The two were members of a local drama group when they created the song, which was intended for a children's Christmas carol at their village church.
[1] For the TV dinner lyric, Gabriel envisioned himself "in periods of depression when moccasin shoes sounded better than bedroom slippers.
[8] Also in NME, Nick Kent wrote that Roy Bittan's piano playing on "Mother of Violence" "outstripp[ed] anything he's turned out for either Bruce Springsteen or David Bowie.
"[13] Writing for The Guardian, Robin Denselow identified "Mother of Violence" as a song in Gabriel's live set that possessed "bleak lyrics".
[14] Reviewing his 1978 performance at the Hammersmith Apollo, Tim Lott singled out "Mother of Violence" as a "soft and direct ballad that impressed, simply because Gabriel's voice fits that approach.
"[15] "Mother of Violence" was later played on Gabriel's 2007 Warm Up Tour, with his daughter Melanie handling lead vocals.
[16] Eno's planned to cover Gabriel's "In Your Eyes", but then settled on "Mother of Violence" after he ruled out "Don't Break This Rhythm", the B-side to "Sledgehammer".