Red Rain (song)

"Red Rain"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album So
Released	1987
Format	7", 12", CD
Recorded	1985
Genre	Progressive rock, New Wave
Length	5:39
Label	Geffen
Producer	Peter Gabriel, Chris Hughes and Daniel Lanois
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"In Your Eyes" (1986) "Red Rain" (1987) "Biko Live/No More Apartheid" (1987)

"Red Rain" is the first track on Peter Gabriel's 1986 solo album So. In the USA, it reached #3 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Stewart Copeland from The Police played the hi-hat for the rain-like background sound; the rest of the drumming was handled by Jerry Marotta.

The song is a combination of several inspirations. The lyrics directly reference a recurring dream Gabriel was having where he swam in his pool drinking cold red wine. Another version of the dream had bottles falling from a cliff, and the bottles were in the shape of people. When they were smashed on the ground, the people-shaped bottles had red liquid coming out, and then it began to rain the same red liquid.

Earlier in his solo career, Gabriel had an idea for a movie, Mozo. In it, villagers were punished for their sins with a blood red rain. "Red Rain" was to be the theme song. This idea was eventually scrapped, although there was a mention of Mozo in the song "On the Air" in Peter Gabriel (II). "Down The Dolce Vita", "Here Comes The Flood", "Exposure", and "Big Blue Ball" are also reference the Mozo story, as well.

According to the sleeve notes from the remastered version of So, it is also a reference to acid rain. Based on one interpretation of some of the lyrics it is also thought to refer to nuclear fallout.^{[citation needed]}

"Red Rain" album appearances

• So (1986)
• Shaking the Tree (1990)
• Secret World Live (Live, 1994)
• Hit (2003)

Track listing

1. "Red Rain"
2. "In Your Eyes" (special mix) [only on 12"]
3. "Gaga"

Gaga is the instrumental track of tune I Go Swimming only published on the "Plays Live" record.

Track listing (US 12" Single (20749-0))

1. "Red Rain" - 5:35
2. "GA-GA (I go swimming instrumental)" - 4:31
3. "Walk Through The Fire" - 3:31

In popular culture

• Red Rain was used in the soundtrack to the Miami Vice TV show third season episode Stone's War, first aired in October 1986.

• A blood-red rain, composed of a fine grit from the Sahara, fell on Gabriel’s native southern England in the summer of 1968.

• In the CSI: NY episode "Dead Inside", Detective Flack's sister Sam refers to a song that the two used to listen to over and over again while on road trips. Trying to remind her about the good times they had as children and to keep her from spiraling into alcoholism, he goes to her apartment with a tape player and plays the song to her through the intercom. The song turns out to be "Red Rain".

• Red Rain is played occasionally at Boston Red Sox home games.^{[citation needed]}

Other versions

• For the live version on the Secret World album, the drums are handled by Manu Katché.
• Gabriel was joined by Michael Stipe and Natalie Merchant in a live performance of the song at the 1996 VH1 Honors.
• The John Tesh Project featuring Eric Marienthal on saxophone, covered the song on their 1997 album Sax All Night.
• The song was covered by Ill Niño on The Under Cover Sessions.
• It was also covered by the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, on their 2007 cover album, Take Cover.
• Coheed and Cambria covered the song live at Bonnaroo and Mountain Jam in 2009.