Pink Floyd releases The Dark Side of the Moon

The Dark Side of the Moon is a concept album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd.

Released in March 1973, the album built on the ideas Pink Floyd had explored in their live shows and previous recordings, but it lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure of founding member, principal composer and lyricist, Syd Barrett. The album's themes include conflict, greed, aging, and mental illness, the latter partly inspired by Barrett's deteriorating mental state.

The Dark Side of the Rainbow, or The Dark Side of Oz, is the title of a rumour circulated on the Internet since at least 1994—that the Dark Side of the Moon was written as a soundtrack to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Observers playing the film and the album simultaneously have reported apparent synchronicities, such as Dorothy beginning to jog as the band sings "no one told you when to run". David Gilmour and Nick Mason have both denied a connection between the two works, and Roger Waters has described the rumours as "amusing". Alan Parsons has stated that the film was not mentioned during production of the album.