Peter Gabriel Trivia

1. "When I want to run away, I drive off in my car / But whichever way I go, I come back to the place you are."

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Lyrics - "So"

Answer: In Your Eyes

This song was featured in the movie "Say Anything", directed by Cameron Crowe and starring John Cusack, holding a boom box over his head in the scene that uses this song. Peter Gabriel was initially reluctant to let the filmmakers use it due to its highly personal nature, but thought better of it when he saw the film. The filmmakers paid $200,000 for the rights to the song.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Music

Answer: 'Big Time'

From the album 'So'.

From Quiz Games Without Frontiers

Answer: happy again

It's hard to work out whether these names mean anything, apart from being about children playing. Hans, Lotti and Willi are names from German-speaking nations, while Jane is from English-speaking countries. Perhaps they are just meant to be generic names from different countries, giving an image of children playing together, some of them being in a sulk, and then quickly cheering up. "Games Without Frontiers" is from the third of ex-Genesis lead singer Peter Gabriel's four self-named solo albums - the one from 1980 that also features classic tracks "Biko" and "No Self Control". It's sometimes unofficially called "Melt" to distinguish it from the others with the same name - from the melting picture of Gabriel on the cover. The album caused a falling out with Atlantic, Gabriel's US record label. They didn't want to release it because they didn't consider it anywhere near commercial. The label head, Ahmet Ertegun said, "What do people in America care about this guy in South Africa?" and "Has Peter been in a mental hospital?".

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Lyrics - "So"

Answer: Sledgehammer

The video for this song was ranked #4 on MTV's 100 Greatest of All Time, after "Thriller," "Vogue," and "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Music

Answer: 'Family Snapshot'

Interesting song ... sounds an awful lot like a description of the JFK assassination.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel's "Up"

Answer: The Barry Williams Show

Peter Gabriel said that he had never heard of Barry Williams, the actor who played Greg on "The Brady Bunch"; he just wanted to use a generic name for the character in his song. The real Barry Williams was asked to appear in the video for the song, which starred Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin from "Happy Gilmore"). Williams can be seen taking a seat as an audience member in the video, which was directed by Sean Penn.

From Quiz The Music Of Peter Gabriel

Answer: Peter Gabriel

Peter's first three solo albums were all titled "Peter Gabriel". However, they are usually differentiated by number in order of release, or sleeve design, I, II and III being referred to as "Car", "Scratch" and "Melt" respectively, in reference to their cover artwork.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Lyrics - "So"

Answer: Red Rain

This song was based on a recurring dream Gabriel had where he was swimming in a sea of red water. As he said, "If feelings of pain do not get brought out, not only do they fester and grow stronger but they manifest themselves in the external world."

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Music

Answer: 'Mercy Street'

Anne Sexton's first book of poetry, 'To Bedlam and Part Way Back' (1960), examines her mental breakdowns and recoveries.

From Quiz Games Without Frontiers

Answer: plays with it

After a series of probably generic names, the names in this line seem loaded with meaning. "Adolf builds a bonfire", is surely a reference to Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), the German dictator and instigator of World War II. Hitler was a big believer in the propaganda value of the Olympic Games, which was held in Berlin in 1936. These games were immortalized for him in the acclaimed 1938 documentary "Olympia" produced by Leni Riefenstahl, which is still regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time. Now the song seems to be clearly talking about real people, it's a pretty good bet that "Enrico plays with it" is a reference to the great Italian physicist Enrico Fermi (1901-1954). Fermi was the architect of the atomic bomb, which, of course, finished off the World War Hitler started. The video for "Games Without Frontiers" includes footage of nuclear explosions, along with the "duck and cover" public information films that told US children they could survive a nuclear attack by bending over and covering their heads.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel's "Up"

Answer: Darkness

Although the album felt very dark, Peter Gabriel stated that the theme of the album was life-affirming, one of death and renewal. The multi-layered "Darkness" started out quiet before turning almost industrial, repeating the formula throughout the song. The song brought back memories of childhood fairy tales and nightmares: "Walking through the undergrowth, to the house in the woods, the deeper I go, the darker it gets". But the fears fade away when "the monster I was so afraid of lies curled up on the floor... just like a baby boy".

From Quiz The Music Of Peter Gabriel

Answer: Sledgehammer

"Sledgehammer" peaked at number one in Canada for four weeks on July 21, 1986, number one in the U.S. on July 26, 1986, and number four in the UK singles chart. In 1987, it won nine MTV Video Music Awards. MTV later announced that "Sledgehammer" is the most played music video in the history of the station. "Sledgehammer" has also been declared to be MTV's number one animated video of all time.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Lyrics - "So"

Answer: Mercy Street

This song was based on a book of poems called "Mercy Street" by Anne Sexton, an American mental patient that wrote as a type of therapy. She committed suicide in 1974.

From Quiz Games Without Frontiers

Answer: hide in the dunes

This conjures up a picture of children playing, or perhaps soldiers whistling popular tunes while they prepare to fight, like in many World War II movies. "Games Without Frontiers" was one of Peter Gabriel's most successful singles - reaching the top five in the UK, though only the top 50 in the US. The 1980 album "Peter Gabriel" was a UK number one. The song was remixed and renamed "X Games Without Frontiers" by Lord Jamar, and has been used as the theme for the 13th Winter X Games.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel's "Up"

Answer: Melanie Gabriel

Melanie was the second daughter of Peter Gabriel and his first wife, Jill Moore. She was twenty-six when "Up" was released, and she accompanied her father on tour as the featured backing vocalist. She released a few songs of her own in the late 1990s/early 2000s which have an ethereal sound similar to Kate Bush. Other contributors to the album included Gabriel regulars Tony Levin, David Rhodes and Manu Katche.

From Quiz The Music Of Peter Gabriel

Answer: Woodstock 94

I attended Woodstock 94. My main intention was to see Peter Gabriel. It was the first time I had seen him perform live and what a fantastic show. He was the last performer to take the stage late Sunday night and it was well worth the wait. Candles were handed out and lit during the song "Biko". And no one rioted or started any fires.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Lyrics - "So"

Answer: That Voice Again

Peter Gabriel wrote three sets of lyrics for this song before writing the final version with guitarist David Rhodes.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Music

Answer: 'Humdrum'

From the album 'Peter Gabriel'.

From Quiz Games Without Frontiers

Answer: kissing baboons

There are five species of baboons, and they are found in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Baboons are some of the largest monkeys, their size only exceeded by drills and mandrills. In the original album version of "Games Without Frontiers", the second verse has a line that was not deemed radio-friendly, so this line from the first verse was used instead in the edit that was released as a single.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel's "Up"

Answer: I Grieve

Peter Gabriel had performed the song "I Grieve" several years before the release of the "Up" album, and the song was included on the soundtrack to the 1998 film "City of Angels". But the song became associated with September 11, 2001, when Gabriel performed it on "The Larry King Show" on the one year anniversary of the attacks. Gabriel said that his daughters were living in the Tribeca area of New York City on the day of the attacks and that he wasn't able to contact them. He remembered the relief he felt when he finally heard from them and could only imagine the pain of those who never heard from their loved ones.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Lyrics - "So"

Answer: Big Time

Peter Gabriel calls this song "a satirical story about a basic human urge...success."

From Quiz Games Without Frontiers

Answer: It's a Knockout

"It's a Knockout!" was a successful show for the BBC, originally introduced by McDonald Hobley. In 1987, "The Royal Knockout Tournament", aka "It's a Royal Knockout" was a one-off production for charity that featured some of the younger members of the English Royal Family - Prince Edward, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of York. The event was ridiculed, but nevertheless raised over £1M for charity. The use of the simple line "It's a Knockout" in "Games Without Frontiers" is quite effective and ironic.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel's "Up"

Answer: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died in 1997 before recording the studio vocals for the song, so excerpts from an earlier live recording of the song at a VH1 Honours Concert in 1996 were used. Khan began working with Peter Gabriel in the 1980s when Gabriel delved into world music. He collaborated with Gabriel on "The Last Temptation of Christ" soundtrack and released several albums on Gabriel's Real World record label.

From Quiz The Music Of Peter Gabriel

Answer: Big Time

"WrestleMania 22" took place on April 2,2006. The tagline for "WrestleMania 22" was "Big Time". The theme song for the event was "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel. More than 17,155 people from 16 countries and 43 states attended, with millions more watching in more than 90 countries.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Lyrics - "So"

Answer: Sledgehammer

This song prompted a lot of criticism that Peter Gabriel was trying to copy Phil Collins in order to achieve commercial success. Gabriel claims the song was based on 60s soul music that he listened to as a teenager, and that he was actually the inspiration for Phil Collins.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Music

Answer: 'Sledgehammer'

During the lyrics, 'You could have a steam train if you'd just lay down your tracks'.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel's "Up"

Answer: Zorb ball

Zorb balls are human-sized inflatable hamster balls that are usually used for riding down hills. Not surprisingly perhaps, the adventurous sport was developed in New Zealand in the 1990s. Peter Gabriel rolled and bounced his zorb ball around the circular stage on which he performed during the "Growing Up" tour. Other props he used during the concert included a bicycle he rode around the stage with singing "Solsbury Hill" and a harness from which he was suspended while singing "Downside Up".

From Quiz The Music Of Peter Gabriel

Answer: Tony Levin

Tony has played with many greats including King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd, John Lennon, Dire Straits, Alice Cooper, Seal, David BowieCarly Simon, Sarah McLachlan and Paul Simon, among many others.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Lyrics - "So"

Answer: Don't Give Up

This song features Kate Bush as the female voice. It did not start out as a duet, and Gabriel had to change the lyrics so they made sense.

From Quiz Peter Gabriel Music

Answer: 'In Your Eyes'

His vocals come out best at the end of the song.

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