Looking for the Happy is the ninth song to be released from the forthcoming Peter Gabriel album o\i, out today on the sturgeon full moon.
Looking for the Happy is written and produced by Peter Gabriel and the first mix to be released is the Bright-Side Mix by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent.
“I’ve always found it so much easier to write sad songs than happy ones and I thought, right, I’m going to challenge myself here. I wanted to base it on a groove that made dancing irresistible, it felt like it was unleashing some joy. Although this is about the search for happiness, it had to have a chorus feeling like a celebration.
“If you can find what in today, in the now, is making you happy and what you’re grateful for, I think it’s a much better ride – a better vehicle to travel in – and as I get older, I’m trying to do a little less bitching.
“In the song I’m talking about trying to communicate with animals or connecting with nature, or sitting under the old oak tree with a cup of tea and appreciating that. The simple things – opening up to what’s good, while we’re busy complaining about what’s bad.
“Trying to get a handle on where you fit in life, that’s part of what I write about a lot. Also getting comfortable with two contradictory ideas simultaneously has been part of growing old – like being a part of everything and a part of nothing.”
“This was one of those songs that began with a groove, originally a groove with a Latin flavour. The groove is always so important to me, if I don’t feel it in my body, then everything is a whole lot harder. There are obviously songs I write which are not groove based, but this is one where it clearly helped shape the song. I’m always happy once the groove is kicking, it suggests where to go and makes it easy to play through and explore different ideas. Then I can take one look around the studio at any time and see happy faces everywhere and I think – this is why I play music.”
The cover art for Looking for the Happy is called ‘Closed Circuit II’ by Tishan Hsu
“I’ve only recently come across Tishan Hsu’s work and I was blown away. I thought it had a childlike simplicity in one sense, like Miro or Paul Klee, but it has all these technological references.
“In the way that the song was trying to explore consciousness, technology and nature I think Tishan does that in some of his own work. Although the work is about tech it’s interesting that the work itself is not really technology-based – it is very traditional painting and sculptural techniques that he’s employing.
“I started looking at a work from 1986 which is called Closed Circuit II, and although it has been compared to the original Instagram logo it was created a long time before that. It’s simple and it has face references but it’s blank and full of feeling at the same time. I think it’s a great, great image and I’m very happy Tishan is letting us use it.
“Often when we see these images for the songs, we’re reacting spontaneously to something that feels right and then we dig down and discover that there are similar themes being explored visually and musically. In this case, it was apparently the exploration of technology nature and humanity. It’s great when you find that something that intuitively felt right also has all these other connections that help to make the music and the art feel part of the same whole. In a way, you’re all trying to peel the orange and open up the same fruit.”
The Dark-Side Mix of Looking for the Happy will be released on the next new moon.
Further details on the release plans for the full album will follow.
PGS43
Looking for the Happy
Written by Peter Gabriel
Published by Real World Music Ltd / Sony Music Publishing
Real World
https://petergabriel.com
https://www.instagram.com/tishanhsu/