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.
Sunshine
Peter Hammill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
as I look into the land laid bare by your eyes;
E-S/M attractions are working behind my thought,
I can't help my feelings, the way that my emotions
are over-wrought.
Refrain:
Good morn
ing, sunshine!
Good morning, sunshine!
I'm ready to be led.
Good morning, sunshine!
You know how sad it makes me to see you unhappy
so smile, spread sunshine all around....
How sweet it would be to be chained by your side;
how sweet if you would strip my worried mind.
Your blonde/brown hair hangs down on you,
how I wish that it hung on me,
there's something in your allure, that makes me know I'll
never again be free.
Refrain
I'd like to run on the clouds of my liberty,
but for you I'd get hooked and float six inches mud-free.
The sight of your smile just makes me want to jump and clap;
the fact that you may be owed to someone else can't
entirely tight your trap.
The lyrics in Peter Hammill's song "Sunshine" speak to a feeling of infatuation and desire for someone who may not be entirely available. The singer seems to be wrestling with their emotions, acknowledging the magnetic pull of this person despite the complications of their situation. The first verse suggests that the singer is gaining clarity as they observe the object of their affection, and that physical attraction may be driving their thoughts. The refrain, "Good morning, sunshine," is a joyful greeting that captures the singer's mood and the way this person brightens their world. The second verse goes deeper into the singer's longing, with a desire to be close to this person and to find an escape in their presence. The final lines express a bittersweet acceptance that this infatuation may not be practical or easy, but the effect it has on the singer cannot be denied.
One possible interpretation of "Sunshine" is that it is about an extramarital affair or a forbidden love. The lyrics suggest that the person the singer is attracted to is "owed to someone else," implying that they are in a committed relationship or otherwise unavailable. The lines "how sweet it would be to be chained by your side" and "there's something in your allure, that makes me know I'll never again be free" also suggest a sense of being trapped or powerless in the face of this attraction. However, the refrain's message of spreading sunshine and staying positive despite difficulties could also be interpreted as a call to enjoy the moment and appreciate the beauty in life, even if it cannot last forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, suddenly things begin to come clear in my mind
My thoughts and feelings have been unclear, but after seeing you, everything is becoming more understandable.
as I look into the land laid bare by your eyes;
I am gazing into your eyes and seeing a world of emotion and beauty.
E-S/M attractions are working behind my thought,
There are electronic and molecular attractions causing me to feel deeply drawn to you.
I can't help my feelings, the way that my emotions are over-wrought.
My emotions are overwhelming and I cannot control my feelings for you.
Good morning, sunshine! You're all around my head,
You are on my mind from the moment I wake up, and I cannot stop thinking about you.
Good morning, sunshine! I'm ready to be led.
I am eager to follow wherever you may lead me.
Good morning, sunshine! You know how sad it makes me to see you unhappy so smile, spread sunshine all around....
Your sadness affects me deeply, and I want to see you happy again. Please smile and bring joy to the world around you.
How sweet it would be to be chained by your side;
Being with you is so desirable that even being 'chained' to you would be sweet.
how sweet if you would strip my worried mind.
It would be wonderful if you could take away my anxiety and make me feel calm.
Your blonde/brown hair hangs down on you,
Your hair is beautiful and frames your face perfectly.
how I wish that it hung on me,
I wish that I could touch and feel your hair on my own body.
there's something in your allure, that makes me know I'll never again be free.
You have a strong pull over me, and I know that I will never be able to escape your hold.
I'd like to run on the clouds of my liberty,
I value my freedom highly and would love to be able to do whatever I want.
but for you I'd get hooked and float six inches mud-free.
Despite my desire for freedom, I am willing to give it up for you and be happy just floating on clouds with you nearby.
The sight of your smile just makes me want to jump and clap;
Your smile brings me so much joy that I want to express it with physical movement and sound.
the fact that you may be owed to someone else can't entirely tight your trap.
Even if you are committed to someone else, I still feel drawn to you and cannot fully control my feelings.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PETER HAMMILL, PETER JOSEPH ANDREW HAMMILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind