One of the most important songs ever written, played a huge role in exposing the apartheid government of South Africa to the world. Peter was deeply hated in certain circles because of the song and even received death threats.over it! Great choice.

Peter Gabriel is more than a musician; he's a shaman and soothsayer, touching the hearts, minds, and souls of all who listen

I love the original version from Peter. I love his german version. I love the live versions in all these years. And this new version is very emotional for me.

The original version is much more stripped down. He used to close is concerts with it, getting the crowd involved in the chant and then walking off stage while it continued, it was very powerful. I got to see him a few times back then, and since it was before Sledgehammer he was playing mid size theaters. They were great shows, and his band was always top tier.

Man oh man. I'm old and white-haired now (long, too- thanks for nothing Covid19) and finished 44 years in the Army... and I cried from beginning to end of this unbelievably beautiful tribute to Stephen Biko from Gabriel's "Melt" record 1980 redone here exquisitely. Not to forget Peter's earlier live shows, memorably to include playing it for and in front of Nelson Mandela at an AIDS Charity Concert, 2003. Hi again from Canada, Sifa and Dan- Peace and be safe.

The original came out in 1979 (or rather was recorded in 1979 and came out in 1980), but Peter Gabriel is very much into world music and decided to join world artists to create this beautiful version. :-)

The most emotive beautiful version of this song that makes me weep every time. What a collective of musical power.

More than just an awesome artist/musician/singer, Gabriel has become a worldwide social studies / civil rights teacher. Bravo to him! Your reactions were on-point!

Peter Gabriel is World Music at it's finest.

I am a Peter Gabriel FANATIC and I have never seen this version and I have all the DVD's.....there is NOTHING like this song Live in concert to 40-50 thousand people with big lighters and cell phones ! But as usual Peter does his thing here perfectly.

These "World Music" ensembles are amazing. The Producers and Engineers do an amazing job of tying all these artists together. Each of them represented some form of Oppression and/or Hardship. some music is nice to listen to. Some Music can also have an impact on you. This song does both for me.

i've loved Peter Gabriel since about 1971....saw genesis 1975, and PG solo twice. thank you for this.

Absolutely love this song and I’ve never heard this version which is even more powerful and beautiful than the original. Thanks guys ❤️❤️

Another version of the song was used to promote the movie Cry Freedom with Denzel Washington as Steve Biko, 1990.

At his concerts, Gabriel makes the whole audience sing and raise their fists. Fantastic experience. The original was on his 1980 album. The rhythm is a bit different, but essentially the same song. Great to see Angélique Kidjo!

No matter what version I hear it always gives me goosebumps and tears in my eyes, lump in my throat. What a powerful piece of music. The original was done earlier in Peter’s solo career. I know I was still a teenager then and it shook me as a boy

If you love Peter Gabriel, and enjoy his 'live' performances, you need to look into some of his 'Growing Up' tour. It is about the most dynamic live performance I`ve ever watched, and yet I can`t find a single review of that show from anyone anywhere. Please review some of that show. PLEASE?

It's a great song in concert...it was his long son of the night...and he would eventually leave, and we would still be singing the ending as he boards his plane!

Great suggestion. I approve! My brother smuggled a copy of this song on a 'mix' tape into South Africa in the early 80s, while Apartheid was still the law of the land. That was of course a forbidden song to have or play in South Africa at the time so he hid it in a tape with other crap on it so customs wouldn't deal with scouring it.

His music helped me when I was a kid...

This song always makes me cry.

Nice one lads. This is not a Peter Gabriel production. it is one of many 'Songs around the world' productions put together by the 'Playing for change' organisation. a charity that I have supported for many years. Personally I prefer this version. (I am a big fan of Peter's work. 'In your eyes' off the Secret World tour is one of my all time favourite performances) There are a lot of the Songs around the world. worth a shot here and also the Playing for change band do some good live stuff.

An amazing emotional song. The original is harsher, and completely as powerful. Playing For Change has a series of videos highlighting different songs in the same "world" fashion. They are working to unite the world in Peace through music. Excellent choice, excellent reaction. Carry On!!

PG 4 (Security) is one of the most flawless albums ever made. SO powerful.

I bought the Album, "Peter Gabriel - 1980 Album" especially for this song back in 1980. I have listened to this song about 500 times (sometimes 2 or 3 times in a row) and it always makes me want to be a better person. It is a Masterpiece, and this Version is a testament to that.

Wow I was always partial to the original version but this was beautiful, especially being able to see how the song and its message has resonated with musicians from all over the world. I also so him perform back in '93 and he closed the show with this as the musicians walked off one by one until only the drummer was left. Very powerful. Thanks for introducing this version.

This was originally the closing song for his third solo album in 1980. The first 3 are titled peter gabriel. The video from Live In Athens in 1987 is phenomenal.

Steel pulse and their tribute to the martyrs album, another wonderful song dedicated to biko's and others struggle for freedom.

Peter gabriel is a genious

That man helped me as a shaman for my own life. I understood a lot about relationship and différences between us all. A Giant

I've not heard this version before, and gosh, it gave me goosebumps! This was emotionally moving. As is the original (do give that a listen as well). It is weird hearing this song after all that has happened this past almost 2 years. "The world is black and white, with only 1 color dead". Thank you for listening to this version and introducing us to it (and really do check out the original. Blessings!

All we can do is bow to Gabriel's genius and be thankful.

Probably the best video of this - the spirit is free...

I know the song for forty years, but I've never seen this version. Still, I had tears in my eyes - again, after all these years. If you are interested, watch the movie Cry for Freedom (?) with Denzel Washington playing Biko.

Wow like I am hearing it for the first time love you guys

The spirit of this is the same as the original. World beat feel is 80s Gabriel, cooperation to end injustice is the theme.

-We can see a classic scene with this song, on the TV show "Miami Vice" in the 1980's, (in last scene of the episode: 'Evan')

This is a Playing for Change video. There are a number of songs that Playing for Change has done. They pull together musicians from throughout the world for the video.

I have avoided this version with the older Peter Gabriel-- what a fool I was, this is tremendous. All the voices!

Great song, and you should listen to the New Blood Orchestra version...it takes a powerful song so much higher with a full orchestra playing it. Look at you two, adding more prog music every week!

The original was recorded on his third solo album in 1980....you'll love it! Phil Collins plays drums on it

Pretty cool - Never heard this version until now!

Thank you so much for this

This is the 1st reaction I have seen

It's a 40th Anniversary remake of the original he did back in 1980. All the musicians are remote due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It's also a celebration of technology since the 1980 original - the ability to bring all these folks together from around the world both audibly and visually.

Excellent.. Yo-yo Ma on cello, and many other guests.... Some good has come out of this time of crisis....

Even the 1980 original pulled together many artists as did many performances after that until apartheid ended. The album I owned had the Anti Apartheid songs "Ngomhla sibuyayo" at the start and "Senzeni Na?" fading out at the end of the track.

This version is for the Playing for Change movement. Check out their channel for more info.

Original track is from Peter Gabriel III (Melt) in 1980.

Great reaction.

This is done by Playing For Change. It's Peter's song but he is a collaborator on this version. Stephen Biko was an anti apartheid activist that was beaten to death in a South African jail by Afrikaans policemen.

Definitely take the opportunity to listen to the original album version as well, at least for yourselves. Serious Gabriel anthem here, along with "Solisbury Hill". Blessings.

Sight after Dark You are thinking of his song (San jacinto) watch it live

You should listen to the original from Peter's album. I love the playing for change videos though too.

Not seen or heard this version before , got to admire a man standing by his convictions , standing up and saying this isn’t right , he is 1 decent man

finally catching up to this at the end of the week -- thanks so much for all you do, most excellent S.A.D. !! there are so many tangents to chase here ... another brilliant version of this was arranged by Cameroonian sax player Manu Dibango on his album Wakafrica that showcases not only Peter but several African musicians from all over the continent. (and which also has an amazing "surreal" cover -- it's either in your face or it's very subtle, but once you see it you can't unsee it. a French photographer got the idea to photograph Manu in exactly that position -- the shoe off to the side is an important detail -- probably saying too much if i mention Madagascar?). another tangent, "Playing For Change" is a whole thing. they organize huge collectives of musicians from around the world to make new versions or covers of old tunes that blend new instruments and orchestrations together. they've put out several albums with things like John Lennon's "Imagine" and Robbie Robertson's "The Weight." this particular one of Peter's Biko was released seven months ago. another tangent, one of my favorite folk singers, Tom Paxton, does a beautiful and harrowing tribute to Biko called "The Death of Stephen Biko" that really gets into the incredible inhumane torture he experienced and died from. another tangent, o man, they got Angelique Kidjo from Benin to sing on this! she is just amazing. there's a brilliant version of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" she's been doing for a lot of years. just in the last couple months i found a concert video here on youtube where she performs it with Buddy Guy himself.

The original is an out of body experience for me. It is beyond impactful.

The original 1980 album version was more bare-bones. In concert, the band would eventually leave the stage with only the drum machine and the synth drone continuing, and we, the audience, kept on chanting for a good ten or fifteen minutes more. We were transported out of ourselves.

I love the intelligence of your analysis. You guys, I saw him as a young man sing this song, early 90s. Sadly, we've lost South Africa to Russia's side of the war. I think this song applies now (sadly) to Israel.😮

Rough times. RIP Biko

I would like to recommend Peter Gabriel's song "Wallflower" which has similar subject matter and is even more powerful IMO.

Another excellent song about South African Apartheid injustice, from the same time period as "Biko", was "Free Nelson Mandela" by The Specials. A completely different, upbeat vibe, which contrasted well with the accepted wisdom that poor Mandela never would be freed, in this lifetime. And look what happened: he Was freed, thanks to Western awareness being raised by men such as Peter Gabriel, and became the first Black president of South Africa.

Seeing this new version - wow. It has a triumph to it now. So different to the feeling of the original - when the horror of Apartheid was still the rule of law in South Africa

Hey folks, go to the original. Yup re this being a special performance. The original was 77. The fact it keeps getting picked up is evidence of the flame. Also check what little Steven did with Sun City in 85

Insightful reaction, cool guys. ‘In your eyes’ on the secret world tour is a phenomenal ensemble performance.

This version is by Playing for Change. Check them out.

Playing for Change/Song Around the World videos are amazing covers and a great project, but you should probably see the original versions for comparison.

He was very different as a member of Genesis and then when he left his music changed again and this song is an indication of how fearless he is when he records. When growing up I wasn't aware of this song but I really have grown to appreciate it and learning about the history of the problems in South Africa and who Stephen Biko was. Recommend if you haven't seen it watch the movie Cry Freedom starring Denzel Washington as Stephen Biko.

This song helped start the spread of the fire that put pressure on South Africa to abolish its Apartheid system. The context of it's influence is hard to comprehend now but it was such an important song to that movement.

Enjoy the original Dan once you "look it up"!! I dare say you'll notice more Peter at the beginning, and then as the track expands and develops, his gradual 'stepping back into the background as more and more Sth. African/Zulu elements rise in the mix as a kind of musical echo of the protests that rose against apartheid. Very potent stuff; and for those of us who may have been in other countries, but stood against the injustice of apartheid, 'Biko' was a very inspirational song. Just a personal observation as an Aussie who appreciated the stance taken by my fellow countrymen - especially the sportsmen who boycotted the apartheid regime; that once the 'anti-coloured' regime fell, many of it's supporters fled to countries like Australia, where even to this day they still like to think that they can revive apartheid... Sort of ironic and scary at the same time that such people see democratic and inclusive societies as "weak and manipulable", even as they seek haven within them, because they know nowhere else would accept them. Oh; and I'm sure others have or will mention this, but just in case:

Yeah he used to end a lot of the concerts we've had song and then everybody in the audience would be chanting that Melody I need say now it's up to you and then you would let the audience do the song

Steven Biko was a South African anti-apartheid activist who was arrested and beaten to death in police custody. He was thrown hog-tied in the back of a van and sent nearly 700 miles to a hospital when authorities feared he would die. He actually survived the trip but died at the hospital.

Every cent this song has ever made has gone to Stephen Biko’s family….Mr.Gabriel is a man to be admired.

Uma das mais lindas composicoes de Peter Gabriel...muitos herois africanos Mandela Steve Bico e outros que vivem o dia a dia do continente africano. Steve Bico vive dentro de todos nos! I had to write this message in portuguese.

I remember hearing the original recording on Vin Scelsa's show in the late 80's. Quite moving and painful.

One of the most powerful songs by my favorite artist. This song came out at the height of the anti-apartheid movement, becoming an anthem for the movement. The South African boycott by almost all major artists brought serious international attention to the issue and had a real effect on the outcome. It is one of the best examples of a song that actually changed the world. I had the pleasure of seeing Gabriel close his show with this song, leaving us chanting the chorus - as if to say, it's your turn now.

Important to note - pretty sure in this case as the several before - Gabriel himself didn’t initiate the project. Just like SunCity., etc etc. Yes - please read into the history. There’s much in the process and subtext of this video which makes sense only from that history. From the choice of opening singers to which duets…

Check out Playing for Change videos. This is just one of many that brings together musicians from all around the world to record great songs.

He wrote this around 1979-80, and released it on his third album, an outstanding 1980 release (melting face cover) He chose not to title his first three albums, Lol. This song was written long before Western rock musicians began speaking out against Apartheid and Human Rights abuses. Peter was one of the first to take political action by rallying musicians together to perform concerts that raise money and awareness and put pressure on the South African dictatorship. The message of this song is essentially aimed at the governing Autocracy itself: "You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire, once the flame begins to catch, the winds will blow it higher... And the eyes of the world.. are watching now watching now watching now.." It may have been possible in the previous era of 'McCartheism' and secretive regimes, to hide human rights abuses and atrocities commited against citizens, but by the 1980s, social consciousness, cultural theory and race theory were starting to take hold and there were few corners of the world left that weren't open to world media, news, political discourse journalism and live, real-time TV coverage of world events.

Biko was a hero. His biography is powerful. The movie Cry Freedom is good enough.

Great choice and nice reaction. You really should explore the Playing for Change series, which has so many great covers! Perhaps hard to imagine today, but we young leftists as far as away as Cali were following events in SAfrica closely from the 70s on. I remember being so glad that a musician of Peter's stature addressed apartheid with a great and commercially successful song (and the original studio version in 1980 is even more powerful than this later quasi-world-tribute version, IMO)!

I'm a little confused by your confusion about the song lol. Originally it was specifically about the apartheid situation in South Africa. I just saw the original and it seems to be a fundraiser to support organizations that fight for social justice. The song is still relevant today. The original video is from just a few months ago.

I too must revisit the original. I was a little nonplussed when I saw a much older Gabriel than expected, 'til I sussed out the sitch! 😂😉 I love the 'Playing for Change' series, they're as cool as ANYTHING I've EVER seen, inspirational, boundary breaking or ignoring, totally made possible solely through modern technology. It's lost none of its anthemic power in the post-apartheid world, and the virtual gathering and collaboration of local(?), regional and international talent melts me as the P4C vids always do, people's voices and instruments raised in song together. Could well die happy, I briefly consider. A more celebratory, if also anticipatory tone is struck by The Specials(AKA) 'Free Nelson Mandela', which I also loved. Then there's Little Steven, aka Miami Steve Van Zandt's 'Sun City', star power united in a good cause.

Proper female goose - Gabriel explained !!!

JEEZ - Why do you deny the issues!!!, the music is the music - FOR FUCKS SAKE !!!

He would have made a great first Xhosa president of RSA.

Never saw this version. Love the video. Very international. Sadly warmonger$ are still deaf for these kind of songs.

Old enough to get a tear in the eye. Apartheid was abominable. Mandela stood on the shoulders of Biko and many others - like all good and also bad people do. Choose the ones who are for humanity, if you have the choice in free and DEMOCRATIC elections.

The original I found more haunting/sombre and emotional.

I've never seen/heard this version before. It was good, but I would have preferred a live version from the 80s Amnesty International concert. Still, this is a serious song and the treatment was appropriate.

It's the same song that PG did in the 1980's, but a remake.

She's not having it.

Biko is an incredible protest song. I think it will stand the test of time. His live version is a tour de force. This one is a bit showy.

Did you forget to link the artists video or did I just miss it?

😋

Godamn, I thought I knew all versions. From which Album is this one? Every version differs from the other

I like his original version much better .... Tells n shows Steven Bikos story 💕💕💕😭

I really prefer the original version even if this one's very good. Simple Minds covered it very tastefully too

AND, TO ALL THE INNOCENT PEOPLE IN THE uNITED STATES OF AMERICA, OF WHOM HAVE GIVEN THEIR INNOCENT LIVES LIVING IN PRISON!

This is not the version to react to. The albim version when he had hos full voice still.