I Don't Remember (Peter Gabriel song)

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"I Don't Remember"
I Don't Remember Peter Gabriel 1980 single cover.jpg
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
Label Charisma
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).

Contents

Background and recording

Original version

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

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 Lillywhite 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

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. [4] 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

12" US/Canada single (1980)

  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)

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

7" Canada single (1980)

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

Live version

7" UK single (1983)

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

12" UK single (1983)

  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

Charts

Chart (1980)Peak

position

US Billboard Bubbling Under The Hot 100 [13] 107
Chart (1983)Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [14] 62

Cover versions

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References

  1. ↑ "Peter Gabriel singles".
  2. ↑ Reed, Ryan (May 23, 2015). "How Peter Gabriel Found His Art-Rock Voice on His Third Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  3. ↑ Thomson, Graeme (October 30, 2015). "Peter Gabriel – the first four solo albums remastered". Uncut . Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "I Don't Remember". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Bright, Spencer (1988). Peter Gabriel: An Authorized Biography. London, UK: Sidgwick & Jackson. pp. 96–97, 103. ISBN   0-283-99498-3.
  6. 1 2 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– via The Genesis Archive.
  10. 1 2 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. ↑ "BB-1980-12-13" (PDF). World Radio History. December 13, 1980. p. 27. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Peter Gabriel | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  15. ↑ Easlea, Daryl (April 4, 2023). "How a tragic accident united Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel in grief and led to one of prog's most inspired partnerships". Louder. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  16. ↑ "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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