Solsbury Hill (1977)

"Solsbury Hill" is the debut solo single by the English rock musician Peter Gabriel and the first single from his 1977 self-titled album. He wrote the song about a spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England, after his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis, of which he had been the lead vocalist since its inception. The single was a Top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at number 13. It reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977.

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."

Composition

"Solsbury Hill" is mostly written in 74 time, an unusual time signature that has been described as "giving the song a constant sense of struggle". The meter settles into 44 time only for the last two measures of each chorus. 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.

The song originally had seven different sections, but producer Bob Ezrin helped Gabriel pare it down to a shorter length. Gabriel began the song with the main riff on the piano and later developed the rhythmic pattern part on the lower registers of the keyboard. He then worked on some additional chords, including the part that appeared at the end of each chorus. The lyrics were written late in the songwriting process; he had attempted a few different sets of words that he later discarded, including the line "stress, you got me in a mess".

In a 1977 interview with Barbara Charone, Gabriel said that "Solsbury Hill" was almost omitted from the album. 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." Several alternative lyrics were attempted, including "does anyone here know Officer Muldoon?"; the two also considered backmasking "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. Gabriel ultimately expressed satisfaction with the song, placing particular attention on its time signature: "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."

Recording

Recorded at The Soundstage in Toronto, "Solsbury Hill" was the final song recorded for the album. By the time the guitars were recorded, Robert Fripp had returned to London and was unavailable to participate; all of the guitars on the song were played by Steve Hunter. Fripp later wrote that he had "nothing to add to the track after Steve's superb & fitting contribution, although I would love to be on it."

While earlier versions of the song featured more prominent electric guitar, Ezrin instructed Hunter to perform the main riff on an acoustic twelve-string guitar, an instrument "he hadn't played in a long time". However, Hunter stated that he instead borrowed a Martin six-string acoustic guitar. He Travis picked the part with a capo on the guitar's second fret after coordinating with Ezrin and Gabriel on a suitable part to play. Ezrin wanted the acoustic guitar to be triple-tracked, so Hunter overdubbed three takes of the part.

Ezrin removed drummer Allan Schwartzberg's cymbals and placed a shaker in one of his hand and a drum stick in another, which he used to strike a telephone directory. For additional rhythmic textures, Larry Fast designed a drum sound on a synthesiser (which he dubbed the "synthibam"), which was played by percussionist Jimmy Maelen. After the other session musicians departed, Fast overdubbed some additional synthesiser parts. He gravitated toward a sound resembling a French horn, which he deemed to be suitable accompaniment for the acoustic guitars. A four-note riff played by Gabriel on flute and Fast on synthesiser prefaces each line of the lyrics.

Critical reception

NME described "Solsbury Hill" as the "most overtly personal song on the album", adding that "its simple and infectious melody" evinced that Gabriel's departure from Genesis "was like having the proverbial weight lifted from his shoulders." Writing for Melody Maker, Caroline Coon also gave the song a positive review, writing that "its beautifully syncopated rhythm is utterly addictive." She singled out praise for Ezrin's production and the song's "perfectly developed riff." Beat Instrumental labelled "Solsbury Hill" as the best song on the album, along with "Humdrum".