Peter Gabriel Shares New Song “Four Kinds of Horses”

The Latest Single from His Forthcoming i/o Album

Peter Gabriel is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He was born on February 13, 1950, in Surrey, England. Gabriel is best known as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock band Genesis from its inception in 1967 until his departure in 1975.

Peter Gabriel has shared a new song, “Four Kinds of Horses.” It is the latest single from Gabriel’s forthcoming new album, i/o, which will be his first album of original songs in over 20 years. The album’s exact release date has yet to be announced. Check out “Four Kinds of Horses” below.

Gabriel wrote the song and co-produced with Richard Russell, founder of XL Records. Gabriel had this to say about the new song in a press release: “‘Four Kinds of Horses’ actually began on Richard Russell’s project Everything Is Recorded. He’s a friend (and founder of XL Records) and he asked me to pop into his studio. I came up with some chords, melodies and words on top of a groove he was working on. We tried a few things that didn’t altogether work and so it lay dormant for quite a while. Then I started playing around with it again and changed the mood and the groove and something else began to emerge with a better chorus.

“There were a number of things that triggered ideas for the song as it developed, including the Buddhist parable of the Four Kinds of Horses, which describes different ways a student can approach their spiritual practice. There is also a focus on the interesting overlap of religion and peace on the one hand and violence and terrorism on the other. There was also a wonderful film by Hany Abu-Assad called Paradise Now, which shows two young men who end up being trained to become terrorists and it’s a real insight into where the head goes.”

The song also features Brian Eno on synth, which “sounded like electric worms to me,” says Gabriel. “As soon as I heard one I thought they would make a great three dimensional wall paper of sound and asked Brian to create eleven more.”

John Metcalfe does the string arrangements on the song, which features backing vocals from Gabriel’s daughter Melanie. “Another lovely moment for a dad,” he beams.

For each single from the album, Gabriel is working with a different artist to do the cover artwork. Cornelia Parker did the Four Kinds of Horses” single cover artwork.

Gabriel says: “This month we have a fascinating artist, Cornelia Parker, who does some extraordinary work. When we were originally looking at the Art from Us project, I’d seen some of her stuff with exploding rooms and had been fascinated by that, so I’m really happy that she agreed to work with us on this. The photogravure technique of William Henry Fox Talbot was an inspiration for her in this piece, and some of the other glass-based images in the series. I fell in love with this particular work – it’s called ‘Snap.’”

Previously Gabriel shared the album’s first single, “Panopticom,” which featured Brian Eno and was one of our Songs of the Week. That was followed by its second single, “The Court.” Then the album’s third single was “Playing For Time.” The fourth single was the album’s title track, “i/o.”

Gabriel’s last full-length album of original materials was 2002’s Up, although in 2010 he released the Scratch My Back covers album and in 2011 he released New Blood, which featured orchestral re-recordings of songs from across Gabriel’s career. Gabriel’s last full tour was 2014’s Back to Front Tour, which celebrated his classic 1986 album So.

The new tour will feature Gabriel’s regular band-mates Tony Levin, David Rhodes, and Manu Katché and will include songs from i/o, as well as ones across his back catalogue.

After leaving Genesis, Gabriel began a successful solo career, which has spanned over four decades. His music often blends elements of rock, pop, and world music, and his lyrics often explore themes such as social and political issues, human emotions, and personal experiences.

Some of Gabriel’s most well-known songs include “Solsbury Hill,” “Games Without Frontiers,” “Sledgehammer,” and “In Your Eyes.” He has released several critically acclaimed albums throughout his career, including his eponymous debut album in 1977, “So” in 1986, and “Us” in 1992.

Gabriel has also been recognized for his humanitarian work, including his co-founding of the international human rights organization Witness and his support of numerous other charities. In 2007, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis, and in 2014, he was awarded the Q magazine Lifetime Achievement Award.

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