Taken from the Division Bell rehearsal Earls Court London 1994
The song, originally titled "In Shades of Grey", addresses the great hopes following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the disappointment that followed. David Gilmour stated:
Despite Gilmour's statements to the contrary, the lyrics have often been read as a reflection on the bitter and estranged partnership Gilmour had with former bandmate Roger Waters, who was the driving force behind the band's album The Wall. By this interpretation, the "Great Day for Freedom" would be the day Waters left the band, giving the other members freedom to determine the band's future direction. Gilmour commented on this reading: "I'm quite happy for people to interpret The Division Bell any way they like. But maybe a note of caution should be sounded because you can read too much into it. 'A Great Day for Freedom', for example, has got nothing to do with Roger or his 'wall'. It just doesn't. What else can I say?"
Live
The song was performed by the band on selected dates of The Division Bell tour, and is available on the Pulse (1995) live album, but was omitted from the Pulse VHS and DVD. Gilmour performed it at his solo semi-acoustic concerts in 2002 which can be seen on the David Gilmour in Concert (2002) DVD. The song also made just one appearance during Gilmour's 2006 On an Island Tour, at the final show in Gdańsk, Poland; this performance can be found on the live album/DVD Live in Gdańsk (2008).
Personnel
The Division Bell
David Gilmour – guitar, vocals
Richard Wright – piano, synthesizer
Nick Mason – drums, tambourine
with:

Jon Carin - Prophet V synthesizer
Guy Pratt – bass guitar
Michael Kamen – orchestral arrangement
The Division Bell Tour, 1994
David Gilmour – electric guitar, lead vocals
Richard Wright – piano
Nick Mason – drums
with:

Guy Pratt – bass
Jon Carin – keyboards, vocals
Gary Wallis – percussion
Tim Renwick – acoustic guitar
Sam Brown – backing vocals
Claudia Fontaine – backing vocals
Durga McBroom – backing vocals