Friday, June 03, 2005

"Here Comes the Flood"

Peter Gabriel seems to get a mixed press. To half of us he's an eccentric, mumbling mad-professor type with a penchant for world music and we vaguely remember he had a couple of off-beat hits and did a wicked video. To others, though, he's a miraculous songwriter on his day. A lot of other folks will remember him for "In Your Eyes" with its soaring, epic guest vocal from Youssou N'Dour, or his gentle, dramatic duet with Kate Bush, "Don't Give Up". But this song, this song, comes from somewhere only he's been to. There are two particular versions that I enjoy; the first, from his first solo album gets the full, intense epic treatment, with a chorus that reaches up to his personal muse and tries desperately hard to leave this world. The second, a blindingly personal, vulnerable rendition with just his voice and a piano at the forefront: a stately, low-key but painfully powerful version that completely eclipses the original in many ways: "When the flood calls, you have no home, you have no walls/In the thunder crash, you're a thousand minds, within a flash/Don't be afraid to cry at what you see/The actors gone, there's only you and me/And if we break before the dawn/They'll use up what we used to be."

5 comments:

Evil Minx said...

It's another great song, with such an intelligent review. I love reading your stuff, Londinium, it's my little treat to myself to pop over here and peruse.

Btw, how is you-know-who? Please tell them I love and miss them very much. Thanks.

EM xxx

Minerva said...

What a wonderful post...
You are an inspirational writer..and this one is one of your best..

Phoenix.

Evil Minx said...

Londinium, I wanted to ask - can we make requests for reviews?

EMxxx

Alessandro Vitelli said...

Hmmmm...that would be very very subjective. This blog is a labour of love, so it stands to reason that I'd have to love the song.

You can always try!

Evil Minx said...

OK, I'll bite...

"Long Train Running" - by the Doobie Brothers

Yay or nay? I won't stop trying until I hit one you like...

EMxxx