Ahead of their new album Merciless arriving on November 22, Body Count has teamed up with Pink Floyd’s lead/rhythm guitarist, David Gilmour, to reimagine the 1979 classic “Comfortably Numb.”
“For me, ‘Comfortably Numb’ is an introspective song—it’s me acknowledging that I’m older now,” Ice-T shares. “I’m telling the younger generation, you’ve got two choices: you can keep the fire burning or you can give up. It’s me trying to make sense of what’s happening but also pointing out that we’re all in a place where we don’t have to face reality. We’ve got flat-screen TVs and popcorn, and we can just sit back and watch the chaos of the world like it’s a TV show. It doesn’t feel real until it shows up at your door. I’m a little numb, too—we all are.”
“Body Count’s version of ‘Comfortably Numb’ is quite radical, but the words really struck me,” Gilmour adds. “It astonishes me that a tune I wrote almost 50 years ago is back with this great new approach. They’ve made it relevant again. The initial contact from Ice-T was for permission to use the song, but I thought I might offer to play on it as well. I like the new lyrics, they’re talking about the world we’re living in now, which is quite scary. Ice-T and Body Count played in London recently, sadly, I couldn’t make it, but if another opportunity came up to play with them, I’d jump at it.”
Against a backdrop of piercing guitars ringing across the track, Ice-T delivers a raw and solemn retelling of the song, “I had no choicе as I became the underdog’s voice/A young black kid… look what the fuck I did!” The powerful, original chorus grounds the track in its roots while the group creates a relatable call to arms. Check out Body Count’s accompanying video for their reinterpretation of “Comfortably Numb” below.
The group has two more performances scheduled in 2024, including at Louder Than Life and at Aftershock. You can buy tickets to see Body Count live here.
Performance Dates:
- Sept. 28—Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life
- Oct. 12—Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock