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"Four Kinds of Horses"
"Four Kinds of Horses"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album I/O
Released	5 May 2023 (bright-side mix); 19 May 2023 (dark-side and in-side mixes);
Studio	Real World (Wiltshire); The Beehive (London); British Grove (London); Copper House (London);
Genre	Art rock
Length	6:47
Label	Real World; EMI (UK/Japan); Republic (US/Canada);
Songwriter(s)	Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)	Peter Gabriel; Richard Russell;
Peter Gabriel singles chronology

"Four Kinds of Horses" is a song by English musician Peter Gabriel, released in May 2023 as the fifth single in promotion of his tenth studio album I/O. The track has been described by Rolling Stone as atmospheric, swirling, and sparkling.^[2] The cover artwork was done by Cornelia Parker.^[3]^[4]

Background

The song was originally conceived when the founder of XL Recordings Richard Russell asked Peter Gabriel to make a song for his project "Everything Is Recorded". While in the studio, Gabriel came up with some chords, melodies and words on top of a groove he was working on; with the help from Russell, it would eventually become "Four Kinds of Horses".^[3]^[2]^[5]

As the track developed, a couple of things would influence the track, such as the Buddhist Parable of Four Kinds of Horses, which explain how a student can approach religious and spiritual practice. The song also shows themes of the "overlap of religion and peace on the one hand and violence and terrorism on the other." He also took further inspiration from a plot line in the film Paradise Now by Hany Abu-Assad where two characters receive training to commit a terrorist act, which also explored the mindsets of these individuals during their preparations.^[2]^[3]

The track also features Brian Eno, who worked with Gabriel on 1992's Us,^[6] composer John Metcalfe on string arrangements, and Gabriel's daughter Melanie on backing vocals.^[3]

Personnel

Peter Gabriel – vocals, backing vocals, piano, synths, rhythm programming, percussion
David Rhodes – guitars, backing vocals
Tony Levin – basses
Melanie Gabriel – backing vocals
Brian Eno – rhythm progressing, synthesizers, electric worms
Katie May – rhythm programming
Richard Russell – filtered percussion

Orchestra

Orchestral arrangement: John Metcalfe
Violins: 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
Violas: Bruce White, Fiona Bonds, Peter Lale, and Rachel Roberts
Cellos: 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
Tenor trombone: Andy Wood and Tracy 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