This song was huge when it came out in February of 1978. Actually, I’m not sure if it ever stopped being huge, maybe because it was considered a classic from Day One.
A friend once pointed out that it’s probably the only Top 10 [40? 100?] song that used an instrumental — a searing saxophone solo by Raphael Ravenscroft — for its chorus instead of words.
Like many of my favorite songs from back then — i.e., Waterloo — I had no idea what the lyrics meant. That didn’t matter. It was the music that immersed me, I could get lost for awhile and transport my 15-year-old self out of the Stepford Wife-ian existence that surrounded me in suburban New Jersey and to somewhere, anywhere else. My sister later told me that I never really stopped playing it over the summer of 1978.
Today when I hear the song, I feel a sense of relief, even if I need none. That’s the power of a song that can save you.
Which song had a similar effect on you? Tell me about it in the comments.
A similar effect on me. Like a voice in my head is saying, Don’t worry. The mystery is real. You will be OK.
Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel has always had