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Post by brillo69 on Jun 14, 2004 1:17:00 GMT
in this proud land we grew up strong we were wanted all along I was taught to fight, taught to win I never thought I could fail
no fight left or so it seems I am a man whose dreams have all deserted I've changed my face, I've changed my name but no one wants you when you lose
don't give up 'cos you have friends don't give up you're not beaten yet don't give up I know you can make it good
though I saw it all around never thought I could be affected thought that we'd be the last to go it is so strange the way things turn
drove the night toward my home the place that I was born, on the lakeside as daylight broke, I saw the earth the trees had burned down to the ground
don't give up you still have us don't give up we don't need much of anything don't give up 'cause somewhere there's a place where we belong
rest your head you worry too much it's going to be alright when times get rough you can fall back on us don't give up please don't give up
'got to walk out of here I can't take anymore going to stand on that bridge keep my eyes down below whatever may come and whatever may go that river's flowing that river's flowing
moved on to another town tried hard to settle down for every job, so many men so many men no-one needs
don't give up 'cause you have friends don't give up you're not the only one don't give up no reason to be ashamed don't give up you still have us don't give up now we're proud of who you are don't give up you know it's never been easy don't give up 'cause I believe there's the a place there's a place where we belong
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Post by Pete on Apr 8, 2005 21:04:56 GMT
"Don't Give Up" is undoubtedly a beautiful song, but it's one that I almost wish that I liked more than I do. I love Gabriel's music, I'll make no secret of that. I can't help but feel that this song is one of the weakest on the 'So' album. It's an interesting lyric, and I can never decide whether I think this is a guy who lost everything in the American Depression of the thirties, or whether he is a soldier on a losing side, perhaps Germany in one of the World Wars. 'In this proud land' could be talking about either, but 'taught to fight, taught to win' has a more military connotation to my mind. Either way it's a song about the support and encouragement of a loving family. I say family rather than partner with reference to the 'you can fall back on us' line. In this it is rather beautiful. Performance wise, Gabriel and Kate both do well, but the stand out performance belongs to the awesome Tony Levin. Anyone who has seen this guy play live (I had that privilege at the 2003 Gabriel 'Growing Up' tour) will know what a tour de force he is in the world of four strings (though he does show a penchant for five and six as well!) Kate's delivery of the final 'I believe there's a place where we belong' gives an optimistic outlook to an otherwise fairly bleak song. I think this one can polarise opinion to some extent, and there's maybe not that many people who are ambivalent about it. Those who love it REALLY love it! I'll nail my colours to the mast. Much as I cherish Kate's singing I'm not sure this was the ideal song for her, and I actually think that the live version from the Secret World tour with Paula Cole on vocals works better in the grand scheme of things. Your thoughts?
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Post by Adey on May 4, 2005 23:59:47 GMT
I understand your reservations, and have to acknowledge that just posting this makes me uncomfortable:
Whilst the song seems to be (and probably is) a profound piece of work, it somehow never rang true to me, coming out of the mouths of 2 such very middle class and well advantaged (in life as well as talent) artists.. Shout me down if you will, but to hear Gabriel/Bush singing about unemployment as anything other than a social phenomenon seems contrived and artificial to me. I of course mean them no disrespect, and have to acknowledge that I am making assumptions that may be entirely wrong. Inevitably, the song sounded more honest when Sinead O'Connor took Kate's part - I've never worked out who should have sung Gabriel's lines.
Whatever my reservations, there is no doubt that it sounds beautiful, and that some of the lyrical lines are brilliant. It just feels like pretence.
I echo your thoughts on Tony Levin; a true original. He should have performed on some of Kate's material years ago..
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Post by Al Truest on May 5, 2005 2:25:52 GMT
I too reluctantly agree with these sentiments - and have expressed similar reservations here before. That notwithstanding it can still jerk a tear from me.
btw, I always thought of the Motherland (Germany) as the post war backdrop.
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Post by Xanadu on May 5, 2005 17:43:15 GMT
So I'm going to disagree and say that I always liked this song. I'll step in the way and take a few of the slings and arrows sent its way.
I will put forth that I would have preferred if it was sent against a more vague background. I think it would have been more transcendent that way. Any specific frame of reference is sort of out of character, in my opinion.
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Post by Al Truest on May 5, 2005 21:49:02 GMT
So I'm going to disagree and say that I always liked this song. I'll step in the way and take a few of the slings and arrows sent its way. I'll try to miss your heart. It's good that we can disagree and yet see other opinion. To me they walk a fine line with the subject matter. I can only enjoy listening to this track when I plan to. If it is in rotation on the cd player, I do not appreciate it. It can come off as too sentimental without the right atomsphere - for me at least. It is Gabriel that provides the biggest thrill here. It is by his vocals alone that I am moved though - or mostly (in all fairness) He pulls it off with incredible skill. Kate's part here was that of augmentation IMHO. Her light shines most brightly through her own lyrics. I agree totally here.
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mizzshy
Reaching Out
"Oh darling, Make it go, Make it go away..."
Posts: 214
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Post by mizzshy on May 14, 2006 7:49:56 GMT
Beautiful song.
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Post by Kevin2 on May 27, 2006 19:03:38 GMT
I too reluctantly agree with these sentiments - and have expressed similar reservations here before. That notwithstanding it can still jerk a tear from me. btw, I always thought of the Motherland (Germany) as the post war backdrop. Isn't it Fatherland? Russia was/is (I don't know) the Motherland; or so I believe. Anyway, for anyone who hasn't seen the video, or who would simply like to see Bush Bashing, go to www.crooksandliars.com/ and scroll down just a little bit. Here is the intro to the clip: "Peter Gabriel's voice has always had a unique and penetrating quality that seems to tap into the human condition. His 1986 record "So," is one of my top twenty records of all time. With the help of Kate Bush's voice, "Don't Give Up," is a song that reaches out to the hardships we face and has inspired me for many years."ehh whatever. I don't care for the song. Still, I do like the video.
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Post by tomi on Dec 20, 2006 16:34:41 GMT
Shout me down if you will, but to hear Gabriel/Bush singing about unemployment as anything other than a social phenomenon seems contrived and artificial to me. [...] Inevitably, the song sounded more honest when Sinead O'Connor took Kate's part - I've never worked out who should have sung Gabriel's lines. Hmm... But then we'd have nothing but rich people singing about being rich. It's in the nature of pop music that the ones your hear are the successful ones. Of course you could give up on pop music altogether. I personally feel that Peter Gabriel has done enough worthy work from his "bully pulpit" that he's entitled to be this type of spokesman. They can't all be Billy Bragg, and I doubt even he has missed any meals lately, nor has Sinead O'Connor, for that matter. I think the song verges onto the drippy edge of sentimentality, but the beauty of the melody and the arrangement saves it. The lyrics are stronger in the "problem" part (Gabriel's) than in the "solution" (Kate's). It's that fine line between simplicity and triteness. A lot depends on the listener's mood. Just my humble opinion. Appreciated reading yours.
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Post by Kevin2 on Dec 21, 2006 5:08:17 GMT
Hmm... But then we'd have nothing but rich people singing about being rich. It's in the nature of pop music that the ones your hear are the successful ones. Of course you could give up on pop music altogether. I personally feel that Peter Gabriel has done enough worthy work from his "bully pulpit" that he's entitled to be this type of spokesman. They can't all be Billy Bragg, and I doubt even he has missed any meals lately, nor has Sinead O'Connor, for that matter. I think the song verges onto the drippy edge of sentimentality, but the beauty of the melody and the arrangement saves it. The lyrics are stronger in the "problem" part (Gabriel's) than in the "solution" (Kate's). It's that fine line between simplicity and triteness. A lot depends on the listener's mood. Just my humble opinion. Appreciated reading yours. I agree. You don't have to be sad to sing a sad song, or unemployed to sing about unemployment - or have any idea what you're singing about - what a daunting task that might be! All artists are liars but some are true to their lies. ...not to shout or anything.
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Post by tannis on Dec 7, 2008 23:11:22 GMT
Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush -Don't Give Upwww.youtube.com/watch?v=uiCRZLr9oRw3 Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush There is no harmonic intertwining in this strangely disconnected duet, no blending of superstar voices and absolutely no vocal showboating. It is a kind of call and response between a man struggling with unemployment and his lover imploring him to keep the faith, though such is the sense of isolation in Peter Gabriel’s verse vocals that he seems removed from Kate Bush’s increasingly desperate murmurings of solace in the choruses. It was a quite devastating critique of the effects of Thatcherism, all the more powerful for its emotional understatement and lack of polemic. Key moment: The tremble in Bush’s pleading voice in that final heartbreaking chorus, filled with hopeless compassion.50 best duets everwww.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2003/11/08/bmduet08.xml&page=328 June 1986: Kate made a guest appearance to duet with Peter Gabriel on "Don't Give Up" at Earl's Court, London as part of his "So" tour.Bono and Keys duet on Africa song Sunday, 4 December 2005
U2's Bono and US singer Alicia Keys have teamed up to record a song for a charity providing medicine to children affected by HIV and Aids in Africa. The pair have covered Peter Gabriel's hit Don't Give Up to raise money for Keep a Child Alive. The song will be released as a download through iTunes on Tuesday. Keys, who acts as the charity's global ambassador, said: "Keep a Child Alive is my passion and my mission." She added: "I love this song and I love Bono. I really respect what he has done for Africa and how he has used his fame to do good in the world. "I hope I can do half as much in my life." The song was originally recorded by Gabriel with Kate Bush for his 1986 album So. Important issue Bono and Keys' version has been renamed Don't Give Up (Africa) to reflect the nature of the charity it is benefiting. They first performed it together at the charity Black Ball in New York in November, which raised more than $1m (£576,880) for Africa. "I believe Aids is the most important issue we face, because how we treat the poor is a reflection of who we are as a people," said Keys. The Keep a Child Alive charity urges US citizens to donate a dollar a day to help buy drugs for those who would not normally have access to life-saving treatment. It also funds Aids clinics in African countries including Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4497232.stmAlicia Keys & Bono --Don't Give Upwww.youtube.com/watch?v=fWebgXxtE5k
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Post by stufarq on Jul 21, 2009 23:12:01 GMT
I can never decide whether I think this is a guy who lost everything in the American Depression of the thirties, or whether he is a soldier on a losing side, perhaps Germany in one of the World Wars. It's the Depression. Gabriel has confirmed this. Whilst the song seems to be (and probably is) a profound piece of work, it somehow never rang true to me, coming out of the mouths of 2 such very middle class and well advantaged (in life as well as talent) artists.. Shout me down if you will, but to hear Gabriel/Bush singing about unemployment as anything other than a social phenomenon seems contrived and artificial to me. I of course mean them no disrespect, and have to acknowledge that I am making assumptions that may be entirely wrong. Pretty unfair, actually, and yes, your assumptions are wrong. So was the album that made Gabriel a star. Prior to this (and despite coming from a middle class background) he had been very much a struggling musician, with only four chart hits to his name in sixteen years. In 1982/83 he was persuaded to invest in the fledgling WOMAD - only to discover that its organisers had no business sense. The result was that the whole enterprise ended up heavily in debt, with Gabriel's name on the financial agreements. They were eventually bailed out when the now very successful Genesis played a benefit concert (the one time they and Gabriel reunited on stage). Yes, Gabriel later became a millionaire but he spent large parts of his adult life prior to that with very little money, sharing a house with the initially unsuccessful Genesis or losing what he'd gained from his few hits to the WOMAD debacle. And, if nothing else, his social conscience was well established by that time and he had every right to sympathise with the unemployed.
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Post by tannis on Jul 22, 2009 2:27:26 GMT
^ Yes, the song helped a struggling Gary Barlow out during his depression as an unemployed artist after the Take That split...Gary's angel Gabriel was his saviour after TT split Sunday, July 5, 2009 Gary Barlow has revealed he drew inspiration from Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's 1986 hit Don't Give Up to help him get over Take That's split. The 38-year-old said he pulled over in his car to listen to the 'inspirational' lyrics of the duet during his darkest hour. 'I was having a very low moment in the 1990s and this song came on the radio. 'There have only been a very few times when I've had to pull the car over to listen to a song,' he revealed for new book Inspired* By Music.www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?Garys_angel_Gabriel_was_his_saviour_after_TT_split&in_article_id=697338&in_page_id=7
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Post by tannis on Sept 2, 2009 19:27:41 GMT
5. Peter Gabriel/Kate Bush, “Don’t Give Up” Peter Gabriel’s much-covered 1986 chart-fixture “Don’t Give Up” tells an entire story about a broken-down man moving from place to place looking for work, and finally returning home to find it changed and devastated. Kate Bush answers each new setback with a whispery, sweet chorus, offering him affirmation: “Don’t give up, you’re not beaten yet / don’t give up, I know you can make it good… Rest your head, you worry too much / It’s gonna to be all right.” While the two of them seem to be singing to each other more than to any imagined audience, it’s clearly an open message to the masses, with Bush sounding exactly like the little metaphorical angel sitting on listeners’ shoulders, trying to drown out the little devil on the other shoulder with little messages of hope like “You’re not the only one” and “No reason to be ashamed.” Don’t try suicide, you’re just gonna hate it: 25 (mostly crappy) songs that try to talk you off the ledge www.avclub.com/articles/dont-try-suicide-youre-just-gonna-hate-it-25-mostl,32378/
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