Peter Gabriel Shares “A Hard Lesson,” A “Quirky” New Song He’d Been Toying With For Decades

Peter Gabriel’s lunar journey continues. The latest song from o/i, his forthcoming album in which he releases a new song every full moon, is called “A Hard Lesson.” It’s the oldest song on the project, having originated in the late ’80s or early ’90s while he was in Senegal. He’s been tweaking the self-described “quirky” track for decades. “Sometimes things take time — most people do stuff a lot faster — but I have no problem understanding my own process,” he shared.

“A Hard Lesson” was written by Gabriel, and it was produced by Gabriel and Mike Elizondo. The first mix he’s sharing is the Bright-Side Mix by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent. In a video explaining the single, Gabriel shared:

This is the oldest track of the project. It probably started in the late 80s or early 90s when I was in Senegal. I was falling in love with the music I heard there. I loved the tension created by the use of polyrhythms, particularly the threes and fours, so that was the start of this song.
 
It’s a quirky, strange and long track but it’s a journey. It’s about trying to find a place, your place, how you fit in. I’ve enjoyed playing with old R&B and folk references as well.
 
It’s one of those songs that has been in the ‘almost’ category on a couple of earlier projects but it’s had to wait 30 or 40 years before actually hitting the surface. Sometimes things take time – most people do stuff a lot faster – but I have no problem with understanding my own process. Some things will mature and evolve spontaneously and some will just stay hidden-away in a box until their moment in the light appears.

This last week also happened to be the 40th anniversary of Peter Gabriel’s fifth studio album So. In celebration, he released a new Dolby Atmos mix of Kate Bush collab “Don’t Give Up.” Kevin Killen, who originally mixed So, worked on the new mix at Real World Studios.

Killen said in a statement:

It’s an incredible honour and privilege to be entrusted with this iconic song in this immersive format. Peter and I discussed highlighting the juxtaposition of the cold sensibility of the verse vocal against the warmth of Kate’s embrace and in this version I think that contrast is evident.

Check out “A Hard Lesson” and the new mix of “Don’t Give Up” below.

If we understand the lunar calendar correctly, o/i should be out in full by Feb. 1 of next year.