The decade in which I was born has given me a strange perspective on its music. I discovered pretty much all of the 70’s sounds – from prog rock to punk to disco – well after they came into the world. It wasn’t until the late 80’s that I discovered what I was missing. I would characterize the decade as one where budding genres leaped off their inspiration pads and came to fruition. For the month of February, Mental Jukebox will feature some of these gems with a different 70’s song each day. #28DaysOf70sSongs
My exposure to the music of Peter Gabriel started with MTV. Great, artistic videos. Songs like “Shock the Monkey” and “Sledgehammer” were these infectious, mid-tempo bangers. The videos looked great and the music sounded great. But it wasn’t until I was later introduced to Gabriel’s wider palette in his solo work that I truly became a fan. “Biko”, “Games Without Frontiers” and “Solsbury Hill” were the bridge to this proggy world of rock. The latter is playing non-stop today on my Mental Jukebox.
“Solsbury Hill” is a song about letting go from the past and looking ahead to the future. It’s a sentiment captured in the amazing lyrics and reflected in the timing. It was Gabriel’s solo debut, written and performed on the heels of his departure from Genesis. And it’s a sentiment revealed in the music. Each note bearing an apparent sense of optimism. Without being corny or insincere. Which, when you think long and hard about it, puts “Solsbury Hill” in a very small group of distinguished rock songs.
“Standing, stretching every nerve. Had to listen. Had no choice.”