"Love Can Heal" is a song by English musician

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 ...

, released on 31 August 2023 as the ninth single in promotion of his tenth studio album '' I/O''. Due to August having a

blue moon A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season. The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon a ...

, this was the second of two tracks to be released in August alongside " Olive Tree". According to Gabriel, the track is a "dreamy, experiential piece with some abstract imagery" and "a carpet of sound, a tapestry where things are woven together, but not necessarily supposed to stick out, but just form part of a whole". A music video by Aardman Animations and cover artist

Antony Micallef Antony Micallef is a British contemporary artist and painter working in London. He appeared on the British art scene after being a prize winner of the BP Portrait Award competition. Since then, his mix of political imagery fused with contempora ...

was also released alongside the track.

Background

The song was debuted live back in 2016 during the ''Rock, Paper, Scissors'' tour in North America. Gabriel wrote the song as a tribute to

Jo Cox Helen Joanne Cox ( Leadbeater; 22 June 1974 – 16 June 2016) was a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Batley and Spen from May 2015 until her murder in June 2016. She was a member of the Labour Party. Born in B ...

who was murdered that same year. In a press release, Gabriel explained that he included the track on the album because he believed it fit with the themes on the album, elaborated by stating "in the sense that ''i/o'' is about feeling and being connected to everything, and in a way, the next evolution of being connected to things is a feeling of love for everything." The cover was designed by artist

with his work "a small painting of what I think love looks". About the track and artwork, Micallef said,

"With 'Love Can Heal' I could see my images coming up when I was hearing it. ..I love artists who take risks and Peter's always chopped and changed and I like to do that too with my work and you know it doesn't just rest on this one thing."

Personnel

– lead vocals, backing vocals, synths, piano, hairy drum * David Rhodes – guitars, backing vocals * Tony Levin – bass *

Ged Lynch Ged Lynch (born 19 July 1968, Blackburn, England) is an English percussionist and composer. Lynch had early commercial success drumming with the Ruthless Rap Assassins. In 1989 he joined The Icicle Works. He joined Shaun Ryder and Bez in Bla ...

– percussion * Melanie Gabriel – backing vocals * Ríoghnach Connolly – backing vocals *

Jennie Abrahamson Jennie Helena Abrahamson (born May 28, 1978, in Sävar) is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter. Born near the northern Swedish city of Umeå, she now lives in Stockholm's Södermalm district. Career After initially playing in various ba ...

– backing vocals * Linnea Olsson – solo cello, backing vocals * Angie Pollock – synths * Katie May – guitar effects

Charts

References

{{Peter Gabriel 2023 singles Peter Gabriel songs EMI Records singles Republic Records singles