"The dream would be you'd have someone like the Sherman Brothers singing things from Mary Poppins," he says, "immediately followed by Trent Reznor singing some Nine Inch Nails." His stomach rumbles as he speaks, as if his whole being is stirring with excitement. Gabriel's enthusiasm for the project has led to talks about setting up a festival for songwriters called Hum. So this was a way of saying, look, there's actually a common craft here, which is putting words, melodies, chords and grooves together in a way that works for people." His intention, he explains, was to focus fully on the art of the song: "Songwriting was really the passion that focused my attention on music in the beginning. Without his usual palette of guitars and drums, Scratch My Back allows Gabriel's elegant voice to rumble and soar, and concentrate listeners' minds on the songs' lyrics.
"Chasing artists," Gabriel says with a smile, "is like herding cats." He planned to release these cover versions simultaneously, as an album called I'll Scratch Yours – but this didn't quite work out. And the project came with a twist: these artists were to interpret one of Gabriel's own songs in return. Inspired by the sparse orchestral work of composer Arvo Pärt and arranged by former Durutti Column member John Metcalfe, the album comprised austere, stripped-back versions of songs by a diverse collection of artists, from Paul Simon and Talking Heads to Bon Iver and the Magnetic Fields. In 2008, he covered the Vampire Weekend track Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa with Hot Chip, and this February released a collection of covers called Scratch My Back. His last solo album, Up, was released in 2002, the year he remarried, and he has spent most of the decade with his two new young sons. Gabriel went through a painful divorce in the 1990s, and relationships with Sinéad O'Connor and Rosanna Arquette he is now a thoughtful, humble presence. He gave his first four albums the same name (his own), lay under a sheet of glass for 16 hours to make the animated video for his 1986 global hit, Sledgehammer, and has contributed to the soundtracks of films as varied as The Last Temptation of Christ, Wall-E and Babe 2: Pig in the City. Solo, Gabriel's music combined peculiar ideas with popular appeal. He began his career as Genesis's flute-playing frontman, then went solo in 1975 he wanted to spend more time with his first wife, Jill, and their daughter, who almost died in childbirth. Peter Gabriel in the flesh is rather more ordinary than the Peter Gabriel of popular imagination – a 60-year-old man in a navy shirt and beige trousers, taking off his shoes as he settles on a sofa. "Sorry about that," he says a few moments later, as we walk into the hotel bar that the staff have closed for our chat.
I go to ask him directions, and Peter Gabriel's baby blues sparkle back at me.
#Peter gabriel in your eyes covers driver
On the west London street where we are to meet, a bald man with a small belly is on his mobile phone, looking like a cab driver ordering a pizza. If you spot any major malfunctions making it impossible to read the content, however, please let us know at editor AT am running late to meet Peter Gabriel, the sapphire-eyed former prog rocker, world-music ambassador and MTV-friendly pop star. This content has recently been ported from its original home on The AU Review: Music and may have formatting errors – images may not be showing up, or duplicated, and galleries may not be working. In the meantime, check out BUHU’s take on “In Your Eyes” below. Evocative and powered by some awesome synth melodies and pop orchestrations, now is the time to jump on board the BUHU train as they continue to flourish on stages and in studio.
It’s gearing up to be a busy year for the Austin locals, who are currently touring their latest single “All Eye” from their forthcoming debut album, Tenets. Courtesy of Texan group BUHU, this quirky, dreamy cover of the pop classic hits the right notes for today’s digital-heavy music climate. If you’re a fan of the Peter Gabriel original and synthy soundscapes, then this cover of “In Your Eyes” may be up your alley.