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Since leaving Genesis in 1975, Peter Gabriel went on to have a successful solo career. Despite that, he keeps getting asked if he’s ever going back to Genesis. In the meantime, other musicians have shown their love for Gabriel’s non-Genesis work by recording their versions of his songs. Here are the 10 best covers of Peter Gabriel songs and YouTube videos for you to enjoy.
# 10 – Coal Chamber and Ozzy Osbourne: Shock the Monkey
This is a Goth-heavy version of Peter Gabriel’s synth-heavy hit about the horrors of jealousy. Vocals trade off from Coal Chamber’s lead vocalist Dez Fafara to Ozzy Osbourne. Although the lyrics remained mostly unchanged, Ozzy Osbourne does not try to do any of the high notes Peter Gabriel did in his 1982 original. Some of the synth parts are replaced by guitars. There is a lot of growling and yelling, instead, from Farfara. Back in 1999, this single reached a respectable 26 on the charts. It can be found on the album Chamber Music.
# 9 – Harry Styles: Sledgehammer
Styles is a huge fan of this song, stating in interviews that he considers this to be the best “mixed song ever.” This entry on our 10 best overs of Peter Gabriel songs is nearly identical to the original, even having the same synth intro. Styles recorded his album Fine Line at Real World Studios, owned by Peter Gabriel, which was built with the money Peter Gabriel got for So, the monster album “Sledgehammer” appeared on. Although not much different than the original, Styles does get kudos for introducing a whole new audience to Peter Gabriel’s music. Peter Gabriel has gone on record stating that he likes Styles’ take on his biggest hit. Styles performed this live on the Howard Stern Show.
# 8 – Scala and Kolacny Brothers: Solsbury Hill
Using Peter Gabriel’s music in churches is not new, with the uplifting anthem “Solsbury Hill” being a particular favorite. The song metaphorically recounts Peter Gabriel’s decision to leave Genesis, and ends on a hopeful note. Using just a piano and a large women’s choir, Scala and Kolacny Brothers reinterpret Peter Gabriel’s song of personal freedom. Unsurprisingly, it also ends on a hopeful note. A studio version of their cover song appeared on their 2010 album Circle.
# 7 – Adam Levine: In Your Eyes
Also performed live on the Howard Stern Show, this cover is also a hit from So. Before performing the song, Adam Levine said he thought In Your Eyes is one of the two best songs ever written. (The other is “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys.) Turns out, he can also a really good imitation of Peter Gabriel’s unique singing voice. This is a remarkably good cover since its just Levine’s voice and a guitar, unlike the multi-layered, highly engineered original. Levine has not recorded a studio version. Check out Levine’s voice, guitar and funky bathrobe below.
# 6 – Tim Minchin: Here Comes the Flood
Unlike just about every song on the So album, Peter Gabriel’s closer from his first solo album is rarely covered. Multi-talented Tim Minchin fills in this cover gap with a beautiful live performance in the comedy radio show, Like a Version, in 2012. This is not a cover of the song that appears on the album, but a cover of Peter Gabriel’s live performance, which consisted of only him and a piano-sounding synthesizer. Minchin uses a grand piano here and adds more flourishes than Gabriel ever did. He flubs the lyrics once and plays a little with the tune.
# 5 – Bon Iver: Come Talk to Me
About 2009, Peter Gabriel had the idea of doing a covers album but with a twist – everyone he did a cover song of would do one of his songs in return. His covers album would be Scratch My Back and the covers of his songs would be called And I’ll Scratch Yours. One of the most radical covers was from Bon Iver. It takes the powerful, synth-heavy fan favorite “Come Talk to Me” and softens it with banjos and fiddles. It was first released digitally on March 30, 2010.
# 4 – Herbie Hancock: Mercy Street
“Mercy Street,” has seemingly been covered a thousand times, and yet 99.9% of those covers make it sound almost exactly like Peter Gabriel’s original. Hancock does something radically different and makes a sad song about the poet Anne Sexton into an almost-happy, trippy jazz tune. This is entirely instrumental without any vocals. It appears on the 1996 covers album The New Standard.
# 3 – Queensryche: Red Rain
This is a cover of yet another song on Peter Gabriel’s hit 1986 album, So. This cover version by Queensryche is a much heavier version of an already heavy song. It features a killer guitar solo and guitars played like drums. The lyrics are mostly faithful to Peter Gabriel’s original. The vocals are slightly distorted, as if they’re singing into a phone with really good sound. The cover song appears on the 2007 covers album Take Cover.
# 2 – Randy Newman: Big Time
Also, off the And I’ll Scratch Yours album, Randy Newman takes the electronic soundscape of the original version, tosses it and does an acoustic version with piano, organ and drums. He even keeps vocal layers to a minimum. This helps to emphasize just how good the lyrics are, although Randy Newman can’t help but tweak the lyrics here and there, cutting out the final two lyrics and adding an even more cynical final lyric. Randy Newman’s version is much shorter than Peter Gabriel’s and arguably the quirkier of the two.
# 1 -David Byrne: I Don’t Remember
Okay – imagine a Peter Gabriel song and a Talking Heads song mating. This song would be the child. It has the hand-clapping punk drive of a Talking Heads tune with the sinister electronic poetry of Peter Gabriel’s mostly-ignored song from his 1980 album, Peter Gabriel. Byrne not only changes the arrangements and background vocals, but also takes the original tune and delightfully twists it into something else. At first listen, you may be forgiven for thinking that these were two entirely different songs. That’s why this sits at the top of our list of 10 best covers of Peter Gabriel songs.
10 Best Covers of Peter Gabriel Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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Updated November 21, 2023
![Rob De Luca of Spread Eagle, Sebastian Bach & UFO: 10 Albums That Changed My Life From humble East Coast origins to grandest stages worldwide, veteran bassist Rob De Luca has seen and done it all. De Luca first hit the local Boston rock and metal scene in the late 80s after meeting guitarist Paul DiBartolo, bonding over Van Halen before forming Bang. Regional success came quickly, but eventually, the members of Bang went their separate ways, with De Luca and drummer Tommi Gallo heading to NYC and hooking up with Ray West and, later, DiBartolo to form Spread Eagle. By 1990, Spread Eagle was on the fast track, with a contract through MCA Records and a self-titled debut album poised to crush skulls. But poor timing and MCA's sad indifference left Spead Eagle out in the cold despite being a hard-boiled answer to Guns N' Roses's West Coast sleaze. Spread Eagle's first chapter came to an end in '95. As for Rob De Luca, his nimble fingers and gift for melody and songwriting kept him moving forward. Soon, he found a gig with former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and the legendary outfit UFO. And in 2010, after coupling up with Ray West and his cousin Rik De Luca, Spread Eagle retook flight. During a break from Spread Eagle's increasingly busy touring schedule, Rob De Luca dialed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to run through the ten albums that changed his life. But only after adding, "I made a playlist of these songs, including some I've written or co-written. Do you hear any of these albums' influence on me?" Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LWJuhDrE8JmzhsmTeIDUq 10) Gentlemen by Afghan Whigs (1993) Here's an entry that was so important to me. This may be the darkest break-up album of all time. Greg Dulli has been in many projects, but I feel Gentlemen is his zenith. Somewhat undefinable at times but always profound and honest. Listen to "Gentlemen," "Fountain and Fairfax," and "What Jail Is Like." 9) In on the Kill Taker by Fugazi (1993) By this time, I had been sucked in and spit out by the major-label record industry. Glam came and went; grunge was history, too. I was searching for new sounds. When I heard Fugazi's twin guitar approach, I knew this was what was missing. Fugazi may be considered a less polished sound than the albums above; however, once you "get it," it hits you like a ton of bricks, and there's no going back. From the moment I heard Fugazi, I went to every NYC show after. It's easily some of the best concerts of my life, and possibly my favorite bassist in Joe Lally. And their DIY ethics refused to charge us more than $5 a show! In on the Kill Taker is a powerful album demonstrated in songs such as "Smallpox Champion," "Great Cop," and "Public Witness Program." 8) Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses (1987) I discovered many of these albums (sometimes long) after they were released. However, I was at the right place at the right time for this one. Steve Ostromogilsky had a Berklee College of Music lunch card and used to sneak out sandwiches for me. One day, he invited me to hang out at his place and listen to music. As we got off the train, he put Sony Walkman headphones on my ears and said, "Hey, check out this brand-new group." A song like "It's So Easy" was so different from the popular Sunset Strip sound at that time. Me and about 499 other informed rockers were lucky enough to see them on their first East Coast tour at the sold-out Paradise on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston (the same street Aerosmith started on). I saw Gn'R every tour after until I took a break when Buckethead joined. Gn'R is the band I've been lucky enough to see the most times live, almost 100! Everyone on this album is just stellar. Axl [Rose] had the tones, power, melodic sensibilities, and foresight to do what no other singer did then. Slash's playing was beyond memorable. Duff [McKagan] is one of the most underrated bassists in rock history, and learning his Appetite basslines is a masterclass. Steven [Adler] had the natural swing, and Izzy [Stradlin] was the secret weapon songwriter. Everything that's been heralded about this gem is deserved and true. Check out "It's So Easy," "Out Ta Get Me," and "Mr. Brownstone.' 7) Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd (1975) Another contender for my favorite album and band of all time. Using The Beatles machine (same recording studio, engineer, record label), Pink Floyd made what I feel is their strongest, most cohesive album (my second favorite of theirs would be Animals). This list mainly consists of bands with an instantly recognizable sound. Floyd is certainly no exception to that! This album included a solid handful of undeniable rock radio classics, bookended by two halves of the mind-blowing song "Shine on You Crazy Diamond.' That song was written about former band member and founder Syd Barrett. It would be hard to live in a world without this album. Check out "Welcome to The Machine," "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (parts 6-9),' or even better yet, listen to the whole thing in one sitting! 6) Decade by Neil Young (1977) About this time, I started playing guitar. As a beginner, it was comfortable jamming to this album because the chord changes were simple—a great "first ten years" retrospective of Neil's stunning, unique songwriting. Neil is a treasure who always writes from the heart and stands up for what's right. Check out "Southern Man," "A Man Needs a Maid," "Down by The River," and "After the Goldrush." 5) Highway to Hell by AC/DC (1979) When I heard this album, I was firmly "me." My life would be 100% focused on hard rock music forever. AC/DC are like air; they're ubiquitous. Everyone knows them and their incredible songs. However, as a young teen in Wilmington, Delaware, I only had WMMR 93.3 FM Philadelphia and a few friends to inform me about the world of Rock outside my bedroom. AC/DC had not gone mainstream, and their albums were available primarily in the USA as imports. To put things more in perspective, I only knew two people in the world who had heard of AC/DC. A friend had an import that we played in Steve Buckley's basement, which sounded ripping. When Highway to Hell was released, WMMR started spinning the title track, and I immediately bought the album, listening to it every single day after school. Then WMMR announced AC/DC was coming to the Spectrum in Philly, supporting Ted Nugent! I liked Ted but loved AC/DC, so my good friend Mick Cummins and I bought tickets, and he drove us up to the Spectrum (where we saw most of our concerts). Bon Scott was in fine form, and the band went over great. Although the crowd knew Ted better, Angus [Young] wouldn't let anyone upstage him. I'll never forget it! Unfortunately, Bon would be gone in 6 months. Check out "Walk All Over You," "Touch Too Much," "Shot Down in Flames," and "If You Want Blood (You Got It)." 4) Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith (1975) By the time I heard this, I was now in my teens. I had a childhood friend up the street, Jim Linberg (we're still good buddies). His older sister had a great album collection, including Toys in The Attic. Once I heard that groove, my taste changed. I lost interest in rock music that didn't have some sort of "swing" feel to it. I think Rocks is a slightly better Aerosmith album (and possibly my favorite album of all time), but both are perfect or very close. Check out "Uncle Salty," "Adam's Apple," "No More No More," "Round and Round," and "You See Me Crying." 3) Alive! by Kiss (1975) When I was still a little kid, I asked for Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke album for Christmas. The entire family came over for an enormous feast, and I dropped the needle. When my mother heard the content, she turned off the album and said I had to exchange it. My mom was cool, but I was young and knew much more about life than she suspected. Anyway, the next day, she drove me back to the store. In the music section, promoted on an "endcap" was a Kiss Alive! display. I had never heard of Kiss, but that cover picture told me I had to have it! My first foray into hard rock. Check out “Strutter.” I went through my Kiss phase very quickly, I believe in a matter of months because I discovered the previous entry, Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic. 2) Honky Chateau by Elton John (1972) When I was a wee lad, my parents bought a used Volkswagen camper van from my uncle Ozzie. My favorite Elton John album is Yellow Brick Road, but Honky Chateau is great and easily one of his best. It sent me down a lifelong rabbit hole of loving everything about the 1970s partnership between Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin. The simple beauty of voice, the master songwriting, the perfect backing band, the clear, unobtrusive recordings, and always Bernie's incredible lyrics. The day this album was released, Elton became an unstoppable force that conquered the music industry. Check out "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and "Rocket Man." 1) Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967) Another tape that was included in the VW Camper. The van had a bunch of music tapes, and one was Sgt Pepper. I was too young to understand the sophistication of the music, but that was one of the many skills of The Beatles. They attracted listeners at every level, even little kids. I still feel that immediate connection to Sgt Pepper; now, I hear so much more. It's an album that changed the world and the world of music. Check out "Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds," "A Day In The Life," and "Fixing a Hole."](http://www.classicrockhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Shutterstock_1815495569-1-300x200.jpg)
