NBC Insider Exclusive

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!

Sign Up For Free to View
NBC Insider The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

David Gilmour Addresses Syncing Pink Floyd's Album with The Wizard of Oz

He tells Jimmy Fallon whether the band had planned for The Dark Side of the Moon to match up with the beloved musical.

By Christopher Rudolph
David Gilmour Addresses The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz Synchronization Rumor
Video thumbnail
Now Playing
13:14
Highlight
David Gilmour Addresses The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz Synchronization Rumor
Video thumbnail
6:07
Highlight
Pope Leo XIV Makes History as First American Pope, Trump Calls Pope's Election "Such an Honor"
Video thumbnail
5:32
Highlight
Joe List Stand-Up: Watching Movies with Smart People, Becoming a Father
Video thumbnail
1:16
Highlight
Mr. Grande (Mikey Angelo) Performs a Rap Celebrating All Things Mother (Cold Open)
Video thumbnail
8:03
Highlight
Melissa Rivers on Getting Married and Honoring Her Late Mother Joan Rivers with a Special (Extended)
Video thumbnail
8:28
Highlight
Erin Doherty Talks Shooting Full Adolescence Episodes in One Take and Reacts to the Show's Success
Video thumbnail
4:41
Web Exclusive
Jimmy Interviews a Knicks Fan and Celtics Fan Following the Knicks' Game 2 Comeback Victory
Video thumbnail
6:10
Highlight
Box of Lies with Shakira
Video thumbnail
9:24
Highlight
Shakira Almost Didn't Release "Hips Don't Lie," Talks About Her Massive World Tour (Extended)
Video thumbnail
4:05
Highlight
Counting Crows: Spaceman in Tulsa
Video thumbnail
7:02
Highlight
Adam Duritz Got a Care Package from Prince After Skipping Out on His Party (Extended)
Video thumbnail
10:17
Highlight
Trump Teases "Earth-Shattering" Announcement, Conclave to Elect New Pope Officially Kicks Off
Video thumbnail
7:19
Highlight
Josh Hartnett Invites Fight or Flight Director James Madigan to Join His Interview (Extended)
Video thumbnail
7:52
Highlight
Kerry Washington Confirms She's Involved in the Desperate Housewives Reboot (Extended)
Video thumbnail
4:23
Highlight
Shakira: Hips Don't Lie ft. Wyclef Jean (Special 20th Anniversary Performance)
Video thumbnail
11:58
Highlight
Lorraine Bracco Opens Up About The Sopranos' Ending, Shares True Story Behind Her Movie Nonnas
Video thumbnail
5:14
Highlight
Hey Robot with Nate Bargatze
Video thumbnail
11:55
Highlight
Nate Bargatze Bought a Watch That Belonged to Darth Vader, Explains Why His Book Has Blank Pages

With Wicked flying into theaters later this month, the world has Oz on the brain. And one of the strangest pop culture legends surrounding the original 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz, is how Pink Floyd's classic The Dark Side of the Moon album magically seems to sync up with what's happening onscreen in the musical.

How to Watch

Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC weeknights at 11:35/10:35c and next day on Peacock

During his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 8, Pink Floyd member David Gilmour addressed the rumor, and if the band had actually planned their famous album to match with The Wizard of Oz.

RELATED: How Does Wicked Connect to The Wizard of Oz? The Magical World Explained

Was it on purpose? "Well, of course it was," Gilmour told Jimmy Fallon with a straight face — before confirming that it's just a crazy coincidence.

"We listened to it, Polly and I, years ago," Gilmour continued, referring to his wife, Polly Samson. "There was no planning that out. I only heard about it years later."

How to sync up The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz

Gilmour told Fallon and The Tonight Show exactly how to watch The Wizard of Oz to see the coincidental moments the film appears to align with musical cues in The Dark Side of the Moon.

"On the third roar of the MGM lion, you put the needle [of the record player] on for the beginning of Dark Side, and there's these strange synchronicities that happen," the Pink Floyd singer and guitarist explained.

David Gilmour talks to Jimmy on The Tonight Show Season 12 Episode 23

"Well, now people have done the chore work, and added it on YouTube," Gilmour continued. "You can watch. It's kind of amazing, and there are these strange coincidences — I'll call them coincidences."

"So maybe if you play this while you watch the movie Wicked..." said Fallon, as he held up Gilmour's latest album, Luck and Strange.

"Who knows?" answered the musician. Might be time to break out your record players, Ozians!

The theory of the Dark Side of the Moon/Wizard of Oz connection became widespread in the '90s thanks to journalist Charlie Savage, who wrote about the phenomenon of certain lyrics and sounds from the album syncing up with scenes in the classic Judy Garland film.

RELATED: Reba McEntire Shared an Amazing Photo from Her Rodeo Barrel Racing Days

"The band members have said they didn’t do it on purpose and that when they were recording the album there was no ready means of reproducing the film in the studio, which seems persuasive," Savage told Mojo in 2023. "But I have never thought that it was intentional, and I don’t think it’s necessary for this oddity to have been created on purpose to enjoy it."

"In fact, in some ways it’s more interesting if it just happened," he added. And it seems it did.