• Track: Solsbury Hill
• Artist: Peter Gabriel
• Album: Peter Gabriel 1
• Year: 1977

Lyrics:

Climbing up on Solsbury Hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night
He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing stretching every nerve
Had to listen had no choice
I did not believe the information
I just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom boom boom
“Son,” he said “Grab your things
I’ve come to take you home.”

To keep in silence, I resigned
My friends would think I was a nut
Turning water into wine
Open doors would soon be shut

To keep in silence, I resigned
My friends would think I was a nut
Turning water into wine
Open doors would soon be shut
So I went from day to day
Tho’ my life was in a rut
“Till I thought of what I’d say
Which connection I should cut
I was feeling part of the scenery
I walked right out of the machinery
My heart going boom boom boom
“Hey,” he said “Grab your things
I’ve come to take you home.”
(Back home.)

When illusion spin her net
I’m never where I want to be
And liberty she pirouettes
When I think that I am free
Watched by empty silhouettes
Who close their eyes but still can see
No one taught them etiquette
I will show another me
Today I don’t need a replacement
I’ll tell them what the smile on my face meant
My heart going boom boom boom
“Hey,” I said “You can keep my things
They’ve come to take me home.”

While most casual music fans think of Peter Gabriel as a soloist mostly known for a string of 1980s pop hits, including Sledgehammer, In Your Eyes, and Big Time, Gabriel actually got his start is music in 1967 as the frontman for prog rock band Genesis. Between 1967 and 1974, Gabriel fronted the English quintet, which had formed at Charterhouse School (a private boarding school) in Godalming, Surrey when the five were students there. Gabriel was known for his outlandish stage costumes and makeup, and while his presence defined the band for the media and the public, it also helped spur tensions within the band. Eventually, Gabriel left the band in 1975 after completing The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour, which opened the door for drummer Phil Collins (who joined the band in 1970) to become the lead vocalist who would eventually lead Genesis to international superstardom in the 1980s.

After taking a break from music, Gabriel wrote the music that would eventually become his first eponymously named debut, which was released in 1977. (Interestingly, Gabriel would go on to release three more self-titled albums—each loosely identified by either a number or the cover image. Today’s featured record is often simply referred to as “Peter Gabriel 1” or “Car.”)

Solsbury Hill is an unusual song for several reasons. First, it does not contain an actual refrain, which is somewhat uncommon for radio hits. It’s also mostly written in 7-4 time, which some critics have said lends a sense of “a constant struggle.” The last two measures of each chorus switch to 4-4 time, which makes the 7-4 time through the bulk of the song all that more unusual. Lastly, as Gabriel has acknowledged, the song is about a spiritual experience at the top of Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England, and that it’s about “letting go” of his experiences with Genesis.

This song has a personal connection in that my dearly departed friend and brother, Mark Reddin, was especially fond of this song. I can still hear him giggling as he sang the lyric, “My friends would think I was a nut.” Yes, brother, we did. We most certainly did. And that made us love you all the more.

Video:

This is the official video for Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill:

Here is an incredible performance of Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel with the New Blood Orchestra on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2011. As one YouTube commenter points out, the orchestra sneaks a little Beethoven in around the 4:45 mark (The Symphony No. 9). Hey, we can be cultured here at the Dances with Bass asylum:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWdrtR8qXYs

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