It was two weeks after Sinéad O’Connor ripped a photograph of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in protest of the sexual abuse of children by the Catholic Church when she was booed off stage during a tribute to Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden. Also on the bill that evening was Willie Nelson, who witnessed how O’Connor was treated and invited her to join him in the studio the next day.
In the studio, Nelson and O’Connor recorded a cover of Peter Gabriel‘s 1986 duet with Kate Bush, “Don’t Give Up.” The song was later featured on Nelson’s 1993 album, Across the Borderline, a collection of his interpretations of songs by Dylan, Paul Simon, Willie Dixon, Lyle Lovett, and Gabriel, among others.
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‘You’re not beaten yet.’
Written by Gabriel and released on his fifth album So, “Don’t Give Up” was first inspired by a newspaper article his then-wife Jill showed him about a young mother who committed suicide by jumping from her window with her child.
The tragic story was the impetus for the song, before Gabriel’s lyrics became more layered in imagery from the Depression and Dust Bowl eras—including photographer Dorothea Lange’s images from the period—and the impact of unemployment on families.
Gabriel sings from the perspective of a British miner forgotten under Margaret Thatcher’s government. His despair in the lyrics is met by Bush’s tender reassurance in the chorus—Don’t give up / You’re not beaten yet / Don’t give up / I know you can make it good.
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“The basic idea is that handling failure is one of the hardest things we have to learn to do,” Gabriel said of the song. In re
In this proud land, we grew up strong
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail
No fight left, or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I’ve changed my face; I’ve changed my name
But no one wants you when you lose
Don’t give up
‘Cause you have friends
Don’t give up
You’re not beaten yet
Don’t give up
I know you can make it good
Dolly Parton Turned It Down
In their duet, Nelson and O’Connor take on Gabriel and Bush’s parts, respectively, and deliver an absorbing and emotional story. The lyrics also feel like an embrace for O’Connor, who faced more criticism for her outspoken views and stances throughout her career.
“The sensitive treatment Kate gave our give-and-take on that song was gratifying because it’s not just a song about a woman supporting a man in a demanding relationship,” said Gabriel. “The chief thing dragging them down is unemployment, which is presently tearing the social fabric of Thatcher’s England apart. Without a climate of self-esteem, it’s impossible to function.”
Initially, Gabriel had Dolly Parton in mind for the duet, but the country legend turned it down. “Because there was this reference point of American roots music in it when I first wrote it, it was suggested that Dolly Parton sing on it,” revealed Gabriel in a 2011 interview. “But Dolly turned it down, and I’m glad she did because what Kate did on it is brilliant.”
Gabriel added, “It’s an odd song. A number of people have written to me and said they didn’t commit suicide because they had that song on repeat or whatever, and obviously you don’t think about things like that when you’re writing them. But obviously a lot of the power of the song came from the way that Kate sings it.”
Photo: Sinead O’Connor, Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 16 March 1988. (Paul Bergen/Redferns)
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