf conflict]] fuelled that idea."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Mark|last=[[Mark Blake (writer)|Blake]]|title=Still Waters|magazine=RCD|issue= 3 |date= 1992 |volume=1 |page= 56}}</ref> 

[[File:USAF F-16A F-15C F-15E Desert Storm edit2.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|alt=USAF aircraft of the 4th Fighter Wing fly over Kuwaiti oil fires, set by the retreating Iraqi army during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.|Several tracks on the album comment on and criticize the [[Gulf War]].]]
"The Bravery of Being Out of Range" includes a reference to a song written by Waters on [[Pink Floyd]]'s 1977 album ''[[Animals (Pink Floyd album)|Animals]]'', "[[Sheep (Pink Floyd song)|Sheep]]", and to "[[Swing Low, Sweet Chariot]]".<ref>{{Cite web|title = ATD Analysis|url = http://www.rogerwaters.org/atdanalysis.html|website = www.rogerwaters.org|access-date = 2015-09-02|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070221205102/http://www.rogerwaters.org/atdanalysis.html|archive-date = 21 February 2007|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}}</ref> In "[[Sheep (Pink Floyd song)|Sheep]]" Waters sings, "I've looked over Jordan and I have seen, things are not what they seem"; in "The Bravery of Being Out of Range" he sings "I looked over Jordan and what did I see? I saw a U.S. Marine in a pile of debris."

"Late Home Tonight, Part I", which opens with the song of a [[Eurasian skylark]], recalls the [[1986 United States bombing of Libya|1986 US air strike against Libya]] from the perspective of two "ordinary wives" and a young American [[General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark|F-111]] pilot. The lyrics about "when you take the jeans from the refrigerator" reference a 1985 [[Nick Kamen#Career|Levi's 501 commercial]].<ref name="Levis">{{cite web|title=(Refrigerator) (1988)|website = [[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RKp1P2S2qs |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/2RKp1P2S2qs| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|access-date=6 September 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2020}}

At the beginning of "What God Wants, Part II" [[Charles Fleischer]] (better known as the voice of [[Roger Rabbit]]) performs the greedy [[teleevangelist]]'s sermon. The lyrics about God wanting silver, gold and "his secret never to be told" reference the [[nursery rhyme]], ''[[One for Sorrow (nursery rhyme)|One for Sorrow]]''. "What God Wants, Part III" musically references the Pink Floyd songs "[[Shine On You Crazy Diamond#Parts I.E2.80.93V|Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part I)]]", "[[Echoes (Pink Floyd song)|Echoes]]" and "[[Breathe (Pink Floyd song)|Breathe (In the Air)]]". It ends with an audio clip of Tom Bromley, an elderly WWI veteran, singing "[[Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie]]" ''a capella''. The clip is also from "A Game of Ghosts".<ref name="GoG" />

"Too Much Rope" includes the line, "Each man has his price, Bob, and yours was pretty low." "I would sometimes rehearse vocal takes by impersonating [[Bob Dylan]]," Waters explained. "That line originally read, 'Each man has his price, my friends…' – so make of that what you will. As a joke, I sang 'Bob' instead, and [[Patrick Leonard|Pat ''(Leonard, producer)'']] insisted that we leave it in. So, although it was unintentional, I'm happy that it's there for ''(Pink Floyd producer)'' [[Bob Ezrin]]. I hope he appreciates it."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Mark|last=[[Mark Blake (writer)|Blake]]|title=Still Waters|magazine=RCD|issue= 3 |date= 1992 |volume=1 |page= 56}}</ref>

The song "Watching TV" (a duet with [[Don Henley]]) explores the [[influence of mass media]] on the Chinese [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989|protests for democracy in Tiananmen Square]].

In "It's a Miracle" Waters makes a scathing reference to [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] (whom he would accuse elsewhere of having plagiarised music from Pink Floyd's "Echoes" for sections of the musical ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)|The Phantom of the Opera]]''):<ref>Q magazine, November 1992,{{cite web|url=http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/ptr/pfloyd/interview/roger2.html |title=Who the hell does Roger Waters think he is? |access-date=2009-11-20 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131117011931/http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/ptr/pfloyd/interview/roger2.html |archive-date=17 November 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> The same song features a sample from the 1977 low-budget zombie film ''[[Shock Waves (film)|Shock Waves]]'' in which the film's characters wrestle over a flashlight.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Shock-Waves-Peter-Cushing/product-reviews/B000096I9X?pageNumber=3|title=Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Shock Waves|website=Amazon|access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref> The title track begins with the lyric, "Doctor, Doctor". "[[Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk]]" on ''[[The Piper at the Gates of Dawn]]'', the first song written by Waters, opens with the same line.

===HAL samples===
Waters stated in a ''Rockline'' interview on February 8, 1993, that he had wanted to use dialogue samples from ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' on the album, specifically [[HAL 9000]]'s 'dying' monologue. [[Stanley Kubrick]], the film's director, turned him down on the basis that it would open the door to many other people using the sound sample.<ref>[http://www.rock.co.za/rogerwaters/ Rock.co.za] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404131546/http://www.rock.co.za/rogerwaters/ |date=4 April 2012 }}</ref> Others think that Kubrick refused because Pink Floyd had not allowed him to use music from ''[[Atom Heart Mother]]'' in his film ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Kubrick FAQ Part 4|url=http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index4.html|access-date=6 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524201007/http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index4.html|archive-date=24 May 2013}}</ref> Waters did use the samples of HAL describing his mind being taken away when performing live – specifically at the beginning of "Perfect Sense, Part I" during his [[In the Flesh (1999-2002 concert tour by Roger Waters)|In the Flesh tour]], after Kubrick's death, and it was finally incorporated into the ''Amused to Death'' album for the 2015 remaster / remix release.

== Title ==
The album's title was inspired by [[Neil Postman]]'s book ''[[Amusing Ourselves to Death]].'' In Postman's later book ''The End of Education'', he remarks on the album:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ingsoc.com/waters/albums/amused/response.html|title=ATD - Neil Postman's Response|access-date=2 August 2015|archive-date=2 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102120544/http://www.ingsoc.com/waters/albums/amused/response.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Rose191>Rose 2015, p. 191</ref>

{{blockquote|Roger Waters, once the lead singer of Pink Floyd, was sufficiently inspired by a book of mine to produce a CD called ''Amused to Death''. This fact so elevated my prestige among undergraduates that I am hardly in a position to repudiate him or his kind of music. Nor do I have the inclination for any other reason. Nonetheless, the level of sensibility required to appreciate the music of Roger Waters is both different and lower than what is required to appreciate, let us say, a Chopin étude.}}

==Packaging==
The album's original artwork features a [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzee]] watching television in reference to Kubrick's film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref name=Rose191/> The image on the TV is a gigantic eyeball staring at the viewer.<ref name=Rose191/> According to Waters, the ape was "a symbol for anyone who's been sitting with his mouth open in front of the network and cable news for the last 10 years."<ref name=White5/>

==Reception==
{{Album ratings
|rev1= [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score={{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/amused-to-death-mw0000081056 |title=''Amused to Death'' – Roger Waters <nowiki>| Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |</nowiki> AllMusic |website=[[AllMusic]] |author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas |access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''
|rev2Score = {{Rating|1.5|4}}<ref name="Chicago Tribune">{{cite web|last=Caro|first=Mark|date=3 September 1992|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-09-03/features/9203200435_1_star-roger-waters-floyd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201163907/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-09-03/features/9203200435_1_star-roger-waters-floyd|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 February 2012|title=Amused to Death|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Drowned in Sound]]''
| rev3score = 8/10<ref name="Drowned in Sound">{{cite web |url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/18933/reviews/4149250 |title=Album Review: Roger Waters – ''Amused to Death'' (Reissue) / Reviews / Reviews // Drowned in Sound |last=Miller |first=Gavin |date=5 August 2015 |website=[[Drowned in Sound]] |access-date=13 September 2016 |archive-date=4 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304043728/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/18933/reviews/4149250 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|rev4= ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
|rev4score=A–<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1992/09/11/amused-death/ |title=Amused to Death Music Review |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |author=Sandow, Greg |access-date=2 August 2015 |date=11 September 1992 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009094247/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C311708%2C00.html |archive-date=9 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|rev5 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
|rev5Score = {{Rating|2.5|4}}<ref name="LA Times">{{cite web|last=Boehm|first=Mike|date=13 September 1992|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-09-13-ca-1089-story.html|title=Amused to Death|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''
| rev6score = 8.0/10<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/07/roger-waters-amused-to-death-reissue-review.html |title=Waters: ''Amused to Death'' Reissue Review :: Music :: Reviews :: Roger Waters :: ''Paste'' |last=Gaar |first=Gillian G. |date=28 July 2015 |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=13 September 2017}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[PopMatters]]''
| rev7score = 8/10<ref name="PopMatters">{{cite web |url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/195124-roger-waters-amused-to-death/ |title=Roger Waters: ''Amused to Death'' (Take 1) <nowiki>|</nowiki> PopMatters |last=Garratt |first=John |date=23 July 2015 |website=[[PopMatters]] |access-date=13 September 2016}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Record Collector]]''
| rev8score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="Record Collector">{{cite web |url=http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/amused-death |title=''Amused to Death'' – ''Record Collector'' Magazine |last=Rathbone |first=Oregano |website=[[Record Collector]] |access-date=13 September 2016}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=Roger Waters|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/864 864]}}</ref>
|rev10= ''Spectrum Culture''
|rev10score={{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name=SC>{{cite news|url=http://spectrumculture.com/2015/08/11/roger-waters-amused-to-death/|title=Amused to Death|work=Spectrum Culture|author=Maçek III, J.C.|date=August 11, 2015|access-date=August 13, 2015}}</ref>
}}
[[AllMusic]] described the album as "a masterpiece in the sense that it brings together all of his obsessions in one grand, but not unwieldy, package".<ref name="AllMusic"/> ''[[Record Collector]]'' wrote that the album shows Waters "at his most bleakly inspired since the cautionary parable of ''The Wall''".<ref name="Record Collector"/> However, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' was less favorable, writing "The result is blurred structure (partly improved by the moving old-soldier's tale Waters uses as a framing device), too much repetition and a certain distance and overintellectualization. [...] overall there's a dearth of the good old [[Pop rock|pop-rock]] appeal that always lifted the better Pink Floyd records."<ref name="LA Times"/> A negative review came from ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', writing "self-importance doesn't equal profundity, and the world's most mind-blowing engineering couldn't cover up the deterioration of Waters' singing and melodic sense since his days with Floyd."<ref name="Chicago Tribune"/> ''[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]'' included ''Amused to Death'' on their list "Top 100 90's Rock Albums".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/90s-rock-albums/|title=Top 100 '90s Rock Albums|date=25 March 2015 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Waters told ''[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock]]'': "My view is that I've been involved in two absolutely classic albums – ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon]]'' and ''[[The Wall]]'' [...] And if you haven't got ''Amused to Death'', you haven't got the full set. So [[In the Flesh – Live|this album]] – the live one, which pulls together songs from all three albums – hopefully redresses the balance."{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} On 19 September 2013, Waters told BBC HardTalk that ''Amused to Death'' has been completely underrated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03b9578/hardtalk-roger-waters-musician|title=BBC News Channel - HARDtalk, Roger Waters - Musician|work=BBC|access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUyVZ0t1sU| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923223546/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUyVZ0t1sU&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2013-09-23 | url-status=dead|title=BBC HARDtalk - Roger Waters - Musician (19/9/13)|date=20 September 2013|work=YouTube|access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref>

On 15 April 2015, Waters announced that the album would be remastered and reissued on 24 July 2015 featuring a new 5.1 multichannel audio mix, as well as a new stereo mix. It was made available in a number of formats, including CD, [[Super Audio CD|SACD]], [[Blu-ray]] and high-resolution downloads.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/04/roger-waters-announces-newly-remixed-version-of-amused-to-death/|title=Roger Waters announces newly remixed version of Amused to Death|work=Consequence of Sound|date=15 April 2015|access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref> In a review of the 2015 remastering of the album, journalist J.C. Maçek III of Spectrum Culture wrote that "Not every album can be a masterpiece, but Waters has stated that ''Amused to Death'' is an underrated effort that serves as a third part to ''Dark Side of the Moon'' and ''The Wall''. But it's nowhere near those other albums. The 2015 remastering makes it a good sounding album, but it's just not the kind of infinitely listenable album that Waters is capable of creating."<ref name=SC/> In its review of the 2015 reissue, [[PopMatters]] wrote: "not only has ''Amused to Death'' aged well musically, it has unfortunately aged well thematically too. [...] ''Amused to Death'' was and still is a powerful statement from one of rock music's most literate misanthropes. As time goes on, it gets harder and harder to believe that it slipped under everyone's radar so thoroughly."<ref name="PopMatters"/> [[Drowned in Sound]] wrote: "''Amused to Death'' stands up on its own as one of the better, more intriguing post-Floyd records".<ref name="Drowned in Sound"/>

In 2016 ''Amused to Death'' won the [[Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album]] at the [[58th Annual Grammy Awards]]. The winners were listed as follows:
"James Guthrie, surround mix engineer; James Guthrie & Joel Plante, surround mastering engineers; James Guthrie, surround producer (Roger Waters) 
Label: Columbia/Legacy"

==Commercial performance==
''Amused to Death'' reached No. 8 on the [[UK Albums Chart]], Waters' first Top 10 as a solo artist in his homeland, and a career high of No. 21 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], aided by "What God Wants, Part I", which hit No. 4 on ''Billboard''{{'s}} [[Mainstream Rock Tracks]] chart in 1992. It was also certified Gold by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] for selling over 100,000 units, which became his first and only studio album to be certified Gold in his home country.<ref name="BPI">{{Citation
|url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx |title=BPI Certifications |publisher=[[British Phonographic Industry]] |access-date=5 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115055129/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx|archive-date=15 January 2013}}</ref>

==Track listing==
All songs written by Roger Waters.
{{tracklist
| title1        = The Ballad of Bill Hubbard
| length1       = 4:21
| title2        = [[What God Wants, Part I]]
| length2       = 6:00
| title3        = [[Perfect Sense, Part I]]
| length3       = 4:15
| title4        = [[Perfect Sense, Part II]]
| length4       = 2:51
| title5        = [[The Bravery of Being Out of Range]]
| length5       = 4:45
| title6        = Late Home Tonight, Part I
| length6       = 4:01
| title7        = Late Home Tonight, Part II
| length7       = 2:13
| title8        = Too Much Rope
| length8       = 5:47
| title9        = What God Wants, Part II
| length9       = 3:40
| title10       = What God Wants, Part III
| length10      = 4:09
| title11       = Watching TV
| length11      = 6:06
| title12       = Three Wishes
| length12      = 6:52
| title13       = It's a Miracle
| length13      = 8:30
| title14       = Amused to Death
| length14      = 9:07
| total_length  = 72:36
}}

==Personnel==
*[[Roger Waters]] – [[vocals]] <small>(tracks 2–14)</small>, [[bass guitar]] <small>(2 intro, 13)</small>, EMU<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=Roger Waters - Amused To Death |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/7271615-Roger-Waters-Amused-To-Death |language=en |access-date=2022-06-16}}</ref> [[synthesiser]] <small>(2, 4)</small>, [[acoustic guitar]] <small>(11, 14)</small>, [[twelve-string guitar]] <small>(5) </small>
*[[Patrick Leonard]] – [[keyboard instrument|keyboard]]s <small>(1–5, 8–14)</small>, [[percussion instrument|percussion]] [[programming (music)|programming]] <small>(1)</small>, [[choir]] [[arrangement]] <small>(2, 9–11, 13)</small>, 2nd sportscaster voice <small>(4)</small>, [[Hammond organ]] <small>(5, not on 2015 reissue)</small>, synthesisers <small>(5, 13)</small>, [[piano|acoustic piano]] <small>(11, 13)</small>
*[[Jeff Beck]] – guitar <small>(1, 11, 13)</small> solo guitar <small>(2, 5 (2015 reissue only), 10, 12, 14)</small>
*[[Andy Fairweather Low]] – electric rhythm guitar <small>(2, 9, 12)</small> acoustic rhythm guitar <small>(2, 9)</small>, guitars <small>(6, 7)</small>, Rickenbacker 12-string guitar <small>(8, 12)</small>,<ref>{{Citation|title=Too Much Rope|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz65-1wXoLY&list=PL6ogdCG3tAWiYfzH8j3efv6vjurBNXm53&index=8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/Vz65-1wXoLY| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2021-07-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref> acoustic guitar <small>(11)</small>
*[[Tim Pierce]] – guitar <small>(2, 5, 9, 12)</small>
*[[Geoff Whitehorn]] – guitar <small>(2, 8, 10, 14)</small>
*[[B.J. Cole]] – pedal steel guitar <small>(3, 4)</small>
*Rick DiFonzo – guitar <small>(3, 4)</small>
*[[Steve Lukather]] – guitar <small>(3, 4, 8)</small>
*[[Bruce Gaitsch]] – acoustic guitar <small>(3, 4)</small>
*[[David Paich]] – Hammond organ <small>(5, 2015 reissue only)</small>
*[[John Bundrick|John "Rabbit" Bundrick]] – Hammond organ <small>(12)</small>
*[[Steve Sidwell (musician)|Steve Sidwell]] – [[cornet]] <small>(6, 7)</small>
*[[Randy Jackson]] – bass <small>(2, 9)</small>
*[[Jimmy Johnson (bassist)|Jimmy Johnson]] – bass <small>(3–4, 6–8, 10, 12–14)</small>
*John Pierce – bass guitar <small>(5)</small><ref>{{Citation|title=The Bravery of Being Out of Range|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDFTHiJR63U |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/QDFTHiJR63U| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2021-07-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*[[John Patitucci]] – upright bass, electric bass <small>(11)</small>
*[[Guo Yi (musician)|Guo Yi]] & the Peking Brothers – [[Appalachian dulcimer|dulcimer]], [[lute]], zhen, [[oboe]], bass <small>(11)</small>
*[[Graham Broad]] – [[drum kit|drums]] <small>(2–4, 6–10, 12, 14)</small>, percussion <small>(6, 7)</small>
*Denny Fongheiser – drums <small>(5)</small>
*[[Jeff Porcaro]] – drums <small>(13)</small>
*[[Brian MacLeod (American musician)|Brian Macleod]] – [[snare drum|snare]] <small>(3, 4)</small>, [[Hi-hat (instrument)|hi-hat]] <small>(3, 4)</small>
*[[Luis Conte]] – percussion <small>(1, 3–4, 6–8, 10, 12)</small>
*John Dupree – strings arranger and conductor <small>(3, 4)</small>
* National Philharmonic Orchestra Limited – orchestra <small>(7, 8)</small>
*[[Michael Kamen]] – orchestral arranger and conductor <small>(7, 8)</small><ref>{{Citation|title=Late Home Tonight, Pt. II|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isVAEXdKBS4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/isVAEXdKBS4| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2021-07-25}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*[[:de:Alf Razzell|Alf Razzell]] – speech <small>(1, 14)</small>
*London Welsh Chorale – choir <small>(2, 10, 11, 13)</small>
*[[Kenneth Bowen (tenor)|Kenneth Bowen]] – choir conductor <small>(2, 10, 11, 13)</small>
*[[Katie Kissoon]] – backing vocals <small>(2, 8, 9, 12, 14)</small>
*[[Doreen Chanter]] – backing vocals <small>(2, 8, 9, 12, 14)</small>
*[[N'Dea Davenport]] – backing vocals <small>(2)</small>
*Natalie Jackson – backing vocals <small>(2, 5)</small>
*[[P.P. Arnold]] – vocals <small>(3, 4)</small>
*[[Marv Albert]] – sportscaster voice <small>(4)</small>
*Lynn Fiddmont-Linsey – backing vocals <small>(5)</small>
*Jessica Leonard, Jordan Leonard – screaming kids <small>(8)</small><ref name=":0" />
*[[Charles Fleischer]] – TV evangelist speech <small>(9)</small>
*[[Don Henley]] – vocals <small>(11)</small>
*Jon Joyce – backing vocals <small>(13)</small>
*Stan Farber (credited as Stan Laurel) – backing vocals <small>(13)</small>
*[[Jim Haas]] – backing vocals <small>(13)</small>
*[[Rita Coolidge]] – vocals <small>(14)</small>

'''Production'''
*[[Roger Waters]] – [[Record producer|production]]
*[[Patrick Leonard]] – production
*Nick Griffiths – co-producer
*Hayden Bendall – engineering
*Jerry Jordan – engineering
*Stephen McLaughlin – engineering
*[[James Guthrie (record producer)|James Guthrie]] – [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]]

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''Original release'''
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col"| Chart (1992)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
{{album chart|Australia|14|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|New Zealand|6|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|2|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|10|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|[[UK Albums Chart]]<ref name=UKchart>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21583/roger-waters/|title=ROGER WATERS|work=officialcharts.com|access-date=2 August 2015}}</ref>
|8
|-
!scope="row"|US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Billboard 200|200]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/367617/roger-waters/chart?f=305|title=Roger Waters|work=billboard.com|access-date=2 August 2015|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515140311/https://www.billboard.com/artist/367617/roger-waters/chart?f=305|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|21
|}

{{col-2}}
'''2015 reissue'''
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
! scope="col"| Chart (2015)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
{{album chart|Austria|25|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|32|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Wallonia|35|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Denmark|18|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|Dutch Albums Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?cat=a&date=20150801&year=2015|title=Roger Waters|work=Dutch Charts|access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref>
|1
|-
{{album chart|France|59|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|German Albums Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.germancharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a&year=2015&date=20150731 |title=Roger Waters |work=German Charts |access-date=31 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924022021/http://www.germancharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a&year=2015&date=20150731 |archive-date=24 September 2015 }}</ref>
|4
|-
{{album chart|Ireland2|33|artist=Roger Waters|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
{{album chart|Italy|22|artist=Roger Waters|album=Amused to Death|rowheader=true|access-date=26 October 2022}}
|-
!scope="row"|UK Albums Chart<ref name=UKchart/>
|10
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications==
{{certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Amused to Death|artist=Roger Waters|type=album|relyear=2015|certyear=2015|region=Australia|award=Gold|access-date=28 December 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Amused to Death|artist=Roger Waters|type=album|relyear=1992|certyear=1992|region=Canada|award=Gold}}
{{Certification Table Entry|title=Amused to Death|artist=Roger Waters|type=album|relyear=1992|certyear=2025|id=487-3163-2|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|access-date=24 January 2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rose|first1=Phil|title=Roger Waters and Pink Floyd: The Concept Albums|date=2015|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781611477610}}
* {{cite magazine|last1=White|first1=Timothy|title=Roger Waters' 'Death' & Rebirth|magazine=Billboard|date=August 1, 1992|volume=104|issue=31|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|issn=0006-2510}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Bargrizan |first1=Navid |title=Popular Music Studies Today: Proceedings of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music 2017 |date=2017 |publisher=Springer Fachmedien |isbn=978-3-658-17740-9 |pages=25–33 |language=en |chapter=The Monkey is Amused to Death: Roger Waters' Masterpiece and its Commercial Failure}}

==External links==
* [http://www.floydianslip.com/radio-show/amused-to-death/ Syndicated 1-hour radio special and transcript devoted to the album]
* [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80011692 Alf Razzell interview] on which the album draws, at the [[Imperial War Museum]]

{{Roger Waters}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amused To Death}}
[[Category:Roger Waters albums]]
[[Category:1992 albums]]
[[Category:1990s concept albums]]
[[Category:Columbia Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Roger Waters]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Patrick Leonard]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios]]
[[Category:Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album]]