Peter Gabriel – Don’t Give Up (ft. Kate Bush)

“Don’t Give Up” – Single by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush from the album So, released October 1986.

“Don’t Give Up” is a song written by English musician Peter Gabriel and recorded as a duet with Kate Bush for Gabriel’s fifth solo studio album So (1986). The single version was released as the second single from the album in the UK in 1986 and as the fifth single in the US in 1987.

Two videos were made. One of the promos showed Bush and Gabriel in a loving embrace for the duration of the song. This version was directed by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who made many classic videos, including “Every Breath You Take” by The Police.

Gabriel’s 15-year marriage was in jeopardy at the time (the divorce came in 1988), and he insisted on calling his wife to get permission to embrace Bush. He reflected in an interview with Q: “I thought that five minutes of groping Kate in front of the world was perhaps not the best thing for a dodgy marriage. At the time I felt I needed a blessing. Anyway, Jill was great about it.”

The other video, directed by Jim Blashfield, incorporated animation and other computer-generated effects.

It spent eleven weeks in the UK Top 75 chart in 1986, peaking at number nine. The song was included in Gabriel’s Secret World Live tour featuring singer Paula Cole. The DVD release of a performance in Italy in 1993 (released in 1994) included the duet. An all-orchestral recording featuring Ane Brun was released on Gabriel’s New Blood album in 2011. In 1987, the song won Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

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