Family Snapshot

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"Family Snapshot"
Song by Peter Gabriel
from the album Peter Gabriel (Melt)
Released30 May 1980 (1980-05-30)
RecordedLate 1979
Genre
Length4:28
Label
Songwriter(s) Peter Gabriel
Producer(s) Steve Lillywhite

"Family Snapshot" is a song written and performed by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, appearing on his third eponymous studio album.

Contents

Background

The song was inspired by An Assassin's Diary , published in 1973 and written by Arthur Bremer, who, on May 15, 1972, attempted to assassinate George Wallace, a Democratic Party politician who supported racial segregation. Gabriel talked about the book in a 1988 authorized biography: [1]

An Assassin's Diary was a really nasty book, but you do get a sense of the person who is writing it. Bremer was obsessed with the idea of fame. He was aware of the news broadcasts all over the world and was trying to time the assassination to hit the early evening news in the States and the late night in Europe to get maximum coverage.

Gabriel stated in the introduction to the song during his concert at the Paramount Theatre, Seattle, 10 August 1983, that the song is, "partly taken from the writings of Arthur Bremer and The Diary of an Assassin and mixed with a few images of Dallas twenty years ago". [2]

Composition

The song starts off as a slow, understated piece, where the killer goes through his plan, becoming more intense as the target unwittingly comes closer to the assassin. [2] By the third section of the song, guitar chords from Dave Gregory of XTC enter as the assassin scouts the area for their target. At the song's climax, which features full instrumentation, the assassin rationalises their decision to carry out the murder as a means to gain notoriety. [3] Finally, the song transitions back to a quiet, mournful climax as the shooter, having just shot his target, remembers his childhood loneliness and desire for attention. [2] This final section is accompanied by sparse instrumentation consisting of a fretless bass played by John Giblin and minimal keyboards. [3] Gabriel stated that the assassin's flashback at the end of the song was meant to express the notion that "patterns of behavior begun in childhood do carry through." [4]

The recording features Gabriel's first use of the Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand Piano. [5] Gabriel also recalled that Larry Fast and engineer Hugh Padgham enhanced the song by assisting with the processing of a Prophet synthesizer. "There was a sound I used to like on 'Family Snapshot' which was a small variation on a Prophet noise. It was OK on its own, but it was magical with the processing. And then Hugh Padgham, at that time, made some nice additional stereo imaging and delays, so it was a beautiful swirl sound. In the mix you don't hear it as much, but it's the sort of G minor where the band comes in." [6] The working title was "FMR", according to early tour setlists. [7]

Personnel

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References

  1. ↑ Bright, Spencer (1988). Peter Gabriel: An Authorized Biography. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN   0-283-99498-3.[ page needed ]
  2. 1 2 3 Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. p. 26. ISBN   978-1-78952-138-2.
  3. 1 2 Bowman, Durrell (2 September 2016). Experiencing Peter Gabriel: A Listener's Companion. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 82–83. ISBN   9781442252004.
  4. ↑ Sutcliffe, Phil (14 June 1980). "Mr Clean: Phil Sutcliffe Puts the Finger on Peter Gabriel". Sounds. pp. 17–18. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Hecker-Stampehl, Jan. "Peter Gabriel - III ("Melt")". Genesis News.
  6. ↑ Bacon, Tony (29 January 2019). ""High-Tech and Hand-Made": Peter Gabriel Shares His Recording Philosophy - Bacon's Archive". Reverb. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  7. ↑ PETER GABRIEL 3 (album 1979, tour 1980) (from Larry Fast Synergy site, archived)
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