It’s time for another look at a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class. I’ve covered the inductees from 2015 through last year, so this week I’m looking back to 2014. We have six inductees to cover, all in the ‘Performers’ category.
First up is Peter Gabriel, who was previously inducted into the Hall alongside his Genesis bandmates in 2010. Gabriel became eligible for solo inclusion in 2003, and was nominated for the first time in 2014, the year he got in.
Gabriel has released nine solo albums since leaving Genesis, and has been a champion of humanitarian causes and a pioneer in the blending of world music with pop and rock.
After releasing four self-titled albums in the late 70s and early 80s (and scoring a hit with his first single, ‘Solsbury Hill’), Gabriel enjoyed massive success for his 1986 album So. That album included his only Billboard #1 hit, ‘Sledgehammer,’ the video of which remains the most-played in MTV history.
So was my introduction to Gabriel, as well as one of the first CDs I ever owned, and it remains a favorite. I love the blend of expansive music and personal lyrics, the dance jams and arty pop experimentation, and of course the great Kate Bush duet.
I didn’t get into Gabriel’s post-So work, but I’d put him in the Hall of Fame for ‘In Your Eyes,’ ‘Don’t Give Up’ and ‘Mercy Street’ alone.
Red rain is coming down
Red rain
Red rain is pouring down
Pouring down all over me
[Verse 1]
I am standing up at the water’s edge in my dream
I cannot make a single sound as you scream
It can’t be that cold, the ground is still warm to touch
Hey, we touch
This place is so quiet, sensing that storm
[Chorus]
Red rain is coming down
Red rain
Red rain is pouring down
Pouring down all over me
[Verse 2]
Well I’ve seen them buried in a sheltered place in this town
They tell you that this rain can sting and look down
There is no blood around, see no sign of pain
Hey, no pain
Seeing no red at all, see no rain
[Chorus]
Red rain is coming down
Red rain
Red rain is pouring down
Pouring down all over me
[Bridge]
Red rain
Oh! Oh!
Putting the pressure on much harder now
To return again and again
Red rain
Just let the red rain splash you
Let the rain fall on your skin
Red rain
I come to you, defenses down
With the trust of a child
Oh!
[Chorus]
Red rain coming down
Red rain
Red rain is pouring down
Pouring down all over me
[Bridge]
And I can’t watch anymore
No more denial
It’s so hard to lay down in all of this
[Chorus]
Red rain coming down
Red rain is pouring down
Red rain is coming down all over me
I see it
[Chorus]
Red rain coming down
Red rain is pouring down
Red rain is coming down all over me
I’m bathing in
[Chorus]
Red rain coming down
Red rain is coming down
Red rain is coming down all over me
I’m begging you
[Outro]
Red rain coming down
Red rain coming down
Red rain coming down
Red rain coming down
Over me in the red, red sea
Over me
Over me
Red rain
Meet Me In Montauk 
I always enjoy these Rock Hall posts.
I too was a huge fan of So, but had only passing familiarity with Gabriel’s other albums before and after So.
I have no problem with his admission to the Hall.