Red Rain (song)

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“Red Rain”
Single by Peter Gabriel from the album So
Released	1987
Format	7", 12", CD
Genre	Rock
Length	5:39
Label	Geffen
Producer	Peter Gabriel, Chris Hughes and Daniel Lanois
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"Big Time" (1987) "Red Rain" (1987) "Biko Live/No More Apartheid" (1987)

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"Red Rain" is the first track on Peter Gabriel's 1986 solo album So. In the USA, it reached #3 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Stewart Copeland from The Police played the hi-hat for the rain-like background sound.

The song is a combination of several inspirations. The lyrics directly reference a recurring dream Gabriel was having where he swam through red water.^{[citation needed]}

Earlier in his solo career, Gabriel had an idea for a movie, Mozo. In it, villagers were punished for their sins with a blood red rain. "Red Rain" was to be the theme song. This idea was eventually scrapped, although there was a mention of Mozo in the song "On the Air" in Peter Gabriel (II).

According to the sleeve notes from the remastered version of So, it is also a reference to acid rain. The song was covered by Ill Niño on The Under Cover Sessions.

[edit] "Red Rain" album appearances:

• So (1986)
• Shaking the Tree (1990)
• Secret World Live (Live, 1994)
• Hit (2003)

[edit] In popular culture

• Red Rain was used in the soundtrack to the Miami Vice TV show third season episode Stone's War, first aired in October 1986.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References