"The Carpet Crawlers" is a song by the English
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
band
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, recorded for their sixth studio album ''
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
''The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway'' is the sixth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released as a double album on 18 November 1974 by Charisma Records and is their last to feature original frontman Peter Gabriel. It ...
''.
Mike Rutherford
Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, bassist and songwriter, co-founder of the rock band Genesis. Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks are the group's two continuous members.
Initially servin ...
and
Tony Banks wrote most of the music, with the help of
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
. Lyrically, the song tells the section of the album's story whereby Rael, the lead character, finds himself in a red carpeted corridor surrounded by kneeling people slowly crawling towards a wooden door. Rael dashes by them towards the door and goes through it. Behind the door is a table with a candlelit feast on it, and behind that, a spiral staircase that leads upwards out of sight.
The complex symbolism of Peter Gabriel's lyrics has been interpreted as referring to the fertilisation journey or as describing a scene inspired by
Gnosticism
Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people ...
in which humanity is misled by the 'callers': instead of the promise of heaven, the carpet crawlers find death and rebirth to a hellish environment.
The song was released in April 1975 as the album's second single under the title "The Carpet Crawlers". In 1995, Genesis re-recorded the song with producer
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...
that featured Gabriel and Collins sharing lead vocals, released as "The Carpet Crawlers 1999". This marked the last time both singers recorded with Genesis, as Gabriel had left the band in 1975 and Collins quit in 1996 (though he would later rejoin the band in 2007).
Musical style
The song has been described as
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
by Pop Matters, and
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
by Far Out Magezine, with them calling it a genre that tied this song and subsequent Peter Gabriel solo songs like
Sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a tool with a large, flat, often metal head, attached to a long handle. The long handle combined with a heavy head allows the sledgehammer to gather momentum during a swing and apply a large force compared to hammers designed t ...
together.
Releases
"The Carpet Crawlers" reappears on the 1976 ''
Genesis: In Concert'' film with
Bill Bruford
William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording ...
on drums, and on ''
Seconds Out
''Seconds Out'' is the second live album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released as a double album on 14 October 1977 on Charisma Records, and was their first with touring drummer Chester Thompson and their last with guitarist ...
'', Genesis' 1977 live album, with Chester Thompson on drums. It was also played on subsequent tours in 1980, 1981/82, 1983/84, 1998, 2007, 2021/22 and the
Six of the Best
Six of the Best was a reunion concert between the rock band Genesis, their original lead singer Peter Gabriel and former guitarist Steve Hackett. It took place on a wet Saturday, 2 October 1982, at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshir ...
reunion concert with
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
in 1982. It was also performed once during the 1992 tour.
A re-recorded version, called "The Carpet Crawlers 1999", was released on the compilation album ''
Turn It On Again: The Hits''; this is the last recording to date by the 5-man line-up of
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
,
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis ...
,
Tony Banks,
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
and
Mike Rutherford
Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, bassist and songwriter, co-founder of the rock band Genesis. Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks are the group's two continuous members.
Initially servin ...
, and is also the last studio recording by any configuration of Genesis to date. Gabriel and Collins share the role of lead vocals, ultimately harmonizing toward the end of the song. Collins contributes percussion programming as well, under a more contemporary
drum and bass
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
influence. The song's final verse was planned on being sung by Genesis' third singer
Ray Wilson, but he left the band so the plan was dropped and the final verse was left out.
The B-sides of the 1999 single were "
Turn It On Again
"Turn It On Again" is a song by the English rock band Genesis featured on their 1980 album ''Duke''. Also released as a single, the song reached number 8 in the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's second top 10 hit. The lyrics, by Mike Ruthe ...
" and "
Follow You Follow Me
"Follow You Follow Me" is a love song written and recorded by English rock band Genesis. It was released in March 1978 as the first single from their ninth studio album, '' ...And Then There Were Three...'' (1978). The music was composed by the ...
". The song is also included as the final track of the 2007 live album ''
Live Over Europe 2007
''Live over Europe 2007'' is the sixth live album by British band Genesis. It was recorded during the Turn It On Again: The Tour of 2007. It was released in North America by Atlantic Records on 20 November 2007, and in Europe by Virgin Recor ...
'' and on the live DVD ''
When in Rome 2007
''When in Rome 2007'' is a live DVD by British rock band Genesis recorded at Circus Maximus, Rome, Italy, on 14 July 2007, during the Turn It On Again Tour. The concert was directed by David Mallet. The collection was released on 26 May 2008 in ...
''.
Performance variations
On the 1974 studio version, Peter Gabriel sang an introductory verse beginning with "There is lambs' wool under my naked feet...", while from 1976 onwards Phil Collins omitted the introduction, and started the song with "The crawlers cover the floor...". This later live version omitting the introductory verse is simply referred to as "The Carpet Crawl", as it is listed on ''
Seconds Out
''Seconds Out'' is the second live album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released as a double album on 14 October 1977 on Charisma Records, and was their first with touring drummer Chester Thompson and their last with guitarist ...
''. The song as sung by Collins was a fixture through the 1981/82 tour, and was played as the final encore for each date of the 2007
Turn It On Again Tour (except The Hollywood Bowl because of rain) and the 2021/22
The Last Domino? Tour
The Last Domino? Tour was a concert tour by English rock band Genesis, staged following the announcement of their reunion after a 13-year hiatus. It featured the core trio of keyboardist Tony Banks, drummer/singer Phil Collins, and bassist/gui ...
.
Personnel
*
Tony Banks – ARP Pro-Soloist & RMI Electra piano
(1974); keyboards and additional programming
(1999)
*
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals
(1974); co-lead vocals and programmed drums
(1999)
*
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
– lead vocals and flute
(1974); co-lead vocals and additional programming
(1999)
*
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett (born 12 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who gained prominence as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band Genesis from 1971 to 1977. Hackett contributed to six Genesis ...
– electric guitar
*
Mike Rutherford
Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, bassist and songwriter, co-founder of the rock band Genesis. Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks are the group's two continuous members.
Initially servin ...
– 12-string guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, bass pedals, backing vocals
Cover versions
* Under the title "Carpet Crawl", it was covered by the German band M. Walking on Water for their 1993 EP, ''Pictures of an Exhibitionist''.
* As "The Carpet Crawler" it was covered by Human Drama on their 1993 ''Pin Ups'' release.
* A version was recorded by
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
(ex-
Strawbs
Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock.
They are best known fo ...
) for the 2006 album ''Golden Sound: Tribute to Genesis''.
* Another version was covered by the jazz band Fragile on their 2007 cover album ''smile''.
*
Nick D'Virgilio
Nicholas D'Virgilio (born November 12, 1968), often referred to as NDV, is an American drummer, singer and guitarist, best known as a member of the progressive rock band Spock's Beard. He was also one of two drummers chosen to replace Phil Coll ...
(who played drums on Genesis' 1997 album ''Calling All Stations'') and Mark Hornsby covered the song as part of their ''Rewiring Genesis: A Tribute To The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway Project'' in 2008.
* A cover was arranged and recorded by the German symphonic rock/chant band
Gregorian for their 2009 album ''
Masters of Chant: Chapter VII''.
* The song was recorded for Steve Hackett's 2012 album ''
Genesis Revisited II: Selection'', with vocals by former Genesis singer
Ray Wilson.
* It was covered by
Mark Kozelek
Mark Edward Kozelek (born January 24, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and occasional actor. He is known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of ...
on his 2013 covers album ''
Like Rats
''Like Rats'' is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, released on February 19, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records. Self-produced by Kozelek, the album is a collection of acoustic cover songs.
The album was released on the same d ...
''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpet Crawlers, The
Genesis (band) songs
1974 songs
1975 singles
1999 singles
Songs written by Phil Collins
Songs written by Tony Banks (musician)
Songs written by Peter Gabriel
Songs written by Steve Hackett
Songs written by Mike Rutherford
ka:The Carpet Crawlers#The Carpet Crawlers 1999