Mercy Street

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"Mercy Street"
Song by Peter Gabriel
from the album So
ReleasedOctober 1986
Genre
Length6:22
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)
So track listing
9 tracks

Side one

  1. "Red Rain"
  2. "Sledgehammer"
  3. "Don't Give Up"
  4. "That Voice Again"

Side two

  1. "In Your Eyes"
  2. "Mercy Street"
  3. "Big Time"
  4. "We Do What We're Told"
  5. "This Is the Picture (Excellent Birds)"

"Mercy Street" is a song written by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel from his fifth studio album So (1986).

Contents

Background and recording

The song was inspired by the personal and confessional works of the American poet Anne Sexton, who wrote a play titled Mercy Street and a poem titled "45 Mercy Street". During the verses, Gabriel double tracked his vocals by recording one of his parts an octave below the main vocal. However, Gabriel struggled to record the lower vocal part, so audio engineer Kevin Killen suggested that Gabriel stay the night at the recording studio and attempt a new vocal take the following morning before his voice perked up. This proved to be successful, and Gabriel attained a satisfactory vocal take within an hour. [1]

The song is based around the forró drum rhythm, which Gabriel recorded in Brazil. Originally the rhythm was used in an early incarnation of the song, titled "Don't Break This Rhythm" (later released as a B-side to "Sledgehammer"), but he became dissatisfied with it. He then changed the song to include an English folk melody and strapped on lyrics based on Anne Sexton's work. [2] During one of the recording sessions, the Brazilian rhythm was accidentally played back ten percent slower, giving it a grainy quality. [3] Piano playing by Richard Tee was added to the song, but Gabriel felt it made the song too complex arrangement-wise, so it was removed from the final mix (although his contributions were credited).

A music video was created for "Mercy Street", which was directed by Matt Mahurin. [4]

Critical reception

NME listed the song as one of the "10 Most Depressing Songs Ever", describing it as a "beautifully produced number" featuring Gabriel's "usual sensitivity". They concluded "it isn't until you're a few listens in that you understand how devastating the whole thing is." [5]

Personnel

Release details and cover versions

"Mercy Street" was released (remixed by William Orbit) on Gabriel's 1992 CD-single "Blood of Eden" and a live version from the 1993 Secret World Tour was released on Gabriel's live album's Secret World Live 's companion EP, SW Live EP (1994). [6] It was also reinterpreted by Gabriel on his 2011 orchestral album New Blood . [7]

Fever Ray released this song as a single August 2010. [8] Elbow have also released a version of the song on the album And I'll Scratch Yours . The studio album features Peter Gabriel songs from artists he covered on the companion album Scratch My Back . [9]

Pianist Herbie Hancock included an interpretation of "Mercy Street" on The New Standard, a 1996 collection of pop songs treated as though they were jazz standards.

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References

  1. ↑ Gabriel, Peter (22 October 2012). Classic Albums: So (Television production). Classic Albums. United Kingdom; Eagle Rock Entertainment: Peter Gabriel Records Ltd. Event occurs at 40:20. ASIN   B0085J1EBM . Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  2. ↑ Hutchinson, John (July 1986). "Peter Gabriel: From Brideshead to Sunken Heads". Musician. Retrieved May 7, 2023– via rocksbackpages.com.(subscription required)
  3. ↑ Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. p. 51. ISBN   978-1-78952-138-2.
  4. ↑ "Mercy Street". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  5. ↑ Elan, Priya (25 April 2012). "10 Most Depressing Songs Ever". NME. London. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Peter Gabriel SW Live EP". 1994. 7243 8 92582 2 6.
  7. ↑ Andy Gill (2011-10-07). "Album: Peter Gabriel, New Blood (Realworld) - Reviews - Music". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
  8. ↑ "Fever Ray Covers Peter Gabriel's "Mercy Street" on New Single". Pitchfork. 16 August 2010. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  9. ↑ Rogers, Jude (2 June 2010). "Peter Gabriel: 'It doesn't have anything to do with witchcraft!'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
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