The Peter Gabriel song that almost featured Dolly Parton
For any self-respecting prog-rock musician, no genre is necessarily off the table. Part of the appeal of delving into progressive territory involves exploring the parameters of what rock can do, and the best examples of that are incorporating styles like jazz, blues, and even classical into the mix. Though Peter Gabriel was enamoured with every genre under the sun, he also could have added a dash of country to his repertoire.
Coming out of Genesis, Gabriel had long started to carve out his unique niche in the prog world. Following the success of his breakout single, ‘Solsbury Hill’, Gabriel would create stark tracks that were unlike anything else available at the time, from the bombast of ‘Here Comes the Flood’ to the electronic messing-about in ‘D.I.Y.’ from his follow-up record.
Even though his first four records remained self-titled, Gabriel focused on progressing forward before working with Daniel Lanois on So. Having loved his production with artists like U2, Lanois was a disciplined craftsman who knew how to make the most tasteful rock music ever created.
Looking to shed his skin as a prog-rock wonderchild, Gabriel scored the biggest hits of his career off the strength of this album, bringing in Motown-flavoured horns on ‘Sledgehammer’ and turning in God’s gift to love songs everywhere in ‘In Your Eyes’. Then again, the emotional powerhouse of the album wasn’t given to Gabriel.
Based around a figure that bassist Tony Levin had been working on, Gabriel crafted lyrics about a family struggling with losing a job, which would turn into ‘Don’t Give Up’. While Gabriel heard the track as a duet, his original choice for a singing partner was a titan of the country world.
According to A&R man Gary Gersh, Gabriel wanted Dolly Parton to sing the response chorus of ‘Don’t Give Up’, recalling in Classic Albums, “He told me that he wanted Dolly Parton, which I thought was an inspired choice. We never heard back from her management. They didn’t understand it. I’m not even sure if [Parton] knew who Peter Gabriel was”.
Even though Gabriel’s original choice fell through, his substitute, Kate Bush, gave fans all of the passion they needed for a comforting voice. Compared to the desperate longing in Gabriel’s verses, Bush’s words are like being wrapped in a sonic hug, reminding Gabriel that everything will be alright and that he can fall back on her if he needs to.
When recording the song, Lanois was stupefied about getting someone of Bush’s calibre, recalling, “We were all just thrilled to be in her presence. She’s basically royalty around here”. While the original recording went off without a hitch, it would take a little while to get the rest of the tracks finalised.
To get Gabriel to finish the lyrics, Lanois infamously nailed the studio door shut, leading to Gabriel breaking the hinges in a fit of rage before returning to work. The studio environment may have had tense moments, but Gabriel knew how to make it work when working amongst fellow legends.
