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Another Brick in the Wall

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This article is about the song. For the opera, see Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera.

"Another Brick in the Wall" is a three-part composition on Pink Floyd's 1979 album The Wall, written by the bassist, Roger Waters. "Part 2", a protest song against corporal punishment and rigid and abusive schooling, features a children's choir. At the suggestion of the producer, Bob Ezrin, Pink Floyd added elements of disco.

"Another Brick in the Wall"
Song by Pink Floyd
from the album The Wall
PublishedPink Floyd Music Publishers
Released30 November 1979
RecordedApril–November 1979
Genre
Length8:28 (All three parts)
  • 3:11 (Part 1)
  • 3:59 (Part 2)
  • 1:18 (Part 3)
Label
Songwriter(s)Roger Waters
Producer(s)
"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)"
Single by Pink Floyd
from the album The Wall
B-side"One of My Turns"
Released23 November 1979[1]
RecordedApril – November 1979
Genre
Length
Label
Songwriter(s)Roger Waters
Pink Floyd singles chronology
"Have a Cigar"
(1975) 		"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)"
(1979) 		"Run Like Hell"
(1980)
Music video
"Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" on YouTube

"Part 2" was Pink Floyd's first UK single since "Point Me at the Sky" (1968). It sold more than four million copies worldwide and topped singles charts in 14 countries, including the UK and the US. It was nominated for a Grammy Award and was ranked number 384 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Concept

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The three parts of "Another Brick in the Wall" appear on Pink Floyd's 1979 rock opera album The Wall. They are essentially one verse each, although Part 2 sees its own verse sung twice: once by Floyd members, and the second time by the guest choir along with Waters and Gilmour. During "Part 1", the protagonist, Pink, begins building a metaphorical wall around himself following the death of his father. In "Part 2", traumas involving his overprotective mother and abusive schoolteachers become bricks in the wall. Following a violent breakdown in "Part 3", Pink dismisses everyone he knows as "just bricks in the wall."[2][3]

Bassist Roger Waters wrote "Part 2" as a protest against rigid schooling, particularly boarding schools.[4] "Another Brick in the Wall" appears in the film based on the album. In the "Part 2" sequence, children enter a school and march in unison through a meat grinder, becoming "putty-faced" clones, before rioting and burning down the school.[5]

Recording

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At the suggestion of the producer Bob Ezrin, Pink Floyd added elements of disco, which was popular at the time. According to the guitarist, David Gilmour:

[Ezrin] said to me, "Go to a couple of clubs and listen to what's happening with disco music," so I forced myself out and listened to loud, four-to-the-bar bass drums and stuff and thought, Gawd, awful! Then we went back and tried to turn one of the parts into one of those so it would be catchy.[6]

Gilmour recorded his guitar solo using a 1955 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top guitar with P-90 pickups.[7] Despite his reservations, Gilmour felt the final song sounded like Pink Floyd.[6] When Ezrin heard the song with a disco beat, he was convinced it could become a hit, but felt it needed to be longer, with two verses and two choruses. The band resisted, saying they did not release singles; Waters told him: "Go ahead and waste your time doing silly stuff."[8]

While the band members were away, Ezrin edited the takes into an extended version. He also had the engineer Nick Griffiths record children singing the verse at Islington Green School, close to Pink Floyd's studio.[8] Griffiths was instructed to record only two or three children. Inspired by a Todd Rundgren album featuring an audience in each stereo channel, he suggested recording an entire school choir. The school allotted only 40 minutes for the recording.[9]

Alun Renshaw, the head of music at the school, was enthusiastic, and said later: "I wanted to make music relevant to the kids – not just sitting around listening to Tchaikovsky. I thought the lyrics were great – 'We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control' ... I just thought it would be a wonderful experience for the kids."[10] The children's choir in the recording featured 23 students, who practised for about a week to prepare.[11] Renshaw hid the lyrics from the headteacher, Margaret Maden, fearing she might stop the recording.[12] Maden said: "I was only told about it after the event, which didn't please me. But on balance it was part of a very rich musical education."[12]

Renshaw and the children spent a week practising before he took them to a recording studio near the school.[13] According to Ezrin, when he played the children's vocals to Waters, "There was a total softening of his face, and you just knew that he knew it was going to be an important record."[6] Waters said: "It was great—exactly the thing I expected from a collaborator."[6]

In exchange for performing vocals, the children of Islington School received tickets to a Pink Floyd concert, an album and a single.[14] Though the school received a payment of £1,000, there was no arrangement for royalties for the children.[15] Following a change to UK copyright law in 1996, they became eligible for royalties from broadcasts. After the royalties agent Peter Rowan traced the choir members through the social network service Friends Reunited and other means, they successfully lodged a claim for royalties with the Performing Artists' Media Rights Association in 2004.[15]

Reception

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"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" was released as a single, Pink Floyd's first in the UK since "Point Me at the Sky" (1968).[citation needed] It was also the Christmas number one of 1979 and the final number one of the decade in the UK.[16] In the US, it reached number 57 on the disco chart.[17] The single sold over 4 million copies worldwide.[4] Cash Box described it as a "catchy but foreboding selection, with its ominously steady drum work and angry lyrics."[18]

The song won Waters the 1983 British Academy Award for Best Original Song for its appearance in the Wall film.[19] "Part 2" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group.[citation needed] It appeared at number 384 on Rolling Stone's 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[20]

The lyrics attracted controversy. The Inner London Education Authority described the song as "scandalous", and according to Renshaw, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher "hated it".[13] Renshaw said, "There was a political knee-jerk reaction to a song that had nothing to do with the education system. It was [Waters'] reflections on his life and how his schooling was part of that."[13] The single, as well as the album The Wall, were banned in South Africa in 1980 after it was adopted by supporters of a nationwide school boycott protesting instituted racial inequities in education under apartheid.[21][22]

Charts

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Sales and certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada — 260,000[61]
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[62] Platinum 90,000‡
France (SNEP)[63] Gold 500,000*
Germany (BVMI)[64] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[65] 2× Platinum 100,000‡
South Africa — 60,000[66]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[67] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] Platinum 1,146,548[68]
United States (RIAA)[70]
physical 		Platinum 1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[70]
digital 		Gold 500,000*
Summaries
Worldwide — 4,000,000[4]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

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Personnel, according to The Pink Floyd Encyclopedia.[71]

Part 1

Part 2

  • Roger Waters – bass, vocals (unison with Gilmour)
  • David Gilmour – guitar, vocals (unison with Waters)
  • Nick Mason – drums
  • Richard Wright – Hammond organ, Prophet-5 synthesiser
  • Islington Green School students (organized by Alun Renshaw) – vocals

Part 3

  • Roger Waters – bass, vocals, rhythm guitar
  • David Gilmour – guitar
  • Nick Mason – drums
  • Richard Wright – Prophet-5 synthesiser

Roger Waters versions

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"Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 (Live in Berlin)"
Single by Roger Waters, with Cyndi Lauper
from the album The Wall – Live in Berlin
B-side"Run Like Hell" (Potsdamer Mix)
Released10 September 1990
Recorded21 July 1990
GenreRock, disco
Length6:29
LabelMercury Records
Songwriter(s)Roger Waters
Producer(s)Roger Waters
Nick Griffiths
Roger Waters singles chronology
"Who Needs Information"
(1987) 		"Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 (Live in Berlin)"
(1990) 		"The Tide Is Turning (Live in Berlin)"
(1990)

A live version of "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" with Cyndi Lauper on vocals, recorded on 21 July 1990 at Potsdamer Platz, was released as a single on 10 September 1990 to promote The Wall – Live in Berlin. The B-side was the live version of "Run Like Hell" performed with Scorpions at the same concert.

In promotion of The Wall – Live in Berlin a new studio version was recorded by Roger Waters & The Bleeding Heart Band that was released on promo compilation titled The Wall Berlin '90 featuring Pink Floyd and Roger Waters solo recordings.

Another live version appeared on Waters' album In the Flesh – Live, integrated between "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Mother" as on the original album, but with a reprise of the first verse ending the song.

For later shows, Waters usually employed local school choirs to perform the song with him (as can be seen on Roger Waters: The Wall). From 2011 to 2013, Waters added an acoustic coda called "The Ballad of Jean Charles de Menezes".[72]

Track listings

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7" single
No.TitleLength
1."Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two) (Edited Version)"4:02
2."Run Like Hell"5:07
12" single
No.TitleLength
1."Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two) (Full Version)"6:29
2."Run Like Hell (Potsdamer Mix)"6:18
CD
No.TitleLength
1."Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two) (Full Version)"6:29
2."Run Like Hell (Potsdamer Mix)"6:18
3."Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two) (Edited Version)"4:02

Korn version

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"Another Brick in the Wall, Pts. 1–3"
 
Promotional single by Korn
from the album Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
ReleasedDecember 2004 (2004-12)
Recorded2004
StudioElementree Studios (Tarzana, California)
Genre
Length7:08
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Roger Waters
Producer(s)
Korn singles chronology
"Word Up!"
(2004) 		"Another Brick in the Wall, Pts. 1–3"
(2004) 		"Twisted Transistor"
(2005)

The American nu metal band Korn covered all three parts, along with the Wall song "Goodbye Cruel World", for the 2004 compilation album Greatest Hits, Vol. 1. It was released as a promotional single and reached number 37 on the Modern Rock chart and number 12 on the Mainstream Rock chart.[73][74] A live music video was released, directed by Bill Yukich.[75] Will Levith of Ultimate Classic Rock called Korn's cover "one of the worst covers of a classic rock song of all time".[76] Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic described it as "overwrought, yet enticingly so".[77]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Another Brick in the Wall"7:08

Charts

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Chart (2004) Peak
position
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[78] 37
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[79] 12

Personnel

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Derivative works

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See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ "Pink Floyd official site".
  2. ^ "Rock Milestones: Pink Floyd – The Wall", Movies & TV Dept., The New York Times, retrieved 30 May 2010; Pink Floyd's Roger Waters Announces The Wall Tour, MTV, retrieved 30 May 2010; Top 14 Greatest Rock Operas/Concept Albums Of All Time, ign.com, archived from the original on 9 March 2011, retrieved 30 May 2010
  3. ^ Schaffner 1991, pp. 210–211
  4. ^ a b c Rock and Pop Music. "Pink Floyd: 10 things you didn't know about the band, Telegraph, February 28th, 2012". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Rock History 101: Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II"". Consequence of Sound. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Simmons, Sylvie, ed. (October 2009). ""Good Bye Blue Sky", (Pink Floyd: 30th Anniversary, The Wall Revisited.)". Guitar World. 30 (10). Future: 79–80. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011.
  7. ^ Fitch & Mahon 2006, pp. 75–76, see also "The David Gilmour Guitar Collection", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E6mIYNO3So at 3:30.
  8. ^ a b Fielder 2013, p. 135.
  9. ^ Mason, Nick (2005). Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd. Chronicle. pp. 343–344. ISBN 978-0-8118-4824-4.
  10. ^ Blake 2008, p. 273
  11. ^ "Kick against the bricks". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 December 2004. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Pink Floyd pupils sue for royalties". Evening Standard. 26 November 2004. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  13. ^ a b c "Kick against the bricks". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 December 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Just another brick in the wall?". 2 October 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Payout after Pink Floyd leaves them kids alone". The Times. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  16. ^ Robinson, Peter (10 December 2015). "Drugs, austerity and Thatcher – what Christmas No 1s tell us about Britain". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  17. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974–2003. Record Research. p. 203.
  18. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 19 January 1980. p. 24. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Past Winners and Nominees – Film – Awards". BAFTA. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  20. ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  21. ^ "Counting out time Pink Floyd the wall – song was banned in South Africa in 1980". Dprp.net. 30 November 1979. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
  22. ^ (UPI) "South Africa Bans Floyd's 'The Wall'" The New York Times 15 July 1980: C6
  23. ^ "The biggest hits that never made No. 1 in Australia". Daily Telegraph. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  24. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  25. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  26. ^ "RPM Volume 32, No. 26". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 22 March 1980. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  27. ^ Schlüter, Johan (25 July 1980). "Official Danish Singles Chart". IFPI Report. No. Week 30. IFPI Danmark.
  28. ^ Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (Tammi, 2005; ed. Jake Nyman).
  29. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  30. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search charts". IRMA. 2008. To use, type "Another Brick in the Wall" in the "Search by Song Title" search var and click search. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  31. ^ a b Blake, Mark (2008). Da Capo Press Inc. (ed.). Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd. Hachette Books. ISBN 978-0-306-81752-6.
  32. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Pink Floyd".
  33. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 3, 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  34. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  35. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  36. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)". VG-lista. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  37. ^ Samson, John. "Another brick in the wall (part II) in South African Chart". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  38. ^ Davidalic (12 February 2010). "Listas de superventas: 1980". AFE. Listas De Superventas. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  39. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  40. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  41. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  42. ^ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  43. ^ "Pink Floyd Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  44. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles Week ending APRIL 5, 1980". Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  45. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  46. ^ "Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  47. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1980". Kent Music Report. 5 January 1981. Retrieved 17 January 2022 – via Imgur.
  48. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Forum – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  49. ^ "Top 100 Singles (1980)". RPM. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  50. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1980" (in German). Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  51. ^ "Top Annuali Single 1980". Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  52. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  53. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980". MegaCharts. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  54. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1980 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart".
  55. ^ "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1980". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  56. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1980 – Singles". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  57. ^ Billboard 20 December 1980: TIA-10
  58. ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1980". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  59. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
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  61. ^ "Juno Album, Singles Data" (PDF). Billboard. 24 January 1981. p. 102. Retrieved 2 March 2021 – via World Radio History.
  62. ^ "Danish single certifications – Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  63. ^ "French single certifications – Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall" (in French). InfoDisc. Select PINK FLOYD and click OK. 
  64. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Pink Floyd; 'Another Brick in the Wall')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  65. ^ "Italian single certifications – Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 22 July 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  66. ^ Garcia, Sérgio (25 May 1980). "Pra não dizer que não falei de som". O Jornal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 October 2021. (...) the group is in a hot water in South Africa due to censorship. A song from Pink's recent album, which has been on the charts for 20 weeks, "Another Brick in the Wall", which has now sold 60,000 copies, is now banned from being played. (...)
  67. ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  68. ^ Copsey, Rob (19 September 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  69. ^ "British single certifications – Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2". British Phonographic Industry.
  70. ^ a b "American single certifications – Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  71. ^ Fitch, Vernon (2005). 'The Pink Floyd Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). Collector's Guide. pp. 73, 76, 88. ISBN 1-894959-24-8.
  72. ^ Giles, Jeff (13 February 2013). "Roger Waters Adds New Song to 'The Wall'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  73. ^ "Korn Another Brick In The Wall Chart History – Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  74. ^ "Korn Another Brick In The Wall Chart History – Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  75. ^ ""Another Brick in the Wall, Pts. 1-3" by Korn | Music Video | VH1.com". VH1. Viacom Media Networks. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  76. ^ Levith, Will (29 August 2013). "Korn, 'Another Brick in the Wall' – Terrible Classic Rock Covers". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  77. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 – Korn". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
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  80. ^ "Pink Floyd backs Iranian protest song". Telegraph.co.uk. 30 July 2010.
  81. ^ "Blurred Vision – Another Brick In The Wall pt.2 (Hey Ayatollah Leave Those Kids Alone)". BlurredVisionMusic. 29 September 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  82. ^ "ERIC PRYDZ VS FLOYD | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.

Sources

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Further reading

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  • Fitch, Vernon and Mahon, Richard, Comfortably Numb – A History of The Wall 1978–1981, 2006
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