Unless you’re a fan of English progressive rock of the ‘60s and ‘70s, you may not know Peter Sinfield by name. There is still a good chance you know some of his lyrics. And if you are a devotee of classic prog rock, you may be surprised to learn that Sinfield’s work has graced the albums of several pop stars.
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Sinfield is hardly a household name, even though he wrote the lyrics for some of prog rock’s seminal albums. He was an official member of King Crimson for each of their first four albums, even though his contributions were almost exclusively as a lyricist. He left the band in 1972, and a year later, he began serving in a similar capacity for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, though not as an official member. He was recruited for ELP by Greg Lake, who had been King Crimson’s lead vocalist for their first two albums.
After ELP broke up in 1979, Sinfield found a new songwriting partner in Andy Hill. The partnership steered Sinfield in a more pop-oriented direction. As a result, the lyricist who once wrote about fire witches and crimson kings would soon be writing lyrics like Love is cold, love is hot / It depends what you’ve got / On your mind for a lot of the time, as he did for the English pop band Bucks Fizz.
Sinfield would go on to write for numerous pop acts in the ‘80s and ‘90s. For those who are only familiar with him through his work on albums like King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King and ELP’s Works Vols. 1 and 2, Sinfield’s contributions to these four pop hits will likely come as a total shock.
“Heart of Stone,” Cher/Bucks Fizz
Cher hit No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with this Sinfield-Hill composition, which was first recorded and released by Bucks Fizz. It was the fourth single from Cher’s 1989 Heart of Stone album, which was certified Triple Platinum and also included the Top 10 entries “After All” (with Peter Cetera), “If I Could Turn Back Time,” and “Just Like Jesse James.” Some of Sinfield’s lyrics about heartbreak have hints of the surrealism that permeated his prog-era work, like Big crowd at the crazy house / Long cue for the joker’s shoe.
“Peace in Our Time,” Jennifer Holliday/Eddie Money/Cliff Richard
“Peace in Our Time” is another Sinfield-Hill collaboration, and it was initially performed by Holliday for the 1988 Summer Olympics Album: One Moment in Time compilation album. Money’s cover, which he included on Greatest Hits: The Sound of Money, is the best-known version of the song in the U.S. It reached No. 11 on the Hot 100 in February 1990. Richard would release his version in March 1993, and it would hit No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart.
As one would expect for a song written for the Olympics, Sinfield wrote hopeful lyrics for “Peace in Our Time.” With lines like Come out of the storm / And into the warmth of / The healing I’ll supply, the song works as a tune about a relationship between two people. It also takes on a broader meaning, as implied by the song’s titular refrain and the line We’re gonna build a heaven on earth.
“Think Twice,” Celine Dion
This Sinfield-Hill tune was Dion’s third single from her 1993 album, The Colour of My Love. In “Think Twice,” Dion implores her partner to not leave her, even though she believes that is about to happen (Don’t say what you’re about to say / Look back before you leave my life). The song is a clear departure from Sinfield’s early lyrical style, though Dion’s powerful vocal performance likely draws listeners’ attention away from any detailed lyrical analysis. The song barely registered on the Hot 100 (No. 95), but it was a No. 21 hit on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and has received nearly 70 million streams on Spotify.
“Think Twice” is also notable for its power ballad feel and the guitarists who are largely responsible for it. Tim Renwick, who had appeared on albums by Al Stewart and Elton John, and Aldo Nova, who scored the 1982 hit “Fantasy,” supplied the guitar work for “Think Twice.”
This would not be the last time that Sinfield and Hill would pen a hit for Dion. They co-wrote “Call the Man” for her 1996 album Falling Into You. While it failed to chart in the U.S., “Call the Man” would go to No. 11 in the UK.
“Have You Ever Been in Love,” Leo Sayer/Peter Cetera
Given that Sinfield and Hill wrote the above-mentioned songs for Dion, it would be fair to assume that they also co-wrote her 2002 song, “Have You Ever Been in Love.” They did, along with John Danter, write a song by that name, but it’s completely unrelated to the Dion number. Sinfield, HIll and Danter wrote the song for Leo Sayer, who made it the title track from his 1983 album. He did not release “Have You Ever Been in Love” as a single and the album did not chart in the U.S.
However, Peter Cetera made a cover of the song the closing track on his 1992 album World Falling Down. He, too, did not make “Have You Ever Been in Love” a single, but World Falling Down spent nine weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 163. The song about various feelings one has when one is in love has resonated with Spotify listeners, who have made it the the most streamed song on World Falling Down, aside from the album’s three singles.
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