Wizard of Oz Pink Floyd Theory EXPLAINED

The Dark Side of the Rainbow theory suggests Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album is synchronized with The Wizard of Oz, creating eerie coincidences between the music and the film. Though the band denies any intent, the theory gained traction in the '90s, leaving fans to decide if it's a clever coincidence or a hidden masterpiece.

Let's dive in...

Subscribe | Enable ALL push notifications 🔔

Follow Screen Rant:

Official Screen Rant Website:

Video by: Matt Wood & Harchit Kohli

#wizardofoz #darksideofthemoon #pinkfloyd #wicked

[ScreenRant]

What are your thoughts on the Dark Side of the Rainbow theory?

[ravenmouse]

You guys didn't really show any examples of the album lining up with the movie... just stated the conspiracy with no follow through...

[CyGea]

The roar depends on the format you’re using…vinyl, tape, cd, or digital.
If you get it right, Money’s intro starts when it goes to color and the music all lines up pretty good with the action.

[Kook-a-mal]

It’s the first roar for vinyl, the third road for the CD. Did this for my house parties in the late 80’s, early 90’s.

[SavageDawgJoshua]

Thank you for this. I'm 53, huge Floyd fan and STILL haven't tried this...
"The fail is strong with this one"
EDIT EFF off. Just watched and you did literally NOTHING on this story.

[noahhenson]

It's a fun coincidence. Also in the 90s, most cable providers offered local "access" stations with cheap programming, which would run random clips of old movies dubbed with some modern soundtrack... and the coincidences of action and reveals would be stunning. Yet it was all random, not intentional. You can achieve the same effect with almost any movie and any extended piece of music.

[LeviJamesRE]

Also odd how Scissor Sisters covered Comfortably Numb and also have a song on the same album called "Return to Oz"

[Bum_Hip]

There’s a video that mashes up the movie, and the album on YouTube. It really is freaky how well most of it works together.

[AndrewMartinNZ]

It's not explained at all. Disappointing.

[tylerhackner]

Wish we saw more examples of the album lining up with the film

[swistedfilms]

Although there are a couple of amazing coincidences, particularly "Great Gig in the Sky, " the real problem with the theory is that the album is only about 43 minutes long and the movie is 1 hour 42 minutes. You run out of album long before the movie ends.

[empurress]

So, i used to listen to Dark Side of the Moon while watching TV all the time.
One day i met someone who watched the Wizard of Oz three or more times a day.
One day when they were going to watch Wizard of Oz for the third time that day, i suggested watching the Dark Side of the Moon with it.
I had a lot of cats at that time so when i wanted a spot to start the movie where i'd remember any good syncs i started the move just after the 3rd lion roar.
When it was over we were stunned at the sync. Someone knew a band that covered P{ink Floyd and knew they would like to play along with the movie. Someone else knew someone who worked on a radio show and would let people know about the sync. The rest is urban legend.
Yup, it was actually me who found the sync. Synchronisticly.
True story.

[stephyalysse]

I remember Comfortably Numb synching up perfectly with the poppy field scene blowing my mind

[ericdunthorne]

Tried it probably twenty years ago. I started on the third lion roar it vaguely matched up. The higher you are helps blurred the lines. Also a heavy amount of counting the hits and ignoring the misses was occurring.

[SkepticalJoe]

Didn't George Waters fully admit when editing Dark Side of the Moon he specifically edited it to fit The Wizard of Oz? So there's not really a mystery here. This is like how people still debate which hotel is "the" Hotel California from The Eagles album. When Joe Walsh the writer of the song writer said Hotel California was LA during the late 60's and early 70's.

[ghostmachine]

Here is the reason:

In analog formats, there were standardized run times for both audio and film. A standard film reel was about 11 minutes in run time, and the an average capacity of a single side of a vinyl record was about double that, at 22-24 minutes. Wizard of Oz turns to color in reel 3, and dark side’s Money is the first track of side 2. The rest are interesting coincidences, but easily the most memorable synchronization is a result of mechanical reproduction.

[randallross]

I own a cut of the movie with the audio track replaced with Dark Side of the Moon. It's cool, a feel thing.

[CyGea]

Dark Side of the Rainbow is second only to The Wall for trip watching.

[jeretx]

I've always known it as The Dark Side of Oz rather than The Dark Side of the Rainbow

[reaver]

The best part is the Cha-Ching from money right? As the movie becomes in color