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I Don't Remember (Peter Gabriel song)

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"I Don't Remember"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album Peter Gabriel
B-side
ReleasedNovember 1980[1]
Recorded1979
Genre
Length
  • 4:42 (album version)
  • 3:23 (US single version)
  • 3:39 (Canada single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)Steve Lillywhite
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"Biko"
(1980) 		"I Don't Remember"
(1980) 		"Shock the Monkey"
(1982)
"I Don't Remember (Live)"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album Plays Live
ReleasedJune 1983
RecordedDecember 1982
Length4:55
LabelCharisma
Songwriter(s)Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"I Have the Touch"
(1982) 		"I Don't Remember (Live)"
(1983) 		"I Go Swimming (Live)"
(1983)

"I Don't Remember" is a song written and recorded by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released as the fourth and final single from his third eponymous studio album in 1980. Although originally only released as an A-side single in the United States and Canada, a live version released with the album Plays Live (1983) reached No. 62 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 75 in Britain for 4 weeks.[4] The song was included in Gabriel's compilation album Shaking the Tree (1990) and two different versions were included in Flotsam and Jetsam (2019).

Background and recording

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Original version

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Early iterations of the song were performed by Gabriel on the tour to promote his second eponymous studio album (a.k.a. "Scratch").[5] In the spring of 1979, the song was also performed with Kate Bush at a memorial concert in Dorset for Bill Duffield, Bush's former lighting engineer who died from injuries sustained from a fall during her first tour.[6] Gabriel built the demo of "I Don't Remember" around a programmable PAiA rhythm box.[5] The basic tracks for the first studio recording of "I Don't Remember" were laid down by Gabriel and his backing band at Trident Studios, London during a day off on the "Scratch" tour in Autumn 1978, co-produced by Stephen W. Tayler.[7] A week later, work on the song continued at Atlantic Studios in New York on tour, where overdubs were done including Robert Fripp's guitar, followed by vocals and mixing at Paragon Studios in Chicago.[8] This marked the beginning of work on his third studio album, for which the song would be re-recorded.

The early studio version of the song was originally planned to be released as the A-side of the first single from the album in Europe and Japan, however a Charisma Records executive thought the guitar solos were not radio-friendly.[9] This version was later relegated to the B-side of the single "Games Without Frontiers" from Peter Gabriel (3: Melt) in those territories.

Album version

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On the 1980 album version, "I Don't Remember" segues out of an instrumental composition titled "Start". It begins with three snare drum hits that lead into a rock groove with rhythmic emphasis on the backbeat. The intro consists of nonsensical wordless voices, a vocal approach that Gabriel later dubbed "Gabrielese". These voices drop out before the first verse, where Gabriel alternates between his midrange and higher register. According to author Durrell Bowman, the lyrics relate to a "resigned amnesiac individual".[10]

On 16 October 1979, Dave Gregory of XTC overdubbed some rhythm guitar on "I Don't Remember". Gregory had previously encouraged Steve Lillywhite to accept Gabriel's request to produce his third eponymous album and offered to record some guitar if Lillwhite agreed to Gabriel's offer. Lillywhite subsequently contacted Gregory to work with Gabriel in the studio to record a "wiry rhythm guitar sound." After arriving ninety minutes late to the studio, Gregory worked with Gabriel to find suitable chords and tunings. Gabriel suggested some parts on his piano, which Gregory recreated by playing the open strings of his 1963 Fender Stratocaster guitar, which was sent through a Roland JC-120 amplifier with a chorus effect and stereo panning. During this point of the recording process, the song consisted of Jerry Marotta's drums, Tony Levin's Chapman stick, and some electronic effects from Larry Fast. Gregory added some power chords to the chorus of the rhythm track with a 1963 Gibson ES-335 in standard tuning, which was connected to a Fender Tremolux amp.[6]

The song made pioneering use of the Fairlight CMI, using samples of glass milk bottles being smashed and bricks being banged.[11] These sounds appear during the fade-out of the recording and were overdubbed after the completion of the basic tracks.[5][12]

Live version

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In 1983, a slightly sped-up live recording from Plays Live was released as a single. In addition to the increased tempo, the single version also featured quieter crowd noises and an extended outro compared to the recording found on Plays Live. Its accompanying music video was directed by Marcello Anciano and produced by Eric Fellner.[13] The music video features footage of Gabriel navigating through a room with naked individuals. During one of the scenes, Gabriel dusts off a childhood photo from the 1950s, which is later smashed at the end of the music video.[10]

Track listing

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12" US/Canada single (1980)

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  1. "I Don't Remember" – 5:56
  2. "Shosholoza" – 5:19
  3. "Biko (remixed version)" – 8:58
  4. "Here Comes the Flood" – 4:57

7" US single (1980)

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  1. "I Don't Remember" – 3:23
  2. "Shosholoza" – 5:22

7" Canada single (1980)

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  1. "I Don't Remember" – 3:39
  2. "Intruder" – 5:00

Live version

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7" UK single (1983)

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  1. "I Don't Remember" – 4:58
  2. "Solsbury Hill" – 4:43
  3. "Kiss of Life" – 5:12

12" UK single (1983)

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  1. "I Don't Remember" – 4:58
  2. "Solsbury Hill" – 4:43
  3. "Kiss of Life" – 5:12
  4. "Games Without Frontiers" – 3:27
  5. "Family Snapshot" – 4:57

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1980) Peak

position

US Billboard Bubbling Under The Hot 100[14] 107
Chart (1983) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[15] 62

Cover versions

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  • English singer Kate Bush sang the song with Peter Gabriel on May 12, 1979, at a memorial concert at the Hammersmith Odeon for Bill Duffield, a lighting director who died during Bush's 'Tour of Life' tour.[16][17]
  • Australian singer Daryl Braithwaite recorded a cover version of the song for his 1988 studio album, Edge. His cover samples the drumbeat of "Big Time", another song by Gabriel.[18]
  • Scottish-American singer and musician David Byrne recorded a cover for Gabriel's 2013 compilation album And I'll Scratch Yours, mixed by Peter Dillett and released on iTunes on 26 June 2010. Byrne opted to give the arrangement a "clubby treatment" upon listening to the original version's tempo and groove, further adding that he "thought the falsetto vocal and club groove would make the alienation and amnesia subject pleasant — almost desirable. I thought my version might imply a willing sublime surrender to memory loss."[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Peter Gabriel singles".
  2. ^ "How Peter Gabriel Found His Art-Rock Voice on His Third Album".
  3. ^ Thomson, Graeme (October 30, 2015). "Peter Gabriel – the first four solo albums remastered". Uncut. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  4. ^ "I Don't Remember". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Bright, Spencer (1988). Peter Gabriel: An Authorized Biography. London, UK: Sidgwick & Jackson. pp. 96–97, 103. ISBN 0-283-99498-3.
  6. ^ a b Easlea, Daryl (2014). Without Frontiers: The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel. London, UK: Omnibus Press. pp. 189–190, 194–195. ISBN 978-1-4683-0964-5.
  7. ^ "PETER GABRIEL 2 (album 1978, tour 1978)". synergy-emusic.com. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Prasad, Anil (2020). "Stephen W. Tayler: Experimental Evocation".
  9. ^ Clarke, Steve (January 20, 1979). "The Technology". New Musical Express. p. 22. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Bowman, Durrell (September 2, 2016). Experiencing Peter Gabriel: A Listener's Companion. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 79–81. ISBN 9781442252004.
  11. ^ Stump, Paul (1997). The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books Limited. p. 267. ISBN 0-7043-8036-6.
  12. ^ Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-78952-138-2.
  13. ^ "I Don't Remember - Peter Gabriel". Petergabriel.com.
  14. ^ "BB-1980-12-13" (PDF). World Radio History. December 13, 1980. p. 27. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "Peter Gabriel | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  16. ^ "I Don't Remember". Kate Bush Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  17. ^ "Peter Gabriel – I Don't Remember feat. Kate Bush, London 1979". YouTube. February 8, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "I Don't Remember". YouTube. January 18, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  19. ^ "David Byrne covers Peter Gabriel's 'I Don't Remember' for 'Scratch My Back' project". Slicing Up Eyeballs. June 26, 2010. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
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