From the Wikipedia entry:"Red Rain" is the first track on Peter Gabriel's 1986 solo album So. In the USA, it reached #3 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Stewart Copeland from The Police played the hi-hat for the rain-like background sound.
The song is a combination of several inspirations. The lyrics directly reference a recurring dream Gabriel was having where he swam through red water.
Earlier in his solo career, Gabriel had an idea for a movie, 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" (as well as in "Down the Dolce Vita," "Exposure," "Here Comes the Flood," and "That Voice Again") in Peter Gabriel (II).Here are first the music video, and then the performance of "Red Rain" at the 1986 Amnesty International concert:
This is hands down my favorite Peter Gabriel song. I've always thought of it as uplifting, despite it's macabre subject matter. I remember watching Live Aid and this was one of the songs used for the promos. I still have the full concert on VHS. Stuart Copeland is my favorite drummer, so fast and sharp. He kind of uses the same technique on "Walking on the Moon" and "Secret Journey" (also my favs.)Excellent choice!
ReplyDeleteI love it too. The buildup at the beginning is intense. It is macabre, but it was/is such an awesome song. Gabriel always seemed to be tapping in to "something" at a deeper level. Stewart Copeland is awesome on it! I'm not familiar with "Secret Journey" (a Police song?), but the use of his cymbals and hi-hat are very similar to their use on "Walking on the Moon," or "Tea in the Sahara," or anything on the Rumblefish soundtrack.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteyep, it's a Police song and a very good one.