Don’t Give Up (feat. Kate Bush)

“Rest your head
You worry too much
It’s going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Don’t give up
Please don’t give up”
—Kate Bush from “Don’t Give Up, by Peter Gabriel

For a while now, I’ve had a few notes jotted down about today’s selection, a wonderful and expressive duet of English singer, songwriter, producer and dancer Kate Bush (b. 1958) with English musician, songwriter, singer, record producer and activist Peter Gabriel (b. 1950).

Gabriel wrote the song inspired by historical photographs he saw that were taken during the Great Depression, when much of the world fell into a decade of economic and social decline after the United States stock market crash in 1929. It was a tough time for most people as there wasn’t a lot of aid out there to help them get by. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we support each other in this life and how helping someone gives us a lift. And, taking this thought further, how the act of receiving help is actually a gift to the person providing the support.

With all this in mind, today felt like a good day to share this lovely piece of music with you.

[Peter Gabriel]
“In this proud land we grew up strong
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail

No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I’ve changed my face, I’ve changed my name
But no-one wants you when you lose

[Kate Bush]
Don’t give up ’cause you have friends
Don’t give up you’re not beaten yet
Don’t give up I know you can make it good

[PG]
Though I saw it all around
Never thought that I could be affected
Thought that we’d be last to go
It is so strange the way things turn
Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground

[KB]
Don’t give up you still have us
Don’t give up we don’t need much of anything
Don’t give up ’cause somewhere there’s a place where we belong

Rest your head
You worry too much
It’s going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Don’t give up
Please don’t give up

[PG]
Got to walk out of here
I can’t take anymore
Going to stand on that bridge
Keep my eyes down below
Whatever may come
and whatever may go
That river’s flowing
That river’s flowing

Moved on to another town
Tried hard to settle down
For every job, so many men
So many men no-one needs

[KB]
Don’t give up ’cause you have friends
Don’t give up you’re not the only one
Don’t give up no reason to be ashamed
Don’t give up you still have us
Don’t give up now we’re proud of who you are
Don’t give up you know it’s never been easy
Don’t give up ’cause I believe there’s a place
There’s a place
Where we belong

[Outro]
Don’t give up
Don’t give up
Don’t give up”

“Don’t Give Up,” by Peter Gabriel.
Lyrics retrieved and annotated from the notes section of the YouTube video post.

“Don’t Give Up comes from Peter Gabriel’s fifth studio album, So (1986), a record he co-produced with Canadian musician, songwriter and producer Daniel Lanois (b. 1951) and collaborated with other artists, including Bush, American art-pop/avant-pop/electronic composer, musician and film director Laurie Anderson (b. 1947), and Senegalese composer, singer-songwriter, musician, actor and politician Youssou N’Dour (b. 1959). Both Gabriel and Lanois have also teamed up with one of my all-time favourite artists, someone you’ll find a lot of on this blog, English musician, composer, producer, author and visual artist Brian Eno (b. 1948).

To me, the word collaboration is sometimes a fancy way of referring to helping someone with a project. “Yeah, let’s do a collab…” On this blog, you might find there’s a maze of the interconnection of artists among many of the songs I feature (which I try to illustrate by mentioning or linking their names to such shared works, or simply linking to previous solo works I’ve posted about… and, there are plenty of links in today’s post to get you started!). So maybe life really does imitate art… or is it the other way around? At any rate, helping is a theme I’ve been pondering lately, something I feel is essential in making our world—and art—so much better.

And today, I also want to let you know that I am going to hit “pause” on the blog for two or three weeks following tomorrow’s Classical Sunday post. Spring has sprung: there’s stuff to do and help to give (and receive), plus I also need to focus on other priorities for a bit.

I will miss you, my blogging community, while not posting, though this website and its 750 blog posts will still be live. I invite you to cruise around my index/search page to search for songs/artists… you’re welcome to visit for as long as you like. And hey, I’ll still be around if you comment on a post or want to contact me with a general question—or send me a request for when the pause button gets released.

Now you know a little about why this is my Song of the Day for Today. Thanks so much for joining me here. I truly appreciate your visits, likes and comments.

Please enjoy the official video from the Peter Gabriel YouTube channel:

Be well,

Steve