Tuesday, March 21, 2006

4 comments:

David Oppegaard said...

I like that Biko song by Peter Gabriel.

neha said...

Oh, I havent heard of Peter Gabriel.

David Oppegaard said...

Really?

What about that eighties song "In Your Eyes"?

From Whikpedia:


Although early on he achieved critical success and some commercial success(e.g. "Games Without Frontiers" from his third album and "Shock the Monkey" from his fourth), Gabriel achieved his greatest popularity with songs from the 1986 So album, most notably "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes." Gabriel co-produced So with Canadian Daniel Lanois, also known for his work with U2.


A scene from the "Sledgehammer" music videoGabriel's song "Sledgehammer" was accompanied by a visually stunning music video, which was a collaboration with director Stephen R. Johnson, Aardman Animations, and the Brothers Quay. The video won numerous awards at the 1987 MTV Music Video Awards, and set a new standard for art in the music video industry. A follow-up video for the song "Big Time" also broke new ground in music video animation and special effects.

Gabriel played a prominent role in supporting Amnesty International at this time, appearing on the 1986 U.S. A Conspiracy of Hope Tour (where "Shock the Monkey"'s percussive echoing around stadiums was a highlight) and on the 1988 worldwide Human Rights Now! Tour.

In 1989, Gabriel released Passion, the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's movie The Last Temptation of Christ. Many consider the album to be the climax of his work in world music. Following this, Gabriel recorded Us in 1992 (also co-produced with Daniel Lanois), an album in which he deals with the pain of his life problems of the previous years, his failed first marriage, the distance with his first daughter. He metaphorically talks to the river: "River, river, carry me on to the place where I come from... Bring me something that will let me get to sleep... Bring me something to take this pain away."

Gabriel's introspection within the context of the album continues in "Digging in the Dirt", an extended metaphor which Gabriel uses to describe his process of trying to unearth the things inside of him that cause him trouble. Accompanied by a graphic and disturbing video featuring footage of Gabriel covered in worms, this song also made reference to the way media coverage seems to wallow in the foibles and mistakes of high visibility artists. Gabriel describes his struggle to get through to his daughter in "Come Talk To Me" which featured backing vocals by Sinead O'Connor. The result was one of his most personal albums, though one with limited popular success. He followed release of the album with a world tour. One prominent feature was a set-up that consisted of two stages: a round one and a square one, united by a bridge that he crossed riding a boat.

neha said...

Thanks for all that info, David. I just dont listen to music much, so I end up reading the lyrics. I looked up Peter Gapriel in wikipedia, and they have the lyrics of the song you mentioned, i think.