Solsbury Hill (song)

"Solsbury Hill"
Original 1977 UK vinyl single
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album Peter Gabriel (Car)
B-side"Moribund the Burgermeister"
Released25 March 1977 (1977-03-25)[1]
Recorded1976
Genre
Length
  • 4:21 (album version)
  • 3:24 (single edit version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Peter Gabriel
Producer(s)Bob Ezrin
Peter Gabriel singles chronology
"Solsbury Hill"
(1977)
"Modern Love"
(1977)
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 F3 to G4.[11]

  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 50.
  2. ^ a b c d Unterberger, Andrew. "10 Reasons Peter Gabriel's 'Solsbury Hill' Is One of the Greatest Songs of All Time". Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  3. ^ Reed, Ryan (19 July 2013). "Peter Gabriel Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  4. ^ Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (2000). Night Moves: Pop Music in the Late '70s. St. Martin's Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
  5. ^ "Have A 'Spiritual Experience' On Solsbury Hill". Wespeakmusic.tv. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  6. ^ Brodie, Ian J. (2016). Visit Somerset: History and Heritage. Somerset: Somerset Tourism Association. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-5262-0232-1.
  7. ^ "Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Peter Gabriel Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 3 2015
  9. ^ Daryl Easlea (2013)."Without Frontiers: The Life & Music of Peter Gabriel". Music Sales Group
  10. ^ "Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel in Solsbury Hill, Somerset, England". www.songplaces.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  11. ^ Gabriel, Peter (20 May 2014). "Peter Gabriel "Solsbury Hill" Sheet Music in B Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 11 November 2017.