In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel song)
Encyclopedia
"In Your Eyes" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel
from his 1986 album So
. It reached #1 on the Billboard
Mainstream Rock Tracks and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100
in November, 1986. It was not released as a single in the UK
. Gabriel released an extended version of the song which was nearly 9 minutes in length (as compared to the original 5:29 version that appears on the album).
The song was the finale of the Secret World Tour, and is the final track on the 1994 Secret World Live
album, where it is over 11 minutes long and includes the extra lyrics from the Special Mix, in addition to solos by the other singers and players. It was included on the US
version of his 2003 compilation Hit
, but not on the Europe
an or Japan
ese versions.
In 2005, after 19 years of accumulated sales, the song brought Gabriel his first Gold single, certified in the U.S. by the RIAA.
), NBC Sports
used "In Your Eyes" in for the prologue (narrated by Dick Enberg
) of the AFC Championship Game between the Denver Broncos
and Cleveland Browns
.
The theatrical trailer for the 1993 film Benny & Joon
features In Your Eyes.
In the 2005 Cold Case episode entitled "Family"
, the song appears towards the end as a 1988 murder case is resolved.
The song is featured in the 2008 film The Rocker
when A.D.D.plays their first gig at a high school prom.
Sampled portions of the song can be heard in the 2010 Girl Talk
album "All Day".
film, Say Anything..., as well as in its trailer. An iconic scene from the film occurs when broken-hearted Lloyd Dobler
serenades his ex-girlfriend, Diane Court
, outside her bedroom window by holding a boombox
(ghetto blaster) up above his head and playing the song for her. Repopularized by its usage in the film, the song reentered the US charts but narrowly failed to crack the top 40 in its second run, reaching as high as #41. Peter Gabriel asked to see Crowe's film and Crowe asked the production company to send Gabriel a rough cut. Gabriel approved the use of his song, but told Crowe that he was uneasy about the overdose of the main character at the end; the studio had erroneously sent Gabriel the film Wired
instead.
The song's use in that iconic scene has been parodied in popular satirical shows. In the American Dad episode "It's Good to Be Queen", Stan Smith, in an attempt to get Francine to forgive him, forces Gabriel Byrne
—whom he mistakenly believes to be Peter Gabriel—to sing "In Your Eyes" while holding the actor above his head. In the South Park
episode "Raisins
", when Wendy breaks up with Stan, Bebe tells him to hold up a boombox playing Peter Gabriel outside Wendy's window, to try to win her back. Instead of playing "In Your Eyes," he plays Gabriel's decidedly unromantic "Shock the Monkey
".
The song was also briefly used during an August 2006 episode of The Daily Show
in a Toss segment to The Colbert Report, in which Stephen Colbert
holds up a boombox in an attempt to stop Jon Stewart
skipping to the next segment.
.
In 1993, Gabriel performed the song on Saturday Night Live
, during its 18th season
.
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
from his 1986 album So
So (album)
So is the fifth studio album by British rock musician Peter Gabriel, released in 1986. Many of its songs reflect a more conventional pop-writing style and became radio hits, while others still retain Gabriel's dark, brooding sense of experimentalism.It is Peter Gabriel's second album produced by...
. It reached #1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Mainstream Rock Tracks and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in November, 1986. It was not released as a single in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Gabriel released an extended version of the song which was nearly 9 minutes in length (as compared to the original 5:29 version that appears on the album).
The song was the finale of the Secret World Tour, and is the final track on the 1994 Secret World Live
Secret World Live
Secret World Live is the second live and tenth album overall released by Peter Gabriel, in 1994. The album was not remastered with the rest of Gabriel's catalogue in 2002. A concert film was released at the same time as the album...
album, where it is over 11 minutes long and includes the extra lyrics from the Special Mix, in addition to solos by the other singers and players. It was included on the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
version of his 2003 compilation Hit
Hit (album)
Hit is a 2003 compilation album of songs by British musician Peter Gabriel. It reached #29 in the UK album charts and #100 in the US. Disc one is labelled Hit and disc two Miss, reflecting the first disc's containing several of Gabriel's biggest-selling singles.The two-disc set is different in the...
, but not on the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an or Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese versions.
In 2005, after 19 years of accumulated sales, the song brought Gabriel his first Gold single, certified in the U.S. by the RIAA.
Licensed uses
In 1988 (at the end of the 1987 NFL season1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
), NBC Sports
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
used "In Your Eyes" in for the prologue (narrated by Dick Enberg
Dick Enberg
Richard Alan "Dick" Enberg is an American sportscaster. He currently provides play-by-play for telecasts of San Diego Padres baseball on 4SD, following a long career calling various sports for such networks as NBC, CBS, and ESPN...
) of the AFC Championship Game between the Denver Broncos
1987 Denver Broncos season
-Schedule:-Playoffs:-External links:* *...
and Cleveland Browns
1987 Cleveland Browns season
-References:...
.
The theatrical trailer for the 1993 film Benny & Joon
Benny & Joon
Benny & Joon is a 1993 romantic comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about how two eccentric individuals, Sam and Juniper "Joon" , find each other and fall in love...
features In Your Eyes.
In the 2005 Cold Case episode entitled "Family"
Cold Case (season 3)
Season three of Cold Case, an American television series, began airing on September 25, 2005 and concluded on May 21, 2006. Season three regular cast members include Kathryn Morris, Danny Pino, John Finn, Thom Barry and Jeremy Ratchford. From episode 8 ownards, Tracie Thoms joins the main cast as...
, the song appears towards the end as a 1988 murder case is resolved.
The song is featured in the 2008 film The Rocker
The Rocker (film)
The Rocker is a 2008 American comedy directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone, Christina Applegate and Jason Sudeikis...
when A.D.D.plays their first gig at a high school prom.
Sampled portions of the song can be heard in the 2010 Girl Talk
Girl Talk (musician)
Gregg Michael Gillis , better known by his stage name Girl Talk, is an American musician specializing in mashups and digital sampling. Gillis has released five LPs on the record label Illegal Art and EPs on 333 and 12 Apostles....
album "All Day".
Say Anything...
The song was used twice in the 1989 US Cameron CroweCameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
film, Say Anything..., as well as in its trailer. An iconic scene from the film occurs when broken-hearted Lloyd Dobler
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
serenades his ex-girlfriend, Diane Court
Ione Skye
Ione Skye Lee is an English-born American actress, who became a teen idol after the 1989 movie Say Anything.... In 2006 VH1 placed her at number 84 in the "100 Greatest Teen Stars" list.-Early life:...
, outside her bedroom window by holding a boombox
Boombox
Boombox is a colloquial expression for a portable cassette or CD player. Other terms known are ghetto blaster, jambox, or radio-cassette. It is a device capable of receiving radio stations and playing recorded music , usually at relatively high volume...
(ghetto blaster) up above his head and playing the song for her. Repopularized by its usage in the film, the song reentered the US charts but narrowly failed to crack the top 40 in its second run, reaching as high as #41. Peter Gabriel asked to see Crowe's film and Crowe asked the production company to send Gabriel a rough cut. Gabriel approved the use of his song, but told Crowe that he was uneasy about the overdose of the main character at the end; the studio had erroneously sent Gabriel the film Wired
Wired (film)
Wired is a 1989 film biography of John Belushi directed by Larry Peerce, adapted from the book Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi . It starred Michael Chiklis as Belushi. Wired was both a critical and a commercial failure...
instead.
The song's use in that iconic scene has been parodied in popular satirical shows. In the American Dad episode "It's Good to Be Queen", Stan Smith, in an attempt to get Francine to forgive him, forces Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
—whom he mistakenly believes to be Peter Gabriel—to sing "In Your Eyes" while holding the actor above his head. In the South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode "Raisins
Raisins (South Park episode)
"Raisins" is episode 110 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on December 10, 2003.-Plot:The boys are playing football when Bebe tells Stan that his girlfriend Wendy has decided to break up with him. Stan obviously cares a lot about this, as he has liked Wendy ever since the...
", when Wendy breaks up with Stan, Bebe tells him to hold up a boombox playing Peter Gabriel outside Wendy's window, to try to win her back. Instead of playing "In Your Eyes," he plays Gabriel's decidedly unromantic "Shock the Monkey
Shock the Monkey
"Shock the Monkey" is a 1982 song by Peter Gabriel. It was released as a single and peaked at number 29 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The song was Gabriel's first Top 40 hit in the US. In the UK, the song charted at number 58. It was included on...
".
The song was also briefly used during an August 2006 episode of The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
in a Toss segment to The Colbert Report, in which Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
holds up a boombox in an attempt to stop Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
skipping to the next segment.
Cover versions
- Neal MorseNeal MorseNeal Morse is an American multi-instrumentalist and progressive rock composer based in Nashville, Tennessee.-Background:...
recorded an acoustic version of the song, along with Solsbury Hill, for an Inner Circle (fan club) release. - A pop punkPop punkPop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
rendition of the song was released by the band SR-71SR-71 (band)SR-71 is an American rock band that was formed in Baltimore, Maryland. They are best known for their 2000 single "Right Now", their 2002 single "Tomorrow", and as the authors of Bowling for Soup's 2004 hit "1985" . The name of the band came from SR-71 Blackbird, a supersonic surveillance aircraft...
on their third album Here We Go AgainHere We Go Again (SR-71 album)Here We Go Again is the third album by pop punk band SR-71, recorded during 2003 and released on May 21, 2004. It wasn't released outside Japan, although it was available on the band's website through a Japanese import....
. - An acoustic cover was performed by Darren HayesDarren HayesDarren Stanley Hayes is a UK-based Australian singer-songwriter. Hayes was the front man and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden, whose 1997 album Savage Garden peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in United Kingdom and No. 3 in United States...
and released on the "I Miss YouI Miss You (Darren Hayes song)"I Miss You" is the third solo single released by Australian singer Darren Hayes in 2002. It is the fourth single in Australia from his album Spin, and was released after "Crush " in 2003....
" single. - Jeffrey GainesJeffrey GainesJeffrey Gaines is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he was signed to the Chrysalis Records label in 1990 and released his debut album, Jeffrey Gaines, in 1992 ....
performed both a studio and acoustic cover. - Christian artist Nichole NordemanNichole NordemanNichole Ellyse Nordeman is an eight-time Dove Award-winning contemporary Christian American singer–songwriter.-Biography:Nordeman was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she played the piano in church...
performed a cover of the song on her album Woven & Spun. - Aaron LewisAaron LewisAaron Lewis, , is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and founding member of the rock group Staind, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He has since ventured into country music with his debut solo album, Town Line...
of StaindStaindStaind is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki...
performed a cover of the song with his previous band J-Cat. - Lori McKennaLori McKennaLori McKenna is an American folk singer/songwriter. She lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with her husband and five children.-Early work:...
contributed a cover of the song to the 2005 compilation High School Reunion. - Sara BareillesSara BareillesSara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been...
covered this song in a live session that is included on the bonus disc to Little VoiceLittle Voice (album)Little Voice is the debut major-label album by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, which was released on July 17, 2007. Six of the tracks are re-recorded studio versions of songs from her previous album, Careful Confessions. A two-disc special edition of Little Voice with live acoustic tracks was...
and the B-side to the "Bottle It UpBottle It Up"Bottle It Up" is a song written and recorded by Sara Bareilles. The song was produced by Eric Rosse. It was the second single of her album Little Voice. The song was also featured in a Rhapsody commercial....
" single. - HeartHeart (band)Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
guitarist and vocalist Nancy WilsonNancy Wilson (guitarist)Nancy Lamoureux Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer who, with her older sister Ann and lead guitarist Roger Fisher, became the core of the Seattle/Vancouver rock band Heart.-Life and career:...
covered this song on her 1999 solo live album Live at McCabe's Guitar ShopMcCabe's Guitar ShopMcCabe's Guitar Shop is a musical instrument store and live music venue on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. Opened in 1958, McCabe's specializes in acoustic and folk instruments, including guitars, banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, fiddles, psaltries, bouzoukis, sitars, ouds, and ethnic...
. - Sludge metal band Mouth of the ArchitectMouth of the ArchitectMouth of the Architect is an American atmospheric post-metal band from Dayton, Ohio, creating music influenced by and similar to Neurosis, Isis, Pelican, Cult of Luna, and various post-metal bands.-Biography:...
covered the song on their 2010 EP The Violence Beneath. - Renée FlemingRenée FlemingRenée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
covered this song in the 2010 album Dark HopeDark HopeDark Hope is a 2010 album of indie rock titles sung by operatic soprano Renée Fleming.The album was the idea of Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein; after listening to Fleming's performance of "In the Pines" on Elvis Costello's TV show Spectacle, they approached Fleming and producer David Kahne...
.
Notable performances
On the So tour, it was performed with an extended vocal duet with Youssou N'DourYoussou N'Dour
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax, a type of music...
.
In 1993, Gabriel performed the song on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, during its 18th season
Saturday Night Live (Season 18)
Saturday Night Live aired its eighteenth season during the 1992-1993 television season on NBC. The eighteenth season began on September 26, 1992, and ended on May 15, 1993....
.