With an extensive solo career spanning dozens of albums, Peter Hammill is certainly more than just the front-man and leader of Van Der Graaf Generator (VdGG). His literate, soul-examining lyrics and his often-anguished vocal delivery make his music perhaps an acquired taste, but his uncompromising artistic vision has shone since his first release, Fool's Mate, back in 1971.
Stylistically, he has forged his own path, touching on progressive rock, punk (before it was even called that), electronic experimentation, intimate singer-songwriter settings, and even opera/musical theatre (with his adaptation of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher).
Hammill's solo career has coexisted with VdGG's activities. The band was offered a contract by Mercury Records in 1968, that only Hammill signed. When VdGG broke up in 1969 he wanted to record his first solo-album. In the summer of 1969 Hammill had a residency at The Lyceum and played weekly solo-concerts there. Eventually the intended solo-album was released under the VdGG-banner as their first album (The Aerosol Grey Machine). Hammill's first official solo-album was Fool's Mate (1971), containing songs from the early (1967/68) VdGG-days.
When VdGG broke up again in August 1972, Hammill resumed his solo-career. Songs that were intended for VdGG, now ended up on his solo-albums, notably "(In The) Black Room (Including 'The Tower')" (on Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night) and "A Louse Is Not A Home" (on The Silent Corner and the Empty Stage). This to some extent makes it difficult to separate Hammill's solo work during the 1970s from his work with the band (for the majority of both his solo-songs and the band's songs he is credited as the sole songwriter, and some of his solo albums feature all the members of Van der Graaf Generator). In general, however, solo Hammill is concerned with more personal matters, while the band's songs deal with broader themes.
Hammill's Nadir's Big Chance (1975} was a great change from the preceding album, In Camera. Whilst In Camera is characterized by extremely intense and complex songs and even has some musique concrete on it, Nadir's Big Chance is notable for its anticipation of punk rock. In a 1977 radio interview, John Lydon of the Sex Pistols played two tracks from the album and expressed his admiration for Hammill in glowing terms: "Peter Hammill's great. A true original. I've just liked him for years. If you listen to him, his solo albums, I'm damn sure David Bowie copied a lot out of that geezer. The credit he deserves, just has not been given to him. I love all his stuff"
Over (1977) contains very personal songs about the break-up of a long-term relationship.
Hammill's first solo-album after the 1978 break-up of Van der Graaf was The Future Now. With the next albums, pH7 and A Black Box, the sound got more compact, more new wave. On those albums, Hammill played the drums himself. What followed was 'the K-group'. In later years Hammill would sometimes refer to the band as a "beat group". The K-group consisted of Hammill himself on guitars and piano, with John Ellis on lead guitar, Nic Potter on bass, and Guy Evans on drums and percussion. They recorded the albums Enter K and Patience.
Hammill's early records, like the VdGG albums, were released on Charisma Records. He parted company with them after pH7 (1979), and then released albums on a number of small labels. A Black Box came out on S-Type, a label run by Hammill and his manager Gail Colson. Enter K and Patience appeared on Naive, Skin and Margin on Foundry and In A Foreign Town, Out of Water and Room Temperature: Live on Enigma Records. In 1992 he formed his own label, Fie!, on which all his albums since Fireships have been released. The label's logo is the Greek letter phi (Φ), a pun on PH-I. Ever since the 1970s he has also had his own home recording studio, appropriately called Sofa Sound (his website was later named after the studio).
Musically, Hammill's work ranges from short simple riff-based songs to highly complex lengthy pieces. Mainly because of his refusal to make anything resembling middle-of-the-road music, and the general absence of any smooth or glamorous sounds in his music, there is much debate amongst his admirers whether Hammill is to be considered a part of the so-called progressive rock scene. In many interviews however Hammill himself has stated that he does not want to be put in the progressive rock music label, or any music label at all.
His output is prolific. Many different styles of music appear in his work, among them artful complexity (for instance Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night), avant-garde electronic experiments (Loops & Reels), opera (The Fall of the House of Usher), solo keyboard accompaniment (And Close As This), solo guitar accompaniment (Clutch), improvisation (Spur of the Moment), film music (Sonix), band recordings (Enter K), and slow, melancholic balladry (None of the Above).
Hammill survived a heart attack in December 2003, less than 48 hours after having finished the recording of Incoherence. In 2005, Hammill announced the reformation of Van der Graaf Generator. In 2004 they had recorded a new album, Present, which was released in April 2005, and from May until November 2005 played a series of well received concerts.
Between 2005 and 2007 Hammill has overseen the remastering of almost all of his pre-Fie! releases, and has also started similar work on his more recent catalogue. The last of the Charisma remasters was released in September 2007.
Hammill's solo-career did not end because of the VdGG-reunion. He released his new album Singularity in December 2006. It was the first solo-album he completed after his heart attack, and for a large part it deals with matters of life and (sudden) death.
In 2007 several gigs by Van der Graaf Generator as a trio (minus David Jackson) have taken place in Britain and the rest of Europe, and their new album Trisector was released in March 2008. Hammill's new solo album, Thin Air came out 8th June 2009. Hammill and the band are touring extensively in USA, Japan and Europe these days.
I Will Find You
Peter Hammill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
onrushing headlights that blind you,
a frightened runaway,
at least you know I care,
I will seek, I will search, I will find you.
We are written in the star-crossed sky,
the spirit music reminds you...
I will seek, I will search, I will find you.
Far away, in another life
you say you're going to find your freedom...
don't run away to another life.
Don't be afraid, there's no dark unknown,
no shadow stalking behind you...
don't be afraid,
when you're lost and most alone
I will seek, I will search, I will find you.
Far away, in another life
things might not be so very different...
don't run away to another life.
Trapped like a rabbit by the future glare,
onrushing headlights that blind you,
a frightened runaway,
at least you know I care,
I will seek, I will search, I will find you.
The song "I Will Find You" by Peter Hammill is a tender and emotive tribute to a person who is feeling lost and scared in life. The singer tells the person that they are not alone in their struggles and that they are committed to finding them, no matter how far away they may seem. The opening lines describe the person's sense of being trapped by the "future glare" - the overwhelming uncertainty of what is to come. The image of the "onrushing headlights" suggests that the person is feeling like they are hurtling towards an uncertain future without any control over their own fate.
The singer's repeated refrain of "I will seek, I will search, I will find you" is a powerful statement of their determination to be there for the person. The lines "We are written in the star-crossed sky, the spirit music reminds you" suggest a sense of destiny or fate that has brought the two together. This could be interpreted as the singer suggesting that they have an unbreakable bond with the person they are singing to.
The song's final section repeats the plea for the person not to "run away to another life", urging them not to give up hope and to hold on to the possibility of finding a way through their troubles. The final lines "at least you know I care/I will seek, I will search, I will find you" are a comforting promise that the singer will always be there for the person, no matter what.
Line by Line Meaning
Trapped like a rabbit by the future glare,
Feeling helpless and overwhelmed by the brightness of the future which is approaching rapidly.
onrushing headlights that blind you,
The future is heading towards you like a car with bright headlights and making you blindfolded.
a frightened runaway,
You are scared and want to run away from the future.
at least you know I care,
I want to assure you that I am concerned about you.
I will seek, I will search, I will find you.
I will make an effort to try and find you, help you and comfort you.
We are written in the star-crossed sky,
Our fate is predetermined and written in the alignment of stars that crosses our destiny.
the spirit music reminds you...
Music enlightens your soul and reminds you of the power of hope.
you can run and hide, but surely by and by
You may try to escape but eventually, you will be discovered.
I will seek, I will search, I will find you.
I am determined to pursue you and make you believe that someone is there for you.
Far away, in another life
In a distant memory or thought, things may have been different.
you say you're going to find your freedom...
You yearn to be free from your fears and wants.
Don't run away to another life.
Don't escape to other memories, realities or dreams, face the present and reality.
Don't be afraid, there's no dark unknown,
Do not fear the uncertainty of the future, there isn't something unknown that threatens your wellbeing.
no shadow stalking behind you...
There aren't any threats or dangers that would potentially harm you.
don't be afraid, when you're lost and most alone
When you feel lonely and isolated, don't forget to be courageous.
I will seek, I will search, I will find you.
I will come to your rescue, search for you and bring you back home.
Far away, in another life
In a distant memory or thought, things can be different, but focus on the present and what is happening right now.
things might not be so very different...
Things in the alternate memory might not have been that different anyway.
don't run away to another life.
Don't escape to other memories, realities or dreams, face the present and reality.
Trapped like a rabbit by the future glare,
Feeling helpless and overwhelmed by the brightness of the future which is approaching rapidly.
onrushing headlights that blind you,
The future is heading towards you like a car with bright headlights and making you blindfolded.
a frightened runaway,
You are scared and want to run away from the future.
at least you know I care,
I want to assure you that I am concerned about you.
I will seek, I will search, I will find you.
I will make an effort to try and find you, help you and comfort you.
Contributed by Madelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MsLuath
such an great song.
Kevin Mulrooney
awesome
Miralem Zubovic
genius
burgersoft777
the stalkers song :-) just kidding. From one of peter's greatest lps, fireships.
luketube
Thank you solnychko...
Spt Spec
I hope Eliza likes it.......................