| "Modern Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Peter Gabriel | ||||
| from the album Peter Gabriel (Car) | ||||
| B-side | "Slowburn" | |||
| Released | 20 June 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:38 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Ezrin | |||
| Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Modern Love" is a song written and performed by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in 1977 as the second single released from his 1977 self-titled album, although it failed to chart. The song was also performed live on the album’s accompanying tour. [1]
Background
During the vocal sessions for Modern Love, producer Bob Ezrin was unsatisfied with Gabriel's delivery of the line oh the pain, modern love can be strain, so he offered the singer three more attempts to sing the line. Once this proved unsuccessful, Ezrin asked engineer Brian Chistian to hoist Gabriel up a ladder and duct-taped his armpits to one of the pillars in the studio. "We rolled the tape and he was up there arms flailing and screaming 'Ahh, the pain, Modern Love' and we got it." [2]
The lyrics detail sexual frustration that include sexual innuendos, Roman mythology, and classical art, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. [3] A music video directed by Peter Medak, who Gabriel selected after watching The Ruling Class. Parts of the music video were filmed at a shopping centre in Shepherd's Bush on moving escalators, which Gabriel thought were "of the future at the time." [4]
Critical reception
Alan Jones of Melody Maker described Modern Love as a "rousing and highly enjoyable" power pop song. [5] He also stated that "Modern Love" was the only song on the album that evoked the previous production work of Bob Ezrin, an observation that Gabriel agreed with. [6]
In its review of Gabriel's debut album, AllMusic characterised Modern Love as a "surging rocker". [7] NME complimented the guitars and keyboards on "Modern Love", and quipped that the riff was "strong enough to land Concorde on." [8]
Track listing
- 7" single
- "Modern Love." – 3:06
- "Slowburn" – 4:20 [4]
References
-
^ Charone, Barbara (26 March 1977).
"On the Road: Gabriel Knows What He Likes".
Sounds. p. 40. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
{{ cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( link) - ^ Tom Power (1 July 2021). "From Pink Floyd to Peter Gabriel, producer Bob Ezrin reflects on the highlights of his career". CBC (Podcast). Event occurs at 32:52. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Scarfe, Graeme (2021). Peter Gabriel: Every Album, Every Song. United Kingdom: SonicBond. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-78952-138-2.
- ^ a b "Modern Love". PeterGabriel.com. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
-
^ Jones, Allan (26 February 1977).
"Gabriel: On the Side of the Angels".
Melody Maker. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
{{ cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( link) -
^ Jones, Allan (12 February 1977).
"Peter Gabriel interview – Melody Maker - 12 February". Melody Maker. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
{{ cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( link) - ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Peter Gabriel [1] – Peter Gabriel". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
-
^ Humpries, Patrick (26 February 1977).
"Master Gabriel and the Priestly Egg".
NME. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
{{ cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( link)