D.I.Y. (song)

"D.I.Y." is a song written and recorded by English musician Peter Gabriel. It was included on his 1978 self-titled solo album and was released as a single in May with "Perspective" as a B-side, although it failed to chart.

A re-recorded version of "D.I.Y." was issued by Charisma Records in September 1978 with both "Mother Of Violence" and "Me And My Teddy Bear" as the B-side; this single fared no better than the original. The re-recording of "D.I.Y.", which featured horns and an additional chorus, was later included on the 2019 compilation album Flotsam and Jetsam. The D.I.Y. acronym stands for do it yourself, which at the time echoed the prevailing attitude of self-sufficiency in the UK. Peter Christopherson created the single artwork.

Background
Gabriel wrote "D.I.Y." as a response to some of the emerging bands at the time, including the Sex Pistols. Rather than faithfully emulate the stylistic choices of these artists, Gabriel instead opted to capture the spirit of this music through an acoustic arrangement. "D.I.Y." possesses a mid-tempo arrangement with accompaniment of drums, a chapman stick, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and piano, the latter of which plays a series of ascending chromatic scales at various points throughout the song.

While certain musical arrangements on Gabriel's 1978 eponymous release were developed by his backing band, Gabriel had already created the primary riff for "D.I.Y." prior to the song's formal presentation to the rest of the band. The chorus consists of the repetition of the song title, with an additional processed voice spelling out the acronym "do it yourself". Gabriel later expressed some disappointment with the song's vocals, believing that they were not as light as he had hoped. He attributed this to the creative choices of Robert Fripp, who aimed for rawer production and encouraged Gabriel to utilise some vocal takes that were tracked early on in the recording process.

Shortly after its release as single, Nick Kent commented that "D.I.Y. seem[ed] destined to sink without a trace only three weeks after its release" in the UK, although Gabriel said that he "still believe[d] in D.I.Y. commercially" despite this. He also told the Liverpool Daily Post that he was surprised about the single's lack of success, saying that he and the record company originally thought that "D.I.Y." was an "obvious single, but not many people agreed."

In a 1979 interview with International Musician and Recording World, Gabriel denied that the song was about his departure from Genesis. Rather, he said that the song's lyrics partially pertained to the idea that people who lack autonomy are bereft of fulfillment and satisfaction. He stated that the song was about encouraging others to take initiative to actualize more optimal outcomes. "One has responsibility for a lot more than most people are prepared to accept. I believe in small groups of people having a lot more control over themselves than they do in the present."

Critical reception and analysis
The Chicago Sun-Times thought that "D.I.Y." was one of the few highlights on Gabriel's 1978 eponymous release. Rolling Stone was also complimentary of the song, labeling it as a "good rock number". The Rolling Stone Album Guide described the song as "a paean to self-produced punk" that was "especially prescient in the post-Napster world." Robert Christgau of the The Village Voice earmarked "D.I.Y." as a "hard-rock landmark in a hard-rock year." Paste ranked the song number 19 on its list of the 20 greatest Peter Gabriel songs.

In his book Without Frontiers: The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel, author Daryl Easlea favorably compared D.I.Y. to Gabriel's lead single from his debut album, "Solsbury Hill", adding that it was "another plea for independence" that evoked "the do it yourself ethos of the new wave movement". However, author Graeme Scarfe was more critical, saying that the song "lacks the charm of 'Solsbury Hill'"

Track listing

 * Original 7" single
 * 1) "D.I.Y." – 2:37
 * 2) "Perspective" – 5:07


 * 7" Reissue
 * 1) "D.I.Y." (re-recorded single version) – 2:53
 * 2) "Mother of Violence" (single mix) – 3:15
 * 3) "Teddy Bear" – 2:17

Personnel

 * Peter Gabriel – vocals, piano
 * Sid McGinnis – acoustic guitar, mandolin
 * Todd Cochran – keyboards
 * Tony Levin – Chapman stick
 * Jerry Marotta – drums