Peter Gabriel Songs Ranked
Peter Brian GabrielĀ (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of theĀ progressive rockĀ bandĀ Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched a successful solo career with āSolsbury Hillā as his first single. His 1986 album,Ā So, is his best-selling release and is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the U.S. The albumās most successful single, āSledgehammerā, won a record nineĀ MTV AwardsĀ at theĀ 1987 MTV Video Music AwardsĀ and, according to a report in 2011, it wasĀ MTVās most played music video of all time. Gabriel has won threeĀ Brit Awardsāwinning Best British Male in 1987, sixĀ Grammy Awards, thirteenĀ MTV Video Music Awards, the first Pioneer Award at theĀ BT Digital Music Awards, theĀ QĀ magazine Lifetime Achievement, Ā theĀ Ivor Novello AwardĀ for Lifetime Achievement, and theĀ Polar Music Prize. Ā He was made aĀ BMIĀ Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his āinfluence on generations of music makersā.Ā In recognition of his many years of human rights activism, he received theĀ Man of PeaceĀ award from theĀ Nobel Peace PrizeĀ laureates in 2006, andĀ TimeĀ magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008. AllMusicĀ has described Gabriel as āone of rockās most ambitious, innovative musicians, as well as one of its most politicalā. He was inducted into theĀ Rock and Roll Hall of FameĀ as a member of Genesis in 2010, followed by his induction as a solo artist in 2014. In March 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from theĀ University of South AustraliaĀ in recognition of his achievements in music. Here are all Peter Gabriel songs ranked.
Donāt miss out on the memorable music of Peter Gabriel below! Click to enjoy the songs from his solo career!
20. Biko (Peter Gabriel, 1980)
āWonderful songs from one of the best voices in Rock Business ever;Gabriel does a perfect job,the quality of the recording and the vinyl is excellent!Grreat release!ā
19. Burn You Up, Burn You Down (Hit, 2003)
āWhatās great about this collection is that it truly does cover Pater Gabriels entire solo career. Given, the majority of it does reside on the 1980ās, but that was his greatest period; being as the bulk of his canon came from the 1980ās that works.ā
18. Steam (Us, 1992)
āOne of the songs that makes me gladĀ Peter GabrielĀ went through a āpoppy phaseā, as well as make me wish ifĀ GenesisĀ absolutely had to do the same, they still had him in the band when they did it.ā
17. Mercy Street (So, 1986)
āOne of those songs that comes back to haunt me every now and then, but in the best way. Beautiful, melancholy, and strangely heartwarming? How a song like this can be on the same album as Sledgehammer, demonstrates Gabrielās geniusā
See more: Peter Gabriel Albums Ranked
16. Wallflower (Peter Gabriel, 1982)
āThis my pick for the most underrated Peter Gabriel song of all time. Imagine if the best elements of āBikoā and āDonāt Give Upā were combined in one song. āWallflowerā would be the result. It has some of the most powerful lyrics in Peter Gabrielās entire career, and the music matches the tone perfectly.ā
15. Red Rain (So, 1986)
āRed Rainā is almost universally agreed on to be the best song here (even olā Prind likes it, and he gave this a six and some Moody Blues piece of shit a ten and he should feel bad about it), and guess what? Itās mine, too! Did that work well or what? Itās elegant, brilliantly arranged, world weary, and haunting, and itās one of the best songs Iāve heard from him in the admittedly brief trip Iāve had through his career so far.ā
14. Shock the Monkey (Peter Gabriel, 1982)
āDifficult to resist this rather dystopian sounding piece of new wave. John Cusack totally should have played this one to get his woman back.ā
13. Time of the Turning (OVO, 2000)
āThe Time of the Turning, a splendid duet betweenĀ Richie HavensĀ andĀ Elizabeth FraserĀ (ofĀ Cocteau TwinsĀ fame) is probably the best among them (and the reprise, culminating in the crazy Irish-Middle EasternĀ The Weavers ReelĀ marks one of the finest moments of the album). Also,Ā Father, Son, in his simplicity, is heartfelt and sweet, one of the (rare) tracks with Gabriel himself on vocals (and a great performance as well).ā
12. Here Comes the Flood (Peter Gabriel, 1977)
āBy far one of the most underrated songs of all time ā original album version was goodā¦ but version from āShaking the Tree: 16 Golden Greatsā, utterly brilliant. So simple, serene, yet also deep, powerful, just amazing.ā
11. Big Time (The Five Doubts, 2008)
āThis is a big, vibrant, painting of the 1980ās. Only Peter Gabriel could be pocking a finger in the eye of pop culture in the 1980ās and still have a top 40 smash! Some may say he was embracing everything that was wrong with pop music in the 1980s. I think he was making pop music come to him on his own terms. āamazed When I show them round the house to my bed I had it made like a mountain range With a snow-white pillow for my big fat head!ā Indeed.ā
10. Blood of Eden (Us, 1992)
āThis is one of the most beautiful songs ever! Its one of the songs I would like them to play on my funeral! Chicken fever stuff.ā
9. Digging in the Dirt (Us, 1992)
āI was always kind of afraid one of the slugs would try to go upĀ Peter Gabrielās nose, but i guess there are worse fates. This single featured another of Gabrielās revolutionary but samey claymation videos. Likewise the song could be perceived as being a bit samey to some of the other songs featuring said videos, and perhaps it was, but it was still quite creative and different from much of the norm in those days.ā
8. San Jacinto (Peter Gabriel, 1982)
āSan Jacintoā is spiritual, magical, haunting and beautiful with the albums first lyrical peak, perfectly capturing the contrasts and subtly nuancing the āwhite manās guiltā that could otherwise easily feel contrived.ā
7. Sky Blue (Up, 2002)
āThe atmospheric gospel soar of āSky Blueā touches the heart directly and just when you thought nothing could achieve the same effect. With an absolutely wonderful appearance by the Blind Boys of Alabama.ā
See more: Phish Albums Ranked
6. Donāt Give Up (So, 1986)
āKate Bush and Peter Gabriel were two essential artists of the 80s. Kate and Peter both have very distinctive voices that make any song better, and āDonāt Give Upā is a very beautiful song. It may not be the best use of their priceless voices, but itās a touching and encouraging song.ā
5. Sledgehammer (So, 1986)
āSledgehammerĀ is a fun and catchy hit, and the version on this twelve-inch is otherwise the LP version but with an extended intro. On the flip side, the two non-SoĀ tracks are quite solid but nothing that really sticks out as much as anything on the LP. A nice addition to anyoneās Gabriel collection nonetheless.ā
4. Lay Your Hands On Me (Peter Gabriel, 1982)
āThe single is obviously the most well known track here and is a memorable effort. Lay Your Hands on Me creates a great atmosphere with the marvellous Peter Hammill very discernible on backing vocals. Hammill is such an underrated artist.ā
3. In Your Eyes (So, 1986)
āWarm, tender, creeps in gingerly without overstaying its welcome. Punctuates wonderfully in all the right places. This is a hell of a track.ā
2. Games Without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel, 1980)
āWildly creative, seemingly out of nowhere given that it sounds like no song he created prior. This is the song ā and by extension the album ā that he intuitively knew he had in him when he left Genesis and would not be able to birth while with Genesis. His first two solo albums were really exercises in shedding Genesisā¦ā
1. Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel, 1977)
āSolsbury Hillā is breathtaking, powerfully beautiful in every way possible, and it needs no introduction or commentary. I know I probably say this far too often, but it is, in my world, easily one of the greatest songs ever written by a human or a mutant/alien masquerading as one.ā