In Your Eyes

In 1993, Peter Gabriel was touring in support of his 1992 album Us. I’m not sure all the places that his Secret World tour played, but during two nights at the Palasport Nuovo in Modena, Italy, a crew filmed the concerts. The resulting film was Secret World Live, released in 1994 on VHS tape, then LaserDisc (does anyone remember those?!) and later on DVD.

I’ve previously posted two songs played during that show, the dramatic opening “Come Talk to Me,” and “Washing of the Water” (both are from Us).

Today’s selection, “In Your Eyes,” is the final track on the Secret World Live setlist. The song runs for about ten minutes and showcases Gabriel and the entire backing band on a circular stage (there were two stages, joined by a conveyor belt). They play, sing, make dance moves together, and just generally jam in what looks and feels like a celebratory ending to the concert. The excited audience flicks cigarette lighters on and off in unison, adding a beautiful ambiance to the venue.

The song initially appeared on Gabriel’s fifth studio album So (1986). Canadian musician (and frequent collaborator with Brian Eno) Daniel Lanois joined Gabriel in producing the record.

The song also appears in American director Cameron Crowe’s film Say Anything… (1989). In a famous scene, the underachieving student Lloyd (played by American actor, producer and activist John Cusack, whose roles often have him brilliantly playing hapless young men mired in mediocrity) holds a boombox on his shoulder in the early morning. The boombox belts out “their song” as his attempt to serenade and win back his girlfriend Diane (played by British-born American actor Ione Skye). Don’t worry; I won’t spoil the plot…

Love I get so lost, sometimes
Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart
When I want to run away
I drive off in my car
But whichever way I go
I come back to the place you are

All my instincts, they return
And the grand facade, so soon will burn
Without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

In your eyes
The light the heat
In your eyes
I am complete
In your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
In your eyes
The resolution of all the fruitless searches
In your eyes
I see the light and the heat
In your eyes
Oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light
The heat I see in your eyes

Love, I don’t like to see so much pain
So much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away
I get so tired of working so hard for our survival
I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive

And all my instincts, they return
And the grand facade, so soon will burn
Without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

In your eyes
The light the heat
In your eyes
I am complete
In your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
In your eyes
The resolution of all the fruitless searches
In your eyes
I see the light and the heat
In your eyes
Oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light,
The heat I see in your eyes
In your eyes in your eyes
In your eyes in your eyes
In your eyes in your eyes

(“In Your Eyes,” by Peter Gabriel.
Unofficial lyrics are courtesy of AZLyrics.com.)

In addition, American educator Rick Beato features the song in episode 27 of his What Makes This Song Great? series. I haven’t watched it all yet, but I am sure it is up to Beato’s usual informative and entertaining style.

At a time when COVID-19 case counts and test-positivity are continuing at record highs in my province of Manitoba, Canada, and too-little-too-late restrictions remain, it’s vital to have hope. The lively performance of this song brings some joy, as does the weather on this sunny, hot day in Winnipeg as I sit in the recently set-up summer porch writing to you.

Now you know a little about why this is my Song of the Day for Today. Thanks for joining me here, and please enjoy.

Here’s the performance from Secret World Live on Peter Gabriel’s official YouTube channel:

If you prefer, the much-shorter, official music video for the studio version is also on Gabriel’s channel: