Growing Up

Growing Up is the third single to be taken from Peter Gabriel’s seventh solo studio album UP and was released on 30 June 2003.

Recorded and mixed at Real World Studios, Growing Up was produced by Peter Gabriel and Steve Osborne, recorded and engineered by Richard Chappell. The single version was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge, whilst the original album version was mixed by Tchad Blake.

My brother in-law died of cancer, my parents are getting a little older I’ve seen a couple of friends die and so death has definitely been more present in the last ten years and it‘s been quite interesting in some ways and I’ve read a bit more about it and so on and I think there’s this sense very often that people seem to retain their 17 year old selves through out life in some way, they may peg it at a different age but I don’t think people feel old internally or very rarely.

The video was directed and produced by Francois Vogel / Notorious Pictures Inc and is cut to the Tom Lord-Alge mix.

The cover image was designed by Marc Bessant. Of the artwork Bessant says;
“Mostly the singles artwork came from the choices already taken to represent the songs on the album. For a couple of months myself and Dilly Gent sourced various material to show Peter based on what we had heard and some lyrics we had. Some choices were more literal than others, whilst some had meaning which we missed and/or was more relevant/personal to Peter.”

The Growing Up cover uses an image by M. Richard Kirstel called ‘Waterbabies’. “Early on the doll theme was something I wanted to take through the whole record/tour and this image turned up in various guises along the way.  As far as I recall it was an immediate choice because it just felt right for what the song was saying (to me) – a playful childhood, then loss of it, this once loved toy now discarded – but not in a negative way, we just go on to other better things – we grow up, but when we see these objects we are reminded of that time, that love. Peter may likely have an entirely different understanding of this song but the same image also resonated with him.”

Performers on Growing Up:
Drums: Ged Lynch, Manu Katché
Percussion: Ged Lynch
Guitar: David Rhodes
Backing vocals: AD Chivers, David Rhodes
Tape scratching: Tchad Blake
Programming: Richard Chappell
Additional programming: Peter Davis, Alex Swift
Organ, sample keys, bass keys, JamMan, MPC groove: Peter Gabriel

The single was released on CD and DVD single

CD – PGSCD15
Growing Up – Tom Lord-Alge Radio Edit
Growing Up – Album Version
Growing Up – Trent Reznor Remix

DVD – PGSDVD15
Growing Up Video
Growing Up – Album Version
Growing Up – Stabilizer Remix
Growing Up Photo Gallery – with Tricky Instrumental Mix.

Unavailable digitally for many years, the Trent Reznor, Stabilizer and Tricky remixes are available on the digital compilation Flotsam and Jetsam.