"And Still" is a song by English musician Peter Gabriel, initially released on 28 October 2023 as the eleventh single in promotion of his tenth studio album I/O. It is the longest track on the album, clocking in at nearly eight minutes.
| "And Still" | ||||
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| Single by Peter Gabriel | ||||
| from the album I/O | ||||
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| Length | 7:44 | |||
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| Songwriter(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
| Producer(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
| Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
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Background
editAccording to Gabriel, the song is written for his parents. Elaborating on this in a press release, Gabriel stated:
"I wrote a song for my dad a number of years back, which I was actually able to play him, which was 'Father, Son'. When my mum died, I wanted to do something for her, but it's taken a while before I felt comfortable and distant enough to be able to write something. I was trying also to write a little bit in the style of the music that my parents responded to, so I think there is some music from the 40s probably that had an influence on the song. In the middle I wanted to write my mum a beautiful melody. She loved classical music, so we have a beautiful cello playing there. It took a while to get that right, it can't be too emotional or too underplayed, but I think we got there in the end."[1][2][3][4]
The artwork for the single release was made by artist Megan Rooney, specifically the piece "And Still (Time)". According to Gabriel, they had initially decided on a piece she had already painted, but then confronted Gabriel on wanting to paint something new. However, after working on the new piece, she felt that it wasn't good enough and decided to go back to using an existing piece.[1][5]
Critical reception
editWriting for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis compared the instrumentation of "And Still" to the early work of Genesis, particularly in regards to the piano, flute and cello. He further stated that the song reflected the lyrical theme of aging that pervades i/o and felt that Gabriel was "haunted by the passing of a previous generation on 'And Still'".[6] Helen Brown of The Independent praised "And Still" as "a spine-tingling journey" that offered a glimpse into Gabriel's upbringing.[7]
Personnel
edit- Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, backing vocals, treated vocals, piano, synths, programming, glass harp
- David Rhodes – guitars, backing vocals
- Tony Levin – bass
- Ged Lynch – congas
- Richard Chappell – programming
Orchestra
- Orchestral arrangement: John Metcalfe and Peter Gabriel
- Violins: Everton Nelson, Ian Humphries, Louisa Fuller, Charles Mutter, Cathy Thompson, Natalia Bonner, Richard George, Marianne Haynes, Martin Burgess, Clare Hayes, Debbie Widdup, and Odile Ollagnon
- Violas: Bruce White, Fiona Bonds, Peter Lale, and Rachel Roberts
- Cellos: Ian Burdge (including solo cello), Chris Worsey, Caroline Dale, William Schofield, Tony Woollard, and Chris Allan
- Double bass: Chris Laurence, Stacy Watton, and Lucy Shaw
- Flute: Eliza Marshall
- French horn: David Pyatt, Richard Bissill
- Tenor trombone: Andy Wood, Tracy Holloway
- Bass trombone: Richard Henry
- Tuba: David Powell
- Orchestra conductor: John Metcalfe
- Orchestra leader: Everton Nelson
- Sheet music supervisor: Dave Foster
- Orchestra contractor: Lucy Whalley and Susie Gillis
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Downloads (Offizielle Download Top 100)[8] | 84 |
References
edit- ^ a b "And Still". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- ^ "Peter Gabriel Shares New Song "And Still": Listen". Stereogum. 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ mikeeves@wxhc.com (2023-10-30). "Peter Gabriel releases new 'i/o' track "And Still"". X101 Always Classic. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ Staff, Rock Cellar Magazine (2023-10-30). "Peter Gabriel Debuts "And Still (Dark-Side Mix)" from 'i/o' Album". Rock Cellar Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ Redfern, Mark. "Peter Gabriel Shares New Song "And Still"". www.undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (30 November 2023). "Peter Gabriel: i/o review – a beautiful comeback three decades in the making". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Brown, Helen (1 December 2023). "Peter Gabriel review, i/o: A sublime and long-awaited return". The Independent. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Download Charts Single". GfK Entertainment charts. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.