So Much (Peter Gabriel song)

"So Much"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album I/O
Released	3 July 2023 (dark-side mix) 17 July 2023 (bright-side and in-side mixes) 19 July 2023 (guitar version)
Studio	Real World (Wiltshire) The Beehive (London) British Grove (London)
Length	4:50
Label	Real World EMI (UK/Japan) Republic (US/Canada)
Songwriter(s)	Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)	Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"Road to Joy" (2023) "So Much" (2023) "Olive Tree" (2023)

"So Much" is a song by English musician Peter Gabriel, released in July 2023 as the seventh single in promotion of his tenth studio album I/O. Gabriel described "So Much" as a "simple song" that was "easy to digest but still had a bit of character to it".^[1] He claimed in the Full Moon Update that the song was a bit polarizing, that "it will split an audience" "about 50/50" with those who love it and those who don't care for it.^[2] According to Gabriel, Tchad Blake called it "the best thing that he has ever done."^[2] Gabriel said that the song is about "mortality" and "getting old".^[1]

Gabriel first revealed the song's title in 2020 when he responded to an article by Phillip Collins in The Times. In his response, Gabriel described "So Much" as a "getting old song".^[3] The cover artwork is called Somewhere Over Mercia and was created by Henry Hudson.^[1] Merica refers to an ancient name for a region located near the birthplaces of Gabriel and Hudson^[4]

Personnel

• Peter Gabriel – vocals, backing vocals, piano, synths
• Tony Levin – bass
• David Rhodes – guitars
• Melanie Gabriel – backing vocals
• John Metcalfe – orchestral conductor
• Oli Jacobs – engineering
• Katie May – engineering

Orchestra

• Orchestral arrangement: John Metcalfe and Peter Gabriel
• Violin: Everton Nelson, Ian Humphries, Louisa Fuller, Charles Mutter, Cathy Thompson, Natalia Bonner, Richard George, Marianne Haynes, Martin Burgess, Clare Hayes, Debbie Widdup, and Odile Ollagnon
• Viola: Bruce White, Fiona Bonds, Peter Lale, and Rachel Roberts
• Cello: Ian Burdge, Chris Worsey, Caroline Dale, William Schofield, Tony Woollard, and Chris Allan
• Double bass: Chris Laurence, Stacy Watton, and Lucy Shaw
• French horn: David Pyatt and Richard Bissill
• Trumpet: Andrew Crowley
• Euphonium: Andy Wood
• Tenor trombone: Tracey Holloway
• Bass trombone: Richard Henry
• Tuba: David Powell
• Orchestra conductor: John Metcalfe
• Orchestra leader: Everton Nelson
• Sheet music supervisor: Dave Foster
• Orchestra contractor: Lucy Whalley and Susie Gillis

Charts

References