PETER GABRIEL - RED RAIN

Released: June 29, 1987

Charts:  UK: #46 

“Red Rain” is the opening track on Peter Gabriel’s 1986 album So. Initially released as a promotional single in the U.S., it reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. A year later, it was commercially released in Europe, Australia, and the U.S., peaking at No. 46 on the UK Singles Chart. A live version also charted in both the U.S. and UK in 1994.

“Red Rain” was inspired by a recurring dream Peter Gabriel had, where he swam in a vast sea of red and white liquid. He described vivid, surreal imagery of glass-like figures filling with blood and transferring it across a sand-like surface. The dream left a deep impression on him, shaping the song’s haunting tone. Gabriel saw the imagery as a metaphor for suppressed pain, believing that unexpressed emotions can grow stronger and manifest in the external world. The track features The Police’s Stewart Copeland on percussion.

“Red Rain” was originally conceived as part of Peter Gabriel’s abandoned Mozo project, a planned movie or play about a mysterious character who changes the lives of those he meets. The song was meant to accompany a dramatic opening sequence where a village suffers a catastrophic flood of red rain. While Gabriel never completed the Mozo project, Red Rain evolved into a powerful standalone track. Though not a major hit, it remains a staple of his live performances and one of his most evocative songs.