| "Solsbury Hill" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Solsbury_Hill_by_Peter_Gabriel_UK_single_sleeve.png) Original 1977 UK vinyl single | ||||
| 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]
- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 50.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Reed, Ryan (19 July 2013). "Peter Gabriel Albums From Worst To Best". Stereogum. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Have A 'Spiritual Experience' On Solsbury Hill". Wespeakmusic.tv. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ Brodie, Ian J. (2016). Visit Somerset: History and Heritage. Somerset: Somerset Tourism Association. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-5262-0232-1.
- ^ "Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
- ^ "Peter Gabriel Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 3 2015
- ^ Daryl Easlea (2013)."Without Frontiers: The Life & Music of Peter Gabriel". Music Sales Group
- ^ "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.
- ^ Gabriel, Peter (20 May 2014). "Peter Gabriel "Solsbury Hill" Sheet Music in B Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 11 November 2017.