Top Ten Songs by Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel always stood out, even as a member of the band Genesis in the 1970s, but it was his solo career that made him a permanent icon in the music world. Lazily labeled as "progressive rock," his music continues to demonstrate that he deserves to be in a genre all by himself.

I admit that scaling down my selection of songs to ten was a difficult task. At first, I thought about limiting it to the chart-topping hits he has had over the years; "Sledgehammer," after all, proved that he could appeal to a wide audience. But that would have been the easy way out. Instead, I decided to focus on some of the songs that transcend the mainstream to really set him apart from his contemporaries.

So, with that in mind, here is my list of top ten Peter Gabriel songs many you have probably never heard. Please note that the order in which they are presented is completely arbitrary. I selected these songs because I believe they are definitive examples of Gabriel's unique style and sound.

1. Come Talk to Me (Us)
Gabriel wrote this as a plea to his daughter. We have all had times when we found it difficult to communicate with others, especially the ones we love. Utilizing the effective combination of bagpipes and drums, Gabriel strikes up a militaristic cadence, inviting the listener to march against the walls that separate us until we see "all the barriers blown away."

2. I Grieve (Up)
This song was first featured on the City of Angels soundtrack. Here, Gabriel addresses the suffering and loss we inevitably face as human beings in a world fraught with hardship. But what begins as a dirge-like lament is slowly transposed into a more upbeat song of hope. Yes, we grieve as we take the bad with the good, but, as he concludes, "life carries on and on and on."