DOWN TO EARTH

As soon as I started playing 'Down to Earth' and watching a film clip put to it from the "Wall-e" movie I was suddenly surrounded by my three children who were wide eyed and delighted. "Dad, I know this song!" Of course they did. It was the one we hear at the end of "Wall-e" and I must have had my head in the sand as I had no idea at the time it was Peter Gabriel. It is in fact a very recognisable song, kids adore it, and it is so well written with a beautiful melody, it is a tragedy it failed to bring in the Oscar for best song. However, this is one of Gabriel's best compositions, full of meaning and spirit and a theme that takes up the type of themes explored on "Ovo"; save the planet or face extinction.

The film explored these themes so well and it was a very moving expose of how we treat the planet and I guess Gabriel was equally moved to write such potent lyrics; "We're coming down to the ground, There's no better place to go, We've got snow up on the mountains, We've got rivers down below, We're coming down to the ground, We hear the birds sing in the trees, And the land will be looked after, We send the seeds out in the breeze..." The music is very uplifting rising to a crescendo and bringing up the sound to tap into the emotions. The nuances created are typical of Gabriel, majestic, soaring and intricate.

The song was played at the end of "Wall-e" and has ingrained itself upon children's hearts and their families who have been mesmirised by this beautiful, heartwarming movie. It is a shame there is no B side to this but the song stands the test of time as being one of the best Pixar/ Disney songs in history.