Olive Tree (song)

"Olive Tree" is a song by English musician Peter Gabriel, released in August 2023 as the eighth single in promotion of his tenth studio album I/O. Since August has a blue moon, this is the first of two tracks that was released in August, the other being "Love Can Heal". The track has been described by Louder as "uptempo" and "jaunty". Gabriel said of the song, "I wanted it to have some speed to it but I also wanted some mystery, too. I think it is a celebration in a way and there's a real sense of being alive."

Similar to the title track, "I/O", Olive Tree is about being "plugged into nature and other minds". Gabriel said that the song's message is about being "connected". He said that we are too often self-centered, when "we only want to see and listen to the things that seem important and relevant to us and shut out the noise of everything else." The narrative of the song is about being attuned to others' thoughts, which is expressed in Gabriel's hope that "we're no longer these islands that have our own private thoughts."

This song is "also part of a separate brain-related project" that Gabriel is "currently working on".

The cover artwork was created by Barthélémy Toguo and titled Chroniques avec la Nature. Unlike most of the other artwork for i/o, this cover art is an original piece, created specifically for this track.

Personnel

 * Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, backing vocals, piano, synths, rhythm programming
 * David Rhodes – electric, acoustic, and twelve-string guitars, backing vocals
 * Tony Levin – bass
 * Manu Katché – drums
 * Ged Lynch – percussion
 * Richard Evans – mandolin
 * Evan Smith – saxophone
 * Josh Shpak – trumpet
 * John Metcalfe – orchestral conductor
 * Richard Chappell – rhythm programming
 * Oli Jacobs – engineering
 * Katie May – engineering

Orchestra
 * Orchestral arrangement: John Metcalfe
 * Violins: Everton Nelson, Ian Humphries, Louisa Fuller, Charles Mutter, Cathy Thompson, Natalia Bonner, Richard George, Marianne Haynes, Martin Burgess, Clare Hayes, Debbie Widdup, and Odile Ollagnon
 * Violas: Bruce White, Fiona Bonds, Peter Lale, and Rachel Roberts
 * Cellos: Ian Burdge, Chris Worsey, Caroline Dale, William Schofield, Tony Woollard, and Chris Allan
 * Double bass: Chris Laurence, Stacy Watton, and Lucy Shaw
 * Orchestra conductor: John Metcalfe
 * Orchestra leader: Everton Nelson
 * Sheet music supervisor: Dave Foster
 * Orchestra contractor: Lucy Whalley and Susie Gillis