Solsbury Hill (song)
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“Solsbury Hill” | |||||
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Single by Peter Gabriel from the album Peter Gabriel |
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B-side | Moribund the Burgermeister | ||||
Released | 1977 (UK) | ||||
Format | vinyl record (7") | ||||
Recorded | 1976 | ||||
Genre | Folk rock | ||||
Length | 4:21 | ||||
Label | Atco Records / Charisma Records | ||||
Producer | Bob Ezrin | ||||
Peter Gabriel singles chronology | |||||
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“Solsbury Hill” | |||||
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Single by Erasure from the album Other People's Songs |
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Released | January 6, 2003 | ||||
Format | CD Single DVD single |
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Recorded | 2002 | ||||
Genre | Synth pop | ||||
Length | 04:22 | ||||
Label | Mute Records | ||||
Writer(s) | Peter Gabriel | ||||
Producer | Gareth Jones, Erasure |
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Erasure singles chronology | |||||
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- This article is about the song originally recorded by Peter Gabriel. For the geographical feature in Somerset, see Solsbury Hill.
"Solsbury Hill" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel, about a spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England. Gabriel wrote the song after his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis, of which he had been the lead singer since its inception, explaining the reasons behind his departure. It was his debut single. The single was a Top 20 hit in the UK and reached # 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It has been used in a number of movies, for example in the soundtracks of the 2001 film Vanilla Sky, and the 2004 film In Good Company, in addition to The Shining "mash-up" trailer 'Shining'[1]. Likewise, the song has been covered by many artists, including moe., Dave Matthews, Erasure, Sarah McLachlan, Saga and others.
The song uses the rare septuple (7/4) meter time signature for the vast majority of the song. The last two measures of each chorus are in 4/4.
[edit] Erasure version
"Solsbury Hill" was recorded by British synth pop duo Erasure in 2003 for their cover versions album Other People's Songs. The track was chosen for the album by Erasure member Vince Clarke. Clarke and singer Andy Bell turned the song into a mid-tempo electronic dance tune, displaying the signature Erasure sound. The only major change made to the structure of the song was the modification of the 7/4 time signature to a more basic 4/4 -- except for the chorus, which slips back into 7/4 time for one line.
Mute Records released the song as a single in the UK and the U.S. "Solsbury Hill" returned Erasure to the Top 10 of the UK singles chart for the first time in nine years. It peaked at number twenty-nine in Germany.
[edit] External links
- http://www.solsburyhill.org
- http://www.solsburyhill.org/essays/car.htm#solsbury Solsbury Hill song explained on SolsburyHill.org
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