“Don’t Give Up” was always meant to be a duet between male and female singers. Given that Peter Gabriel’s initial inspiration for the song came from photographs of Depression-era America and because he drew on American music in his writing process, the initial goal for the recording was to get an American singer. The former Genesis singer told The Quietus that Dolly Parton was the first choice recommended to him.
The suggestion was taken seriously enough that Gabriel approached Parton with an offer, but he says she turned him down. “I’m glad she did,” he told The Quietus, not because of any hard feelings against Parton, but because of who he ended up partnering with on the original recording: Kate Bush. The English singer couldn’t bring an American flavor to “Don’t Give Up,” but Gabriel credits her performance for much of the song’s “power.”
As for Parton, she later approached Gabriel about performing “Don’t Give Up” with her on television. This time, he turned her down due to his touring schedule. But when Gabriel rerecorded the song in the 2010s, his new partner was Norwegian singer Ane Brun — in part because Gabriel thought her singing bore a resemblance to Parton’s.
