Sky Blue (song)

Fragments of the song were also used on Gabriel's soundtrack album Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence, which preceded the release of Up by a few months.

In comparison to the demo recorded for Us, which Gabriel described as having a band oriented arrangement, the version found on Up features sparser instrumentation.

[2] Gabriel was influenced by soul music when creating "Sky Blue", so he asked The Blind Boys of Alabama to overdub some vocals, which were ultimately included in the final two minutes of the song.

"[1] The instrumentation for "Sky Blue" includes electronic loops, shaker-oriented percussion, gentle bass tones, and bright resonant guitars.

[1][2] Other than the Hammond organ played by David Sancious, Gabriel covered most of the keyboards on "Sky Blue", including one instrument identified in the liner notes as firefly keys.

He also praised the vocals from The Blind Boys of Alabama and compared them to "the same pop-gospel terrain occupied by 'Don't Give Up'" off Gabriel's 1986's So album.

"[9] In his book Without Frontiers: The Life and Music of Peter Gabriel, Daryl Easlea called Sky Blue the "pure standout" on Up and also believed that it should been released as the album's first single instead of "The Barry Williams Show".

[12] During these performances, Fountain, Jimmy Carter, Joey Williams, and George Scott sat in a compass formation on a platform situated in the middle of the stage.