Peter Gabriel

I took a quick look through my CD collection and realized that there's a great one in the bunch that most people only associate one song with, so I decided to write about it today....

"So" is considered to be the album that was released at the pinnacle of Peter Gabriel's career. It made him a big name in the world; sure he had been in Genesis, but does anyone really remember that time? I sure as hell don't. Okay, I'm sure that some people remember it but anyone around my age or younger most likely have no idea that he was even in the group to begin with. And of course there was music that he did before this album; "Melt", for example, included the song "Games Without Frontiers" which was a minor hit for Gabriel. But "So" included the mega-gigantor hit "In Your Eyes", made popular by the movie "Say Anything" (remember John Cusack, standing outside Iyone Skye's window with the boom box....I STILL want a guy to do that for me) and the use of it at almost everyone's prom. It's on the radio in my car at least once every few days, keeping it in the front of my mind as the greatest Peter Gabriel song EVER.

But what about some of the others on the album? Aside from the other mega-gigantor hit "Sledgehammer", they're treated like red-headed step-children, let's be honest. They're ignored and never played, no one ever acknowledges them, and how many weddings have you been to where the bride and groom danced to "Don't Give Up", the duet that Gabriel sings with Kate Bush?

I'm going to address "Sledgehammer" and move on, quickly. Was the video amazing and did it make me go "ooooo" and "aaaaa" and "HOLY CRAP"? Yes. Was the song something that I actually enjoyed listening to and singing along with? NO. Come on, really, what in the hell is that song about??? I guess he's saying that he'll be anything you need....he'll give you anything you want....you can have anything you want....I don't know, it just doesn't speak to me. Never did, probably never will. Can you tell me what the heck he's trying to say?

Let's talk about "Red Rain" for a second, shall we? It seems that he's talking about pain raining down on him, "burning the ground" that he stands on.....maybe this symbolizes his moral or psychological foundations. I don't know, but it's a kick ass song and supposedly, Stewart Copeland played the high-hat that's supposed to mimic the sound of rain on the song. Pretty cool, even if it is just a rumor.

"Don't Give Up" has to be one of my favorite songs of Peter Gabriel's. The harmony between him and Kate Bush is just gorgeous, and the quality of the emotion in her voice is impeccable. No one could have sung this better than she did. And the minimal background music allows the lyrics to be showcased, and they are some of the most beautiful and moving lyrics Gabriel has written. He has been quoted saying, "The basic idea is that handling failure is one of the hardest things we have to learn to do" (quote found on songfacts.com), and who can't relate to that at some point in their lives? Who doesn't want to have someone by their side saying "don't give up.....rest your head, you worry too much.....it's gonna be alright, when times get rough, you can fall back on us"?

If you have this CD in your collection and it's getting a little dusty, maybe it's time to pop it open and give it a listen sometime soon. Appreciate the greatness that is the stuff that doesn't get radio play.