"Burn You Up, Burn You Down" is a song co-written and performed by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. Early recording was conducted at Gabriel's Real World Studios in 1991, although the song would remain unreleased for another decade. The song was originally intended to appear on Gabriel's 2002 Up, but was ultimately pulled from the track list shortly before the album's release. It was instead included on Gabriel's Hit compilation album the following year and released as a single, where it charted in both Italy and the UK. An alternate mix of "Burn You Up, Burn You Down" was also included on Big Blue Ball in 2008.
| "Burn You Up, Burn You Down" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Peter Gabriel | ||||
| from the album Hit | ||||
| Released | 2003 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:14 (album version)
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| Label | Reprise Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Peter Gabriel
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| 2003 version singles chronology | ||||
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| Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
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Background edit
The origins of "Burn You Up, Burn You Down" date back to the summer of 1991 during the first of three Real World Recording Weeks.[1] The recording sessions took place in the workroom of Real World Studios, with Billy Cobham playing drums.[2] Gabriel commissioned the help of multiple musicians around the world for this project, including western, Asian, and African artists. However, the tapes from these sessions took several years to organize, delaying the release of the song.[3] Members of the The Holmes Brothers were enlisted to record backing vocals; Gabriel commented that one of the members of the group, Popsy Dixon, had "a hauntingly beautiful voice, and he’d come up with these high notes that hit me hard every time he reached them."[2]
"Burn You Up, Burn You Down" was originally slated to appear on Gabriel's Up album in September 2002, although Gabriel pulled the song from the track list during the album's final review sessions.[4] In July 2002, the song was included on a promotional CD for Up as the sixth track on the album.[5]
In 2003, the song was used on the soundtrack for Uru: Ages Beyond Myst.[6] That same year, it was the only new song to appear on Gabriel's Hit and also served as the album's lead single.[7] An alternate mix of "Burn You Up, Burn You Down" was later included on Big Blue Ball, an album consisting of songs that emerged from the Real World Recording Weeks from the 1990s.[8]
Track listing edit
- Burn You Up, Burn You Down – Radio Edit – 3:47
- Darkness – (Engelspost Remix) – 14:10
Personnel edit
- Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, keyboards
- Justin Adams – guitar
- David Rhodes – guitar
- Jah Wobble – bass
- Wendy Melvoin – bass
- Billy Cobham – drums
- Arona N’diaye – djembe, sabar
- Tchad Blake – guitar synth, organ, skin shake, hi-hat, frame drum
- Chuck Norman – programming
- The Holmes Brothers – backing vocals
- Karl Wallinger – backing vocals
- Jules Shear – backing vocals
Charts edit
2003 version edit
| Chart (2003–04) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[9] | 49 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 78 |
2008 version edit
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[11] | 18 |
References edit
- ^ Easlea, Daryl (2014). Without Frontiers: The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel. London, UK: Omnibus Press. p. 333. ISBN 978-1-4683-0964-5.
- ^ a b "Burn You Up, Burn You Down". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Gabriel Has A 'Ball' With Long-Gestating Album". Billboard. 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Peter Gabriel – Press Kit – UP". Genesis Archive. September 2002. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Gerhardts, Christian. "Peter Gabriel - The Making of UP". Genesis News Com. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Kipnis, Jill (25 October 2003). "Ubisoft Bullish on Music Tie-ins". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-78952-138-2.
- ^ Engler, Eric. "Big Blue Ball". Genesis News Com. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 23" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ "Peter Gabriel Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2024.