 |
By *orny PTMan
over a year ago
Peterborough |
"Solsbury Hill
Peter Gabriel (written about leaving Genesis)
Wow, I didn't know that's what that song was about. I've always loved it and "Games Without Frontiers". "
This is what Billboard said:
Writtten by Andrew Unterberger
9. It's about Genesis, but it doesn't have to be. The story of "Solsbury Hill" -- of personal epiphany, of hard decision-making, and of breaking free -- was unsurprisingly interpreted to be inspired by Gabriel's split from his old group, and the singer-songwriter has explained, "It's about being prepared to lose what you have for what you might get, or what you are for what you might be. It's about letting go." It makes sense, and it certainly enriches the song to know just why Gabriel was worried about his friends thinking he "was a nut," for making the risky choice to leave his best-selling group to go his own way.
But it doesn't really matter. The beauty of Peter Gabriel's first solo single isn't in its backstory, it's in its foreground -- every word and every note carrying the tingling feeling of inspiration, of the entire world being right there at your fingertips. Really, the details of Genesis' career arc feel like small potatoes within the realm of the song's grandeur, as would any other such literal explanation. Some songs just feel like they're about something greater, and "Solsbury Hill" is one of them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for the B side Moribund (Saying the end is nigh) the Bergermeister (Mayor) a medieval song about St Vitus dance (Another name for Sydenham chorea. St. Vitus is the patron saint of epileptics, dancers, and actors).
If you want to visualise the song then, you can do a lot worse than listening to this song, whilst looking at Peter Bruegel's (the elder) painting, called The battle between Carnival and Lent. This is one of my favourite paintings ever. Both the song and the artwork have a timeless chaotic feeling to it, with a subtle mix of the sinister and humour to it.
Whether or not Peter saw this painting or not, I am not sure. But I did and the link works for me, that is so typical of his later work.
So is an amazing album, the one that gave us Sledgehammer (video by Aardman films), Mercy Street (The haunting tale of Dead poet, Anne Sexton) and In your eyes (which contains the words I-want -to-stand-an-stare-again. This is similar to the poem Leisure by William Henry Daviswe-have-no-time-to-stand-and-stare...).
PG is the Godfather of prog and creating a paper trail, that would certainly entice Alice and anyone else who wants to learn, into the proverbial rabbit hole of knowledge.
I did see PG in Nimes (as in denims) in 1993.  and in Box, Wiltshire at a WOMAD gig in 1992.  |
Don Henley
Boys of Summer
