"Red Rain" is the first track on English rock musician Peter Gabriel's fifth solo studio album So (1986). In the United States, it was initially only released as a promotional single and reached number three on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock chart in June 1986, where it stayed for three weeks between July and August.[3] A year later, in June 1987, it was released as a commercial single in parts of Europe, Australia and the United States, peaking at 46 in the UK Singles Chart after entering the chart in July of that year.[4] A live version also charted in the US and the UK in 1994.
| "Red Rain" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Peter Gabriel | ||||
| from the album So | ||||
| Released | 29 June 1987[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Genre | Rock[2] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Red Rain" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editThe song is a combination of several inspirations. The lyrics directly reference a recurring dream Gabriel was having where he swam in his backyard pool drinking cold red wine. Another version of the dream had bottles in the shape of people falling from a cliff. In it, a stream of red liquid would seep out of the people-shaped bottles as they smashed with impact onto the ground, and was usually followed by a torrential downpour of the same red liquid.[5]
Earlier in his solo career, Gabriel had an idea for a movie he referred to as Mozo. In it, villagers were punished for their sins with a blood-red rain. "Red Rain" was to be the theme song. This idea was eventually scrapped, although there was a mention of Mozo in the song "On the Air" in Peter Gabriel (1978). "Down the Dolce Vita", "Here Comes the Flood", and "Exposure" reference the Mozo story, as well.[6]
Strongly percussive in nature, the song features two notable American drummers: Stewart Copeland from the Police played the hi-hat for the rain-like background sound and was requested by Gabriel due to his mastery of the instrument,[7] while the rest of the drumming was provided by Gabriel's regular drummer Jerry Marotta, who recorded eight different drum takes for producer Daniel Lanois to choose from.[8]
Critical reception
editGabriel's biographer Daryl Easlea wrote that the song was "a brooding opening to the album" which reflected "two very current Eighties obsessions: AIDS and nuclear fallout".[9] Jon Parles of The New York Times identified "Red Rain" as one of the bleakest songs on the album.[10] In his review of So, Tim Holmes of Rolling Stone thought that the song's descending melody acted as a soothing metaphor for an apocalyptic image."[11] Stephen Thomas Erlewine has described it as "a stately anthem popular on album rock radio".[12]
Track listing
edit- "Red Rain"
- "In Your Eyes" (special mix) [only on 12"]
- "Ga-Ga"
"Ga-Ga" is an instrumental version of the song "I Go Swimming", which was only released on the Plays Live album.
US 12" single (20749-0)
edit- "Red Rain" – 5:35
- "Ga-Ga" (instrumental) – 4:31
- "Walk Through the Fire" – 3:31
Personnel
edit- Jerry Marotta – drums
- Chris Hughes – Linn programming
- Stewart Copeland – hi-hat
- Tony Levin – bass guitar
- David Rhodes – guitar, backing vocals
- Daniel Lanois – guitar
- Peter Gabriel – vocals, piano, CMI, Prophet-5
- Kevin Killen – mixer
Charts
editStudio version
edit| Chart (1986–1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[13] | 27 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 46 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[15] | 3 |
Live version
edit| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[16] | 63 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 39 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[15] | 33 |
References
edit- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 27.
- ^ Hill, Sarah (2017). "Peter Gabriel, From Genesis to Growing Up". Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781351554282. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart History". songdatabase.com. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ David Roberts British Hit Singles & Albums, Guinness World Records Limited
- ^ Scott 2012, 4:05.
- ^ Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-78952-138-2.
- ^ Burke, Chris (17 April 2015). "Classic Albums featuring Stewart Copeland". MusicRadar. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ Scott 2012, 5:45.
- ^ Easlea, Daryl (2013). Without Frontiers: The Life & Music of Peter Gabriel. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1780383156.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (15 June 1986). "Peter Gabriel Sings of Lost Egos". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ Holmes, Tim (14 August 1986). "So". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Peter Gabriel - So". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Red Rain". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1838." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Easlea, Daryl (2013). Without Frontiers: The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-78038-315-6.
- Scott, George (2012). Classic Albums: So. Classic Albums. United Kingdom: Eagle Rock Entertainment and Peter Gabriel Records Ltd.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) - Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. ISBN 978-1-78952-138-2.