The path towards “o/i” continues, Peter Gabriel's new recording project, built through the publication of a song every full moon. The British artist has now presented “A Hard Lesson”, a song that will become part of the album and which, as told by Gabriel himself, has its roots very far back in time. The English musician explained that it is the oldest song included in the project: the first ideas date back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, during a stay in Senegal. Fascinated by local music and its rhythmic structures, Gabriel then began to develop the core of the composition, but continued to modify and refine it over the decades until the version published today. Written by Gabriel and produced together with Mike Elizondo, the song is featured in the “Bright-Side Mix” curated by Mark “Spike” Stent.
Here is “A Hard Lesson” below.
In a video dedicated to the release of the single, the musician recounted the long evolution of the piece: “This is the oldest song on the project. It was probably born between the end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties, when I was in Senegal. I was falling in love with the music I listened to there. I loved the tension created by the use of polyrhythms, in particular groups of three and four, and that's where this song started from. It's an eccentric, strange and long song, but it's a journey. It's about trying about finding a place, your place, and figuring out how to fit in. I also had fun playing with old R&B and folk music references. It's one of those songs that stayed in the 'almost' category in a couple of previous projects, but had to wait 30 or 40 years to really emerge. Sometimes things take time – most people do things much faster – but I have no problem understanding my process. Some things mature and evolve spontaneously simply hidden in a box until their time comes to see the light.”
The release of “A Hard Lesson” also coincides with the fortieth anniversary of “So”, Gabriel's fifth solo album, released in 1986. To celebrate the anniversary, the artist has also made available a new Dolby Atmos mix of “Don't Give Up”, the famous duet with Kate Bush. The new version was created by Kevin Killen, already responsible for the original mixing of “So” at Real World Studios.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
