"The Scarecrow" is a song on Pink Floyd's debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967), though it first appeared as the B-side of their second single "See Emily Play" (as "Scarecrow") two months before. It was written by original frontman Syd Barrett and recorded in March 1967.
The song contains nascent existentialist themes, as singer Syd Barrett compares his own existence to that of the scarecrow, who, while "sadder" is also "resigned to his fate". Such thematic content would later become a mainstay of the band's lyrical imagery.
The US single (Tower 356) was released by Tower Records 3 times between between July 1967 and late 1968. Each time it failed to duplicate its UK success.
A short video of the song (actually a short feature made for a Pathe newsreel) filmed in early July 1967 features the band in an open field with an actual scarecrow, generally fooling around. Part of this film was featured extensively in Roger Waters' Dark Side of the Moon Tour.
A second video was filmed, with Gilmour replacing Barrett, in Brussels, Belgium, in 1968.
The Scarecrow is an opera commissioned by a consortium of twelve universities. It had its world premiere at the University of Texas at Austin in February-March 2006. The music was written by Joseph Turrin and libretto by Bernard Stambler. The opera is based on Percy MacKaye's play, which was in turn based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's last short story, “Feathertop.”
"Scarecrow" is a single released by The Pillows on April 4, 2007. The title track is featured in the anime adaption of Moonlight Mile, the B-side "Tsuyogari" is a cover of a Mr. Children song.
Scarecrow is a single from Melissa Etheridge's 1999 album, Breakdown.
