Duets: Don’t Give Up

Peter Gabriel (with Kate Bush): Don‘t Give Up

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Peter Gabriel asked Kate Bush to Sing backup for him on the song Games Without Frontiers. He must have been pleased with the results, because he asked her back for Don’t Give Up. Unlike the earlier song, Don’t Give Up is a true duet, with each voice part having equal importance.

Here, Gabriel sings the part of a man at a low point in his life, a man in despair. Most duets would have Bush singing the part of a new or prospective lover, come to make everything right. But Peter Gabriel has done something a little different; Bush sings the part of a sort of Greek chorus of friends and/or family, who reassure him that he still has people who care about him. By the end of the song, this support group has brought him to a much better emotional state.

So Don’t Give Up is an unusual duet for the role that Kate Bush portrays. And it is ultimately a hopeful song, making it the perfect transition song from our previous theme.