How (members of) Pink Floyd reunited to record a song for Ukraine

When the invasion of Ukraine began, singer Andrey Khalivanyuk cut short his American tour, returned home and took up arms to defend his homeland.

A few days later, the Boombox singer posted a clip to Instagram, showing him in a military outfit, a New York Yankees baseball cap and performing "The Red Viburnum in the Meadow", a Ukrainian protest song written during World War I. Shown in a rifle.

"A little inspiration from Andrey Khalivanyuk, the leader of the group 'Boombox'," he wrote.

Now, rock legend Pink Floyd has taken Khalivnyuk's vocals and composed a charity single around it - the band's first new original music since 1994's "Division Bell".

The track, "Hey He Rise Up," features string-bending singles from David Gilmour and 90 seconds from Floyd drummer Nick Mason. (Needless to say, separate bassist Roger Waters is noticeably absent.)

The title references the last line of the protest song: "Hey, wake up and rejoice."

How did the song come about

"We, like many, feel the fury and desperation of this abhorrent act of a free, peaceful democratic country that is being invaded and its people murdered by one of the world's major powers. Gilmour, who has a Ukrainian daughter-in-law and grandchildren, said in a statement on the band's website.

"Then I saw this incredible video on Instagram where he stands in a square in Kyiv with this beautiful gold-domed church and sings in the silence of a city with no traffic or background noise due to the war," the statement said. " "It was a powerful moment that made me want to put it in the music."

Gilmour said he spoke to Khalivanyuk, who is recovering from a shrapnel injury, and played him a snippet.

"He gave me his blessing," Gilmour said.

The band said that proceeds from the single would go to Ukrainian humanitarian relief.