He wrote the song about a spiritual experience atop Solsbury Hill in Somerset, England,[5][2][6] after his departure from the progressive rock band Genesis, of which he had been the lead vocalist since its inception.

[9] However, Hunter stated that he instead borrowed a Martin acoustic guitar and Travis picked the voicings with a capo on the second fret.

For additional rhythmic textures, Larry Fast constructed a fake drum kit on his keyboard, which he dubbed the "synthibam",[9] although the liner notes credit percussionist Jimmy Maelen with the instrument.

[14] After the session musicians departed, Fast overdubbed some additional electronics, including the synth horn orchestration.

During the final day of mixing, Gabriel changed the line to "grab your things I've come to take you home", which Ezrin accepted.

"[20] NME described "Solsbury Hill" as the "most overtly personal song on the album", further adding that "its simple and infectious melody" gave the feeling that Gabriel's departure from the band "was like having the proverbial weight lifted from his shoulders.

"[16] Melody Maker also gave the song a positive review, writing that "its beautifully syncopated rhythm is utterly addictive."

[24] It has also been used in the trailer of Finding Dory (2016),[25] and featured as the send-off song for the series finale of AMC's Halt and Catch Fire.

"Solsbury Hill" was recorded by English synth-pop duo Erasure in 2003 for their cover versions album Other People's Songs and released as a single in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2003.

Clarke and lead vocalist Andy Bell turned the song into a mid-tempo electronic dance tune, displaying the signature Erasure sound.

[citation needed] Clarke directed a music video for the cover which was released on Erasure's DVD compilation Hits!

In 2013, an instrumental version of "Solsbury Hill" was included on guitarist Steve Hunter's studio album The Manhattan Blues Project.

In 1991, Canadian progressive rock band Saga released a cover of "Solsbury Hill" on their greatest hits compilation called The Works.