Digging in the Dirt

Last updated
"Digging in the Dirt"
DiggingInTheDirt.jpg
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album Us
B-side "Quiet Steam"
Released7 September 1992 (1992-09-07) [1]
Genre Art rock [2]
Length5:16
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"Solsbury Hill"
(1990)
"Digging in the Dirt"
(1992)
"Steam"
(1993)

"Digging in the Dirt" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel. It was released as the first single taken from his sixth studio album, Us , on 7 September 1992. The song was a minor hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 52, but it topped both the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Album Rock Tracks charts. The song was moderately successful on the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 24, and it reached the top 10 in Canada, Portugal, and Sweden.

Contents

Background

"Digging in the Dirt" began with some percussion tracks played by Hossam Ramzy that originated from "Zaar", a song on Gabriel's Passion album. Ramzy's surdo and duf tracks were then combined with a rhythm pattern from an Akai MPC60 and a synth bass played on a Roland D-50. Gabriel then ad-libbed some vocal parts, first coming up with the "shut your mouth" lyric, which was one of the song's working titles. [3] At other points of its development, the song was also temporarily known as "Plod". [4]

Gabriel stated that the lyrics to "Digging in the Dirt" were about examining his "darker side" and passive-aggressive behaviors. [5] He took inspiration from Why We Kill: Understanding Violence Across Cultures and Disciplines, a book that analyzed characteristics shared amongst murderers. [6] Some of the lyrics also reference the psychotherapy that Gabriel was receiving at the time. [4]

Recording

The original tracking of the song was conducted in the Work Room of Real World Studios with David Rhodes and Daniel Lanois playing Steinberger and Fender Telecaster guitars respectively. The signals of these instruments were compressed with valves from an old Decca desk and sent to speakers situated in a separate overdub room that were miked with a Shure SM57 and an AKG D12. Tony Levin played a Music Man bass guitar connected to a Trace Elliot amplifier; his signal was sent downstairs to a speaker in Studio 1. [3]

Rather than use a standard drum kit, Gabriel assembled a special percussion kit for Manu Katché to play, including a drum from Burundi that sonically resembled a snare drum. David Bottrill, who served as the producer for these sessions, recalled that snares were placed on the Burundi drum, which was miked with Shure SM57 microphones on both the top and bottom drumhead. A muted small jazz kick drum from Gabriel's time with Genesis was also used and miked with an Electro-Voice RE20 close to the outer drum skin. Bottrill stated that the intention of this miking method was to ensure that the thud of the instrument was captured rather than the kick drum pedal. Following the assembling of the rough demo, Gabriel traveled down to Daniel Lanois' Kingsway Studio in New Orleans for one week, where overdubs of an Epiphone guitar played by Leo Nocentelli and a horn section were recorded, although the latter did not make the song's final mix. [3]

Richard Macphail, who was a childhood friend of Gabriel, contributed backing vocals on the song. Gabriel had granted Macphail and his wife the opportunity to record three songs at Real World Studios and later invited Macphail to sing on "Digging in the Dirt". [7] The backing vocalists, which also included Ayub Ogada and Peter Hammill in addition to Gabriel and Macphail, recorded their parts using a Neumann U 47; the four of them informally dubbed themselves "the Everlys" due to the unique vocal harmonies they achieved through multitracking. [3]

Most of the instruments from the original recording session were scrapped and re-recorded, this time in the downstairs control room at Real World Studios. Levin redid his bass part with a Status bass and Katché played a Yamaha drum kit with small splash cymbals, which replaced the hi-hat in his configuration. Bottrill and his assistant Richard Blair looped certain sections of Katché's drumming and realigned his playing for the purpose of precision by isolating the kick drum from other components of his drum kit. These parts were augmented with rhythms from an Akai S1000, sequenced Burundi drum hits, and break beats. [3]

Release

"Digging in the Dirt" was released as the lead single from Us. Several b-sides were issued with the single, including "Quiet Steam", a stripped back and mellower version of the album's next single, "Steam". The single also included an abridged recording of "Digging in the Dirt" with most of its vocals stripped with the exception of the "this time you've gone too far" lyric. The CD Maxi version included another instrumental composition titled "Bashi-Bazouk", which was also included as a Japanese bonus track on Us. [8]

"Digging in the Dirt" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 85 on the week dated 3 October 1992. [9] The release of "Digging in the Dirt" coincided with the launch of the music video, which received heavy rotation on both MTV and VH1. One week later, the song reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. In its 17 October 1992 edition of the Hot 100, Billboard noted that the song had failed to make a major impact on the chart, where it stalled at number 78 for the second consecutive week. [10] The song eventually peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 on its eighth week and departed the Hot 100 altogether after eleven weeks. [9] "Digging in the Dirt" performed better in the UK, where it peaked at number 24, but still underperformed in comparison to "Sledgehammer", the lead single from So six years prior. [7]

Critical reception

Upon release, "Digging in the Dirt" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune labeling the song as "excellent". [11] He further wrote in his review for Rolling Stone that the song was "instantly engaging and subversive." [12] Jim Sullivan of The Boston Globe thought that "Digging in the Dirt" was one of the only few radio-friendly songs on Us. [13] The Oxnard Press-Courier noted the autobiographical nature of "Digging in the Dirt" and called it an "ominous" track. [14] In a mixed review for Us David Browne of Entertainment Weekly was favorable toward the chorus of "Digging in the Dirt", although he believed that the special effects found in the music video would have more of a lasting legacy than the song itself. [15]

Retrospective reviews of "Digging in the Dirt have also been positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic highlighted "Digging in the Dirt" as an accessible track with an "insistent pulse". [16] Paste ranked the song number 15 on its list of the 20 greatest Peter Gabriel songs, noting the contrast between the "low and groovy verses", the angry chorus, and the post-chorus that "coos with fragility." [17]

Live performances

The Secret World Live version of the song features a chaotic blend of high-pitched distorted guitar (by guitarist David Rhodes) as well as occasional jarring synth bass stabs and an expansive performance on the drums. Gabriel wore a special helmet with a video camera attached, showing in great detail his facial expressions, while moving in time with the music. This is used to create what Q magazine described as an "unappetising" image of Gabriel, most prominent during the "freak-out" sequence in which the camera is pointed down Gabriel's throat, nostrils, and earlobes. [18] The song was later performed on Gabriel's 2002 Growing Up Tour and appeared on its accompanying live concert film. [19] [20]

Gabriel revisited the song for his New Blood album, which featured orchestral rearrangements of Gabriel's music catalog. [21] Due to difficulties in tackling the song's rhythmic elements without bass and drums, the song was nearly dropped from the album, but Gabriel avoided this by working extensively with the woodwind players to achieve a satisfactory groove. [21] Gabriel also performed the song on his 2014 Back to Front Tour and his I/O Tour in 2023, with a live version from the former tour also appearing on his Back to Front: Live in London album. [22] [23]

Music video

The music video for the single was directed by John Downer and utilised stop motion animation, a technique used in the videos for Gabriel's earlier hits "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time". The work was painstaking, especially for Gabriel himself who was required to lie still for hours at a time over the course of several days. [4]

According to Gabriel, "the meadow of flowers from the final scenes of the "Digging in the Dirt" video were filmed at the edge of the carpark at Real World Studios." [24] The video is largely an exploration of the issues in his personal life at the time, the end of his relationship with Rosanna Arquette, his desire to reconnect with his daughter and the self-healing he was looking for in therapy. [4]

Gabriel returned to stop motion and claymation that were previously used on some of Gabriel's So era singles in the mid 1980s, forgoing the computer graphics used in "Steam". In the video, Gabriel is displayed in a variety of disturbing imagery, including being buried alive, consumed by an overgrowth of foliage (thanks to the stop-motion process) and flying into a rage while trying to swat a wasp. [4] Gabriel stated that he wanted the video to encapsulate the feeling of anger, but was uncomfortable depicting violence toward women, so the rage was instead directed at the wasp. [5] Francesca Gonshaw depicted the woman in the video. [4]

Initially, the word "DIG" forms in the grass while dark imagery plays. Gabriel morphs into a skeleton while trying to excavate himself. Ultimately, the mushrooms sprout to form the word "HELP," followed by "HEAL" in blooming flowers after Gabriel has emerged from underground, now clad in white. In 1993, the video won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. [4]

Awards and nominations

YearNominee / workAwardResult
1992 Grammy Award [25] Best Male Rock Vocal Performance Nominated
Best Rock Song Nominated
Best Music Video Won
1993 MTV Video Music Awards Video of the Year Nominated
Viewer's Choice Award Nominated
International Viewer's Choice Award for MTV Europe Nominated

Track listings

All songs were written by Peter Gabriel.

CD maxi

  1. "Digging in the Dirt" – 5:16
  2. "Digging in the Dirt" (instrumental) – 5:10
  3. "Quiet Steam" – 6:25
  4. "Bashi-Bazouk" – 4:47

7-inch single

  1. "Digging in the Dirt" – 5:16
  2. "Quiet Steam" – 6:23

Personnel

Additional musicians

Charts

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Passion</i> (Peter Gabriel album) 1989 soundtrack album by Peter Gabriel

Passion is an album released in 1989 by the English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel. It was the first Peter Gabriel album to be released on Real World Records, Gabriel's second soundtrack, and his eighth album overall.

<i>So</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Peter Gabriel

So is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, released on 19 May 1986 by Charisma Records and Virgin Records. After working on the soundtrack to the film Birdy (1984), producer Daniel Lanois was invited to remain at Gabriel's Somerset home during 1985 to work on his next solo project. Initial sessions for So consisted of Gabriel, Lanois and guitarist David Rhodes, although these grew to include a number of percussionists.

<i>Us</i> (Peter Gabriel album) 1992 studio album by Peter Gabriel

Us is the sixth studio album by the English singer-songwriter and musician Peter Gabriel, released on 28 September 1992 by Real World Records. Following the release of his soundtrack album Passion in 1989, Gabriel started work on new material for a new album, his first since So, which became his biggest selling release. Gabriel focused on personal themes on Us, including his divorce in the late 1980s, his subsequent relationship with actress Rosanna Arquette, and the growing distance between him and his first daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shock the Monkey</span> 1982 single by Peter Gabriel

"Shock the Monkey" is a song by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in September 1982 as the first single from his fourth self-titled studio album, issued in the US under the title Security.

<i>Secret World Live</i> 1994 live album by Peter Gabriel

Secret World Live is the second live album and tenth album overall by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released on 30 August 1994 in the UK. The album documents the concert experience of the Secret World Tour. A concert film of the same name was released simultaneously. Its track listing omits "Red Rain" and adds "San Jacinto" after "Blood of Eden".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solsbury Hill (song)</span> 1977 single by Peter Gabriel

"Solsbury Hill" is the debut solo single by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. He wrote the song about a spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England, after his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis, of which he had been the lead vocalist since its inception. The single was a Top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 13, and reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel song)</span> 1986 single by Peter Gabriel

"Sledgehammer" is a song by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in April 1986 as the lead single from his fifth studio album, So (1986). It was produced by Gabriel and Daniel Lanois. It reached No. 1 in Canada on 21 July 1986, where it spent four weeks; No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States on 26 July 1986; and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, thanks in part to its music video. It was his biggest hit in North America and ties with "Games Without Frontiers" as his biggest hit in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Time (Peter Gabriel song)</span> 1986 Peter Gabriel song

"Big Time" is a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel from his fifth studio album So (1986). It was his second top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at no. 8.

<i>Robbie Robertson</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson is the solo debut album by Canadian rock musician Robbie Robertson, released in 1987. Though Robertson had been a professional musician since the late 1950s, notably a founder of and primary songwriter for The Band, this was his first solo album. Robbie Robertson won the Juno Award for "Album of the Year", and producers Daniel Lanois and Robertson won the "Producer of the Year" Juno award, both in 1989; there were no Juno Awards in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Gabriel discography</span>

This is the solo discography of Peter Gabriel, an English singer-songwriter, musician and humanitarian activist who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career. His 1986 album, So, is his most commercially successful, selling five million copies in America, and the album's biggest hit, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. The song is the most played music video in the history of the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel song)</span> 1986 single by Peter Gabriel

"In Your Eyes" is a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel from his fifth solo studio album So (1986). It features Youssou N'Dour singing a part at the end of the song translated into his native Wolof. Gabriel's lyrics were inspired by an African tradition of ambiguity in song between romantic love and love of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Give Up (Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush song)</span> 1986 single by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush

"Don't Give Up" is a song written by English rock musician Peter Gabriel and recorded as a duet with English singer Kate Bush for Gabriel's fifth solo studio album So (1986). The single version was released as the second single from the album in the UK on 20 October 1986 and as the fourth single in the US in March 1987. It spent eleven weeks in the UK Top 75 chart in 1986, peaking at number nine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Breeze (song)</span> 1972 song by Seals and Crofts

"Summer Breeze" is a 1972 song by American soft rock duo Seals and Crofts. It is the title track of their fourth studio album, and was released as the album's lead single in August 1972. The song reached No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. In 2013, it was ranked No. 13 in Rolling Stone′s "Best Summer Songs of All Time". The song also became a hit for the Isley Brothers in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steam (Peter Gabriel song)</span> 1993 single by Peter Gabriel

"Steam" is a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released in January 1993 by Geffen Records as the second single from his sixth album, Us (1992). Gabriel, who wrote the song and produced it with Daniel Lanois, has said that the song is about a relationship in which the woman is sophisticated, bright, cultured, and knows everything about anything while the man knows nothing about anything; however, he does know about the woman, and she does not know much about herself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara (Starship song)</span> 1985 single by Starship

"Sara" is a song recorded by the American rock band Starship which reached number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 15, 1986. It was sung by Mickey Thomas, of the newly renamed band Starship, from their first album Knee Deep in the Hoopla, and Grace Slick provided the backing vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Games Without Frontiers (song)</span> 1980 single by Peter Gabriel

"Games Without Frontiers" is a song written and recorded by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released on his 1980 self-titled third studio album, where it included backing vocals by Kate Bush. The song's lyrics are interpreted as a commentary on war and international diplomacy being like children's games. The music video includes film clips of Olympic Games events and scenes from the educational film Duck and Cover (1951), which used a cartoon turtle to instruct US schoolchildren on what to do in case of nuclear attack. This forlorn imagery tends to reinforce the song's anti-war theme. Two versions of the music video were initially created for the song, followed by a third one made in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood of Eden</span> 1993 single by Peter Gabriel

"Blood of Eden" is the third single from English rock musician Peter Gabriel's sixth album, Us (1992), featuring backing vocals by Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor. It was written by Gabriel and produced by him with Daniel Lanois. The single was released in March 1993 by Geffen, Real World and Virgin, and narrowly failed to enter the UK top 40, peaking at number 43.

"Secret World" is the final song on Peter Gabriel's 1992 Us album. It was released as a promotional single and reached the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and the Canadian Top Singles Chart. Gabriel used the title for his 1993–94 Secret World Tour, where the song served as the final song of his main set. The song appeared on his Secret World Live album and Secret World concert film; it also served as the subtitle for Gabriel's multimedia CD ROM game Xplora1: Peter Gabriel's Secret World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiss That Frog</span> 1993 single by Peter Gabriel

"Kiss That Frog" is the fourth single from English rock musician Peter Gabriel's sixth album, Us (1992). It was written by Gabriel and produced by him with Daniel Lanois. The single was released in September 1993 by Real World, and narrowly failed to enter the UK top 40, peaking at number 46. However, the song did reach the top 40 in Canada, where it peaked at number 36. In the United States, the song missed the Billboard Hot 100 but reached number 18 on both the Billboard Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panopticom</span> 2023 single by Peter Gabriel

"Panopticom" is a song by English musician Peter Gabriel, released in January 2023 as the first single in promotion of his tenth studio album I/O, his first album of original material since 2002's Up. Two versions of the song have been released: the "Bright Side Mix" on 6 January 2023, and the "Dark Side Mix" on 21 January. The cover features David Spriggs' Red Gravity as the cover art. The single was released on the first full moon of the year.

References

  1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 5 September 1992. p. 21. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  2. Reed, Ryan (19 July 2023). "Peter Gabriel Albums from Worst to Best". Stereogum . Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Buskin, Richard (November 1992). "Peter Gabriel: Digging in the Dirt". Sound on Sound . Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2024 via The Genesis Archive.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bowman, Durrell (2 September 2016). Experiencing Peter Gabriel: A Listener's Companion. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 165. ISBN   9781442252004.
  5. 1 2 "All About... US". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  6. DeRiso, Nick (29 September 2017). "25 Years Ago: Peter Gabriel Takes Off His Masks for the Dark and Personal 'Us'". Power 96. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 Easlea, Daryl (2014). Without Frontiers: The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel. London, UK: Omnibus Press. pp. 176–177. ISBN   978-1-4683-0964-5.
  8. Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. pp. 68, 71, 135. ISBN   978-1-78952-138-2.
  9. 1 2 3 "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  10. Russell, Deborah (17 October 1992). "Can it be So? Peter Gabriel's US Debuts at Number 2 on the Billboard 200". Billboard. pp. 1, 81. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  11. Kot, Greg (24 September 1992). "'Us' Rewarding, But It's Work For Listener". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  12. Kot, Greg (27 January 1997). "Us". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  13. Sullivan, Jim (30 July 1993). "British Art Rocker Returns on a Funky Personal Note". Sarasota Herald-Tribune . p. 4. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  14. Peterson, Karla (24 September 1993). "Gabriel Takes Us Into His Dark Regions". Oxnard Press-Courier . p. 14. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  15. Browne, David (9 October 1992). "Us". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  16. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Us - Peter Gabriel". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  17. Steiner, Andy (4 October 2023). "The 20 Greatest Peter Gabriel Songs". Paste . Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  18. Sandall, Robert (July 1993). "Gawp Factor Ten". Q. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2024 via The Genesis Archive.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. Gamboa, Glenn (25 November 2002). "Gabriel's Tricks Add Steam to Show". Newsday. p. B11 via The Genesis Archive.
  20. "Growing Up Live". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  21. 1 2 Martin, Gavin (29 September 2011). "Peter Gabriel revisits his old material for fresh inspiration". The Mirror. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  22. Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. pp. 118–119. ISBN   978-1-78952-138-2.
  23. Gendron, Bob (1 October 2023). "Review: Peter Gabriel, always an original, opts for songs from 'i/o' at the United Center". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  24. "Log into Facebook". Facebook.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  25. Winners - 35th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1992) grammy.com Retrieved June 29, 2019
  26. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  27. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  28. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  29. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1863." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  30. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 9, no. 41. 10 October 1992. p. 39. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  31. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  32. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  33. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 40, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  34. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  35. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  36. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 40. 3 October 1992. p. 26. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  37. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  38. "Peter Gabriel – Digging in the Dirt". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  39. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  40. "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  41. "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  42. "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  43. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 56, no. 25. 19 December 1992. p. 8. Retrieved 23 March 2019.