"Peace" (also known as "Peace (In the Valley)") is a song by American singer

Sabrina Johnston Sabrina Johnston is an American singer, best known for her 1991 club anthem, "Peace", which reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. Career Johnston grew up in the United States attending summer music camps, dance and voice classes before enr ...

, originally released in the US on JBR Records in May 1991. It was released as the first single from her debut studio album, ''Peace'' (1992). The single reached number eight on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and entered the top 30 in Australia, Ireland, Italy and Sweden. It was written and produced by Johnston with help from her husband Ken Johnston. She told in a 1991 interview, that she wrote the song during the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. "I wanted to create something positive", she said. In 1992, Johnston appeared on the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

's dance

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, ''

Red Hot + Dance ''Red Hot + Dance'' is an album produced by the Red Hot Organization, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness to fight the onslaught of HIV/AIDS. Pop star George Michael was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition and t ...

'', contributing a new remix of "Peace", the Nu-Mix, to raise awareness and money in support of the

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

epidemic. Richard Heslop directed its music video. The song caught the attention of English rock band

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

, who asked her to audition for their tour. However, they lost out to JBR Records and EastWest when she was signed for her second album. New remixes of the track were released in 2009.

Composition

"Peace" is composed in the key of A Major at a tempo of 121 beats per minute.

Chart performance

"Peace" was a notable hit in both Europe and Australia. The song entered the top 10 in the UK, peaking at number eight on September 22, 1991, in its fourth week on the

. It held that position for two weeks, before dropping to number ten and then leaving the UK Top 10. On the UK year-end chart, the song ended up as number 61. On the

UK Dance Singles Chart The UK Dance Singles Chart and the UK Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synthpop) in record s ...

, "Peace" reached number five. It entered the top 20 in Ireland (14) and Italy (19), as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 15 in October 1991. On the

European Dance Radio Chart The European Dance Radio Chart (also known as European Dance Radio Top 25) was a weekly chart compiled by pan-European magazine ''Music & Media''. After dance music had played a more dominant role on the magazine's Eurochart Hot 100 in the beginnin ...

, the song peaked at number four in November same year. Outside Europe, it charted in Australia, peaking at number 24 in March 1992. "Peace" stayed within the Australian Top 50 for a total of eight weeks.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote, "Not since

Crystal Waters Crystal Waters (born November 19, 1961) is an American house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits " Gypsy Woman", " 100% Pure Love", and 2007's " Destination Calabria" with Alex Gaudino. All three of her s ...

set clubland on fire a couple months ago with " Gypsy Woman" have we heard anything as exciting as "Peace" by Sabrina Johnston", adding that the singer "delivers uplifting lyrics with the power and style of a young

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

. She is supported by a feast of lush string-like synths, a rousing bass line, and mixable percussion breaks." In 1992, Flick named it "one of 1991's brightest moments." British ''Crawley News'' described it as "singalong hallelujah stuff". Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...

'' remarked that a "

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

influence pours out of this sizzlin' production by a new vocal talent from the East Coast whose previous experience has been as a studio singer. Talk about an eye opener—this is one made to infuse excitement onto the airwaves." A reviewer from ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' noted that originally released by the US-based JBR label, this European remix by British electronic music group

Brothers In Rhythm Brothers in Rhythm are a British electronic music group comprising Dave Seaman, Steve Anderson and Alan Bremner. The group was originally a duo comprising Seaman and Anderson, with Bremner joining later in 1999. They have remixed and/or produc ...

( Steve Anderson/

David Seaman David Andrew Seaman (born 19 September 1963) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal. He won 75 caps for England, and is the country's ...

) "lifts the

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...

groove to powerful and energetic heights." James Hamilton from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' called it a "gospel-ish repetitive garage lurcher". Andy Beevers from the '' RM'' Dance Update felt that the song "could become a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

classic", constating that the producers "have given it a piano, strings and organ-driven sound that is every bit as wild, energetic, glorious and uplifting as the vocals."

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Peace" was directed by British director Richard Heslop.

Track listings

* 7-inch single, Germany (1991) #"Peace" (

Edit) — 4:02 #"Peace" (In The Valley Mix) — 3:52 * CD single, Europe (1991) #"Peace" (Brothers In Rhythm Mix) — 6:52 #"Peace" (Original Stomp Mix) — 7:12 #"Peace" (Dub Mix) — 5:04 * CD maxi, Europe (1991) #"Peace" (Brothers In Rhythm Edit) #"Peace" (Brothers In Rhythm) #"Peace" (Original Stomp Mix) * CD (remixes), Italy (2009) #"Peace" (Midnight Express Classic Gold Mix) — 10:13 #"Peace" (Denzal Park Mix) — 6:25 #"Peace" (Midnight Express Power Mix) — 8:06 #"Peace" (Midnight Express New Retro Mix) — 7:33 #"Peace" (Jerome Farley Floor One 2009 Club Remix) — 7:31 #"Peace" (Jerome Farley Floor One 2009 Dub) — 5:23 #"Peace" (Midnight Express Rock Da House Mix) — 7:36 #"Peace" (Luca Belladonna Remix) — 6:53 #"Peace" (Original Edit Version) — 4:05 #"Peace" (Power Original Mix) — 8:06

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Reflist 1991 debut singles 1991 songs Anti-war songs Peace songs East West Records singles Electronic songs House music songs Music videos directed by Richard Heslop