"Solsbury Hill" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Peter Gabriel | ||||
from the album Peter Gabriel (Car) | ||||
B-side | "Moribund the Burgermeister" | |||
Released | 25 March 1977 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1976 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
Producer(s) | Bob Ezrin | |||
Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
Peter Gabriel – "Solsbury Hill" on YouTube |
"Solsbury Hill" is the debut solo single by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. He wrote the song about a spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England, [5] [2] [6] after his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis, of which he had been the lead vocalist since its inception. [7] [2] The single was a Top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 13, and reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977. [8]
Gabriel has said of the song's meaning, "It's about being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get ... It's about letting go." [9]
The song is mostly written in 7
4 time, an unusual time signature that has been described as "giving the song a constant sense of struggle". [2] The meter settles into 4
4 time only for the last two measures (bars) of each chorus. [10] It is performed in the key of B major with a tempo of 102 beats per minute, with Gabriel's vocals ranging from F♯3 to G♯4. [11]
Recorded at The Soundstage studios in Toronto, [12] it was the final song recorded for the album. By the time guitars were recorded, Robert Fripp had returned to London and was unavailable to participate. As such, all of the guitars on the song were played by Steve Hunter. [13]
While earlier versions of the song featured more prominent electric guitar, Bob Ezrin recalled that he instructed Hunter to perform the main riff on a twelve-string guitar, an instrument "he hadn't played in a long time". [14] However, Hunter stated that he instead borrowed a Martin acoustic guitar and Travis picked the voicings with a capo on the second fret. As Ezrin wanted the acoustic guitar to be tripled, Hunter was required to provide three satisfactory takes, all of which had to be aligned with one another. [13]
Rather than employ a full drum kit, Ezrin removed Allan Schwartzberg's cymbals and placed a shaker in one hand and a drum stick in another, which he used to strike a telephone directory. For additional rhythmic textures, Larry Fast constructed a fake drum kit on his keyboard, which he dubbed the "synthibam", [14] although the liner notes credit percussionist Jimmy Maelen with the instrument. [15] After the session musicians departed, Fast overdubbed some additional electronics, including the synth horn orchestration. [14] Fast gravitated toward a sound resembling a French horn, which he deemed to be suitable accompaniment for the acoustic guitars. [16] From verse two onwards, a subdued four note flute riff, played by Gabriel himself, prefaces each section of lyrics. [2]
The song originally had seven different parts, but Ezrin helped Gabriel pare it down to a shorter length. [17] In a 1977 interview with Barbara Charone, Gabriel revealed that "Solsbury Hill" was almost left off his first album. [18] Ezrin attributed this to his dislike of the original final line of the chorus, which was "make your life a taxi not a tomb." He said that the song "was not going on the record until we found the proper last line." [19]
Several alternate lyrics were attempted, including "does anyone here know Officer Muldoon? "; the two also considered backmasking the lyric "fool, you've got the record on backwards." During the final day of mixing, Gabriel changed the line to "grab your things I've come to take you home", which Ezrin accepted. [19] Gabriel ultimately expressed his approval of the song, placing particular attention on its 7/4 time signature. "It's got a kick time and that 7/4 rhythm works well because it feels like a normal rhythm but isn't quite right...If it's a hit, it'll be interesting to see how people dance to it." [18]
Cash Box said that "its lighthearted feeling should go a long way in expanding his audience beyond the boundaries of so-called 'Progressive Rock.'" [20] Record World said that "the folk flavored song has an interesting electronic undercurrent." [21] NME described "Solsbury Hill" as the "most overtly personal song on the album", further adding that "its simple and infectious melody" gave the feeling that Gabriel's departure from the band "was like having the proverbial weight lifted from his shoulders." [17] Melody Maker also gave the song a positive review, writing that "its beautifully syncopated rhythm is utterly addictive." They singled out further praise for Ezrin's production and the song's "perfectly developed riff." [22] In 2021, it was listed at No. 472 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time". [23]
The song has been used in a number of films and television shows, including the 2001 film Vanilla Sky [24] and the 2004 film In Good Company . [25] It has also been used in the trailer of Finding Dory (2016), [26] and featured as the send-off song for the series finale of AMC's Halt and Catch Fire . [27] It was also used for the conclusion of an episode of Fox's 9-1-1 . [28] It was used in a Cingular Wireless TV ad campaign, [29] a Toyota ad campaign, [30] and a Nespresso TV ad campaign. [31] Its prevalence in romantic comedy trailers has been called "ubiquitous", particularly its inclusion in a satirical re-cut trailer of The Shining (1980). [32]
"Solsbury Hill" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Peter Gabriel | ||||
from the album Peter Gabriel (Car) and Shaking the Tree | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 3 December 1990 | |||
Length | 4:21 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
|
7" UK single (1977)
7" "Old Gold" single (1982)
UK maxi-single (1983, 1988)
European single (1990 re-issue)
"Solsbury Hill" (Live) | ||||
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Single by Peter Gabriel | ||||
from the album Plays Live | ||||
B-side | "Kiss of Life" (live) | |||
Released | August 1983 (US) [33] | |||
Length | 4:41 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
|
7" US single (1983)
7" Netherlands single (1983)
7" US single (1983)
Robert Fripp is often credited as having played guitar on the track. However, he has written: "I had nothing to add to the track after Steve [Hunter]'s superb & fitting contribution, although I would love to be on it." [34]
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Wallonia) [35] | 17 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [36] | 92 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [35] | 16 |
Netherlands [35] | 11 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [37] | 13 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [38] | 68 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [39] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Solsbury Hill" | ||||
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Single by Erasure | ||||
from the album Other People's Songs | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 6 January 2003 [40] | |||
Length | 3:57 | |||
Label | Mute | |||
Songwriter(s) | Peter Gabriel | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Erasure singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
Erasure – "Solsbury Hill" on YouTube |
"Solsbury Hill" was recorded by English synth-pop duo Erasure in 2003 for their cover versions album Other People's Songs and released as a single in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2003. The single reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 7 in Denmark, No. 29 in Germany, No. 39 in Sweden, and No. 41 in Ireland. The track was chosen for the album by Erasure member Vince Clarke.
Clarke and lead vocalist Andy Bell turned the song into a mid-tempo electronic dance tune, displaying the signature Erasure sound. The band changed the structure of the song from the original 7
4 time signature to 4
4—except for the chorus, which slips back into 7
4 time for one line. This also results in the vocals in the verses effectively being shifted forward in comparison to Gabriel's (which start on beat 5 of each bar) to start on beat 1 of bars 1 and 3.[ citation needed ]
Clarke directed a music video for the cover which was released on Erasure's DVD compilation Hits! the Videos . [41]
CD Single No. 1 (CDMUTE275)
CD Single No. 2 (LCDMUTE275)
DVD Single (DVDMUTE275)
US CD Maxi Single (9200-2)
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
In 2013, an instrumental version of "Solsbury Hill" was included on guitarist Steve Hunter's studio album The Manhattan Blues Project . Hunter had played on the original Peter Gabriel (1977 album) recording and he invited his friend and original "Solsbury Hill" bassist Tony Levin to play bass on the track.
In 1991 Canadian progressive rock band Saga released a cover of "Solsbury Hill" on their greatest hits compilation called The Works .
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, songwriter and human rights activist. He was the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving the band in 1975, he launched a solo career with "Solsbury Hill" as his first single. His fifth studio album, So (1986), is his best-selling release and is certified triple platinum in the UK and five times platinum in the US. The album's most successful single, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards and, according to a report in 2011, it was MTV's most played music video of all time.
Erasure are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member of synth-pop duo Yazoo. From their fourth single, "Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top-40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the 1989 Brit Awards, Erasure won the Brit Award for Best British Group.
Other People's Songs is a cover album by English synth-pop duo Erasure released on 27 January 2003.
Destroyer is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on March 15, 1976, by Casablanca Records in the US. It was the third successive Kiss album to reach the top 40 in the US, as well as the first to chart in Germany and New Zealand. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on April 22, 1976, and platinum on November 11 of the same year, the first Kiss album to achieve platinum. The album marked a departure from the raw sound of the band's first three albums.
Peter Gabriel is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter and producer Peter Gabriel, released on 25 February 1977 by Charisma Records. After his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis was made public in 1975, Gabriel took a break to concentrate on his family life. In 1976, he began writing material for a solo album and met producer Bob Ezrin, who agreed to produce it. Gabriel hired several additional musicians to play on the album, including guitarist Robert Fripp and bassist Tony Levin. The album was later known as Peter Gabriel I or Car, referring to the album's artwork produced by Hipgnosis. Some music streaming services, including Gabriel's own Bandcamp page, refer to it as Peter Gabriel 1: Car.
Peter Gabriel is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, released on 2 June 1978 by Charisma Records. Gabriel started recording the album in November 1977, the same month that he had completed touring in support of his debut solo release. He employed former King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, who was part of Gabriel's early touring band, to produce the album. Fripp used his Frippertronics effects on the co-written song "Exposure".
Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats is a compilation album by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in 1990 as Gabriel's first career retrospective, including songs from his first solo album Peter Gabriel (1977), through Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ (1989). It was remastered with most of Gabriel's catalogue in 2002. The vinyl version of the album is called Shaking the Tree: Twelve Golden Greats.
Hits! The Very Best of Erasure is the second greatest hits album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 20 October 2003 by Mute Records. Capitalising on a resurgence of Erasure's music after their successful covers album Other People's Songs, Mute released Hits! in order to reintroduce people to the duo's music and to give an update to their 1992 singles compilation Pop! The First 20 Hits.
Plays Live is the first live and fifth album overall by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was originally issued as a double album and long-play cassette in 1983, with sixteen songs. It was re-released in 1985, as a single CD called Plays Live (Highlights) with only twelve songs, some of which are edited so the album fits on a single disc. It was rereleased in its entirety as a double CD set in 1987. In 2002, a remaster of the Highlights version was issued. In 2019, the complete double-LP version was released on streaming platforms for the first time.
This is the solo discography of Peter Gabriel, an English singer-songwriter, musician and humanitarian activist who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career. His 1986 album, So, is his most commercially successful, selling five million copies in America, and the album's biggest hit, "Sledgehammer", won a record nine MTV Awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. The song is the most played music video in the history of the station.
"A Little Respect" is a song written and recorded by British synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1988 by Mute. It was written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. The lyrics are a plea to a lover to show compassion and respect. The heavily synthesized instrumentation is accentuated by acoustic guitar and Bell's vocal falsetto in the chorus. It was their tenth single and was taken from their third studio album, The Innocents (1988). Known as one of their signature songs, the single reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and was Erasure's second consecutive top-20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it made number 14, and reached number two on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.
Exposure is the debut solo album by guitarist and composer Robert Fripp. Unique among Fripp solo projects for its focus on the pop song format, it grew out of his previous collaborations with David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, and Daryl Hall, and the latter two singers appear on the album. Released in 1979, it peaked at No. 79 on the Billboard Album Chart. Most of the lyrics were provided by the poet and lyricist Joanna Walton, who also coined the term "Frippertronics" to describe Fripp's tape looping techniques.
"New Song" is the debut single by English musician Howard Jones, released in August 1983. It reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, spending 20 weeks in the top 75 and becoming the 28th best-selling single of 1983 in the UK. On the UK seven-inch single, the song's lyrics are printed in a spiral on the A-side label, with all the credits printed on the B-side. It was released in the US in early 1984, peaking at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track later appeared on Jones' debut album Human's Lib.
Stephen John Hunter is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long association with record producer Bob Ezrin who has said Steve Hunter has contributed so much to rock music in general that he truly deserves the designation of "Guitar Hero". Steve Hunter has played some of the greatest riffs in rock history - the first solo in Aerosmith's "Train Kept A Rollin'", the acoustic intro on Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" and he wrote the intro interlude on Lou Reed's live version of "Sweet Jane" on Reed's first gold record.
And I'll Scratch Yours is a compilation album developed by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. Initially slated for release in 2010, the album was released on 24 September 2013. The original concept was that And I'll Scratch Yours would serve as a companion piece to Gabriel's 2010 covers album Scratch My Back. The idea was to give the artists whose songs Gabriel covered on Scratch My Back a medium to reciprocate – And I'll Scratch Yours would feature those artists covering Gabriel's songs. Three artists, David Bowie, Neil Young and Radiohead, declined to record covers of Gabriel's material, so Brian Eno, Joseph Arthur and Feist contributed covers to the album instead.
"Can't Breathe" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson from her second released studio album, Joy (2010), which features a guitar solo from Australian musician Orianthi. It was written and produced by Bob Ezrin and Tommy Henriksen, and co-written by Dobson and Thomas "Tawgs" Salter. The song was released in March 2011 as the album's third and final single, and was only released in Canada. Dobson reported on her Twitter in April of that year that the song had been sent to radio.
"Modern Love" is a song written and performed by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was released in 1977 as the second single released from his 1977 self-titled album, although it failed to chart. The song was also performed live on the album's accompanying tour.
"Here Comes the Flood" is a song by British rock musician Peter Gabriel from 1977. It first appeared on his debut solo album, Peter Gabriel (Car).
"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.
"I Don't Remember" is a song written and recorded by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel, released as the fourth and final single from his third eponymous studio album in 1980. Although originally only released as an A-side single in the United States and Canada, a live version released with the album Plays Live (1983) reached No. 62 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 75 in Britain for 4 weeks. The song was included in Gabriel's compilation album Shaking the Tree (1990) and two different versions were included in Flotsam and Jetsam (2019).
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