Peter Sinfield

Peter John Sinfield (born 27 December 1943) is an English poet and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and former lyricist of King Crimson, whose debut album In the Court of the Crimson King is considered one of the first and most influential progressive rock albums ever released.[1]

Peter Sinfield
Sinfield in Genoa, 2010
Background information
Birth namePeter John Sinfield
Born (1943-12-27) 27 December 1943
Fulham, London, England
GenresProgressive rock, art rock
Occupation(s)Lyricist, songwriter, musician, record producer
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, synthesizers
Years active1960s–present
LabelsManticore, E.G. Records, EMI, Imagem
Associated actsKing Crimson; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Roxy Music; Premiata Forneria Marconi; Greg Lake; Keith Christmas; Five Star; Bucks Fizz
Websitesongsouponsea.com

Sinfield's lyrics are known for their surreal imagery, often involving common fantasy concepts, nature, or the sea. They often also deal with emotional concepts and, sometimes, entire storylines. Later in his career, he adapted his songwriting to better suit pop music, and wrote a number of successful songs for artists such as Celine Dion, Cher, Cliff Richard, Leo Sayer, Five Star, and Bucks Fizz.

In 2005, Sinfield was referred to as a "prog rock hero" in Q magazine for his lyrical work and influence in the music industry.[2]

Early life

Sinfield was born at Fulham, London, to mixed English-Irish ancestry and a bohemian activist mother Deidre (also known as Joey or Daphne).[3] He seldom had contact with his father Ian. Up until the age of eight, he was raised largely by his mother's German housekeeper Maria Wallenda, a high wire walker from the circus act the Flying Wallendas, after which he was sent to Danes Hill School in Oxshott.[4] It was there that Sinfield discovered a love of words and their uses and meanings, with the guidance of his tutor John Mawson. He came to devour books of all kinds, especially poetry. He later attended Ranelagh Grammar School in Bracknell, Berkshire. He left school at sixteen and worked briefly as a travel agent,[5] believing that this would "allow him to see the world". He then went on to work for a computer company for six years, travelling around Europe when he could and hanging around with friends from the Chelsea School of Art. To compete with his art school friends, Sinfield began learning to play the guitar,[5] and write poetry in the mid 1960s, and made a living on market stalls selling handmade kites, lampshades, paintings and customised clothing. He spent a number of years drifting around Morocco and Spain before returning to England. Sometime in 1967, he started Infinity, a band that did not have a lasting future,[6] but one of the members was Ian McDonald, who was impressed with Sinfield’s talents as a lyricist, if not his abilities as a singer or guitarist.

King Crimson

In 1968, McDonald decided to join Giles, Giles and Fripp, a progressive pop trio consisting of Michael Giles, Peter Giles, and Robert Fripp, who were looking to do more with music than their three-man line-up could manage. McDonald let the others know that he was already working with someone who could write lyrics. In their primordial form, Giles, Giles & Fripp, augmented by McDonald and ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Judy Dyble, recorded an early version of the McDonald-Sinfield song "I Talk to the Wind", which later became part of King Crimson's repertoire.

Peter Giles left the group at about this time, to be replaced by Greg Lake, and Sinfield joined around the same time. In his own words, "I became their pet hippie, because I could tell them where to go to buy the funny clothes that they saw everyone wearing". Sinfield also came up with the name King Crimson. Sinfield loved working with the band and, in addition to writing the phantasmagorical lyrics that came to be part of King Crimson's trademark, he also ran the group's light-show at their concerts. Apart from writing lyrics for In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970), and Islands (1971), and offering advice on artwork, album design, and other details of the band's releases, Sinfield's musical role in the band was limited over the first four albums. He was not a good enough singer to contribute to the band's vocals, and the presence of Robert Fripp made his guitar playing superfluous. However, Sinfield occasionally added touches of EMS VCS 3 synthesizer, see, e.g., the Ladies of the Road album recorded live on tour in 1971 and '72, or "Indoor Games" and "Happy Family" on the Lizard album. Fripp became involved with other projects (most notably the Centipede orchestra), which left Sinfield with much of the responsibility for the final version and design of the album, including the uniquely ornate jacket. Even so, the relationship between Sinfield and Fripp had become increasingly strained as the band progressed. On their next album, Islands, Sinfield began exploring new lyrical territory, with more sexual imagery juxtaposed with the languidly surreal title track. On 1 January 1972, however, following a tour of the United States, Fripp got tired of Sinfield's fantasy-based lyrics and Sinfield left.

ELP, Roxy Music, PFM, and Still

In 1972, Sinfield remained associated with E.G. Records, which represented King Crimson and Roxy Music, and it was while Sinfield was producing Roxy Music's debut album and their hit single "Virginia Plain" that he first decided to try his own hand at recording a solo album. In 1973 he wrote English lyrics for the Italian group Premiata Forneria Marconi (also known as PFM) and produced their first album for ELP's Manticore Records, titled, Photos of Ghosts as well as The World Became the World.

Sinfield's debut album, Still, united numerous former (Greg Lake, Mel Collins, Ian Wallace), and future (John Wetton) Crimson alumni. Sinfield intended Still as the start of a solo career, but while working on it, he was approached by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, who needed a lyricist of Sinfield's calibre. Still was originally released on ELP's own Manticore label in 1973, but Sinfield found himself subsumed into Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Already having a fear of the stage which he had little time to overcome due to writing demands, his solo career was put on hold and he worked with ELP for the next few years. During this time, Sinfield lived with his first wife Stephanie in The Mill House,[7] Surrey, which was loaned to him by ELP. His neighbour was Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, with whom he co-wrote five songs on Brooker's first solo album No More Fear of Flying. He also released a book containing his previous lyrics and poems titled Under the Sky (named after one of the lyrics from Still). In 1975, "I Believe in Father Christmas", a song co-written with Greg Lake was released.

Ibiza years

After overestimating his wealth and underestimating his percentage of royalties from ELP, he moved to Ibiza to live as a tax exile, and enjoyed his first interruption from continual work in the music industry. There he met a circle of artists, actors, painters, and members of the Chelsea Arts Club such as Peter Unsworth and Barry Flanagan, and eventually parted from his first wife. During his time in Ibiza, Sinfield's break from songwriting allowed him to spend his time travelling, socialising, and reflecting, which he had been unable to do for the previous decade.

During the late 1970s, he continued to move in communities around Spain. In 1978, following the success of his previous lyrics for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Sinfield was asked by ELP to produce lyrics for their album Love Beach, now regarded by many (including Sinfield himself) to be the weakest of all ELP's albums.[8] In 1978 he also narrated Robert Sheckley's In a Land of Clear Colours, an audio sci-fi story released the following year on a limited edition of 1000 vinyl records. The backing music for the story was provided by Brian Eno, with whom Sinfield had previously worked while producing Roxy Music. By the time he returned to London in 1980, with his new Spanish wife (a model and runner-up for Miss Spain), he discovered that progressive rock music was no longer in demand, and that punk had emerged in the UK.

Sinfield also wrote the lyrics, in 1978–1980, for the English versions of Alla fiera dell'est (Highdown Fair) and La pulce d'acqua (Fables and Fantasies), by Italian singer-songwriter Angelo Branduardi and, in 1981–1983, for "It's Your Dream" (Nikka Costa), "My First Love", "I Believe in Fairy Tales", and "Trick or Treat" (Fairy Tales), by the American child singer Nikka Costa.

Pop years

Upon his return to London in 1980, his publisher introduced him to Andy Hill, a composer and fellow songwriter. He and Sinfield collaborated on such hits as "The Land of Make Believe" by Bucks Fizz,[9] which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart,[10] and became one of the biggest-selling hits of the decade. While re-educating himself to adapt to the pop music industry with the help of Hill, he returned to Spain, where he was already established in the communities within Ibiza and Barcelona, and as his career progressed, moved into a house in Majorca. At this time, he appeared on Spanish television programme Musical Express, where he was interviewed and performed a set with Boz Burrell, Tim Hinkley, Michael Giles, Bobby Tench, Mel Collins, and Gary Brooker.

In the United Kingdom, he continued to release hits with Hill, including "I Hear Talk" by Bucks Fizz and "Have You Ever Been in Love" by Leo Sayer (which they wrote with John Danter). He also co-wrote Five Star's "Rain or Shine" with Billy Livsey.[9] After divorcing his wife and leaving Majorca, he returned to the UK around 1990 to a flat in Holland Park and continued to write lyrics for popular music. In 1993, he re-released his solo album as Stillusion. In the same year, he and Hill released "Think Twice" by Celine Dion, which went on to become a massive hit and won an Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically". Sinfield and Hill had also won an Ivor Novello a decade previously for the Leo Sayer track, "Have You Ever Been in Love".

Haiku

There had been rumours of a second solo album, and Sinfield worked on it for a couple of years with vibraphone player and programmer Poli Palmer, formerly of Family. It was always a challenging project, made more so by Sinfield's quadruple bypass operation in 2005. After a period of convalescence, Sinfield attempted to restart the project, but it failed to take off.

During this time Sinfield wrote an increasing number of haiku. After his appearance at the Genoa Poetry Festival at the Ducal Palace in June 2010, he has turned his creative energies more towards poetry.

In 2012, Sinfield wrote the lyrics for a song written by Italian avant garde musician Max Marchini and singer Paola Tagliaferro, "Blossom on the Tree", and also read some verses to the same tune that were issued on the album "Milioni di Lune". In 2009 the Italian duo wrote music for a lyric written by Sinfield years before, "Poem to a Blue Painting", that was published on the album "Chrysalis".

Sinfield is still active as a writer, and gives interviews to the media concerning progressive music and his career as a songwriter. He appeared in the 2009 BBC documentary Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements.

Personal life

Sinfield now lives in Aldeburgh. He is still active within the songwriting community and is a member of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors committee. He underwent heart surgery in 2005, from which he is now fully recovered. He is a devoted herbalist and researcher of alternative medicine and has used various natural remedies to attempt to treat his own and others' health complaints. Sinfield's other main interests include cooking and gardening.

Influences

Sinfield had a fairly unusual and colourful upbringing, being an only child (bar his adopted brother, Dennis) of a bisexual mother who ran a hair salon and one of the first burger bars in London in the 1950s. He grew up in a bohemian household, and claims to have vivid memories of extravagant and wonderful Christmases, later inspiring the lyrics for his hit "I Believe in Father Christmas", which recalled a lost and naive faith in Father Christmas.[11] Sinfield claimed that A Poet's Notebook by Edith Sitwell[12] had an important influence on his writing, as well as the works of William Blake, Kahlil Gibran, Shakespeare, Enid Blyton[12], and various science fiction writers.

Musically he was largely influenced by Bob Dylan and Donovan. Hearing Donovan's opening line of "Colours": "Yellow is the colour of my true love's hair"' was, Sinfield stated, the defining moment when he decided he had the desire and ability to start writing songs.[13]

Discography

Solo
  • Still (1973) – vocals, twelve-string guitar, synthesizer, production, cover design (re-released in 1993 as Stillusion)

With King Crimson
  • In the Court of the Crimson King (1969) – lyrics, illumination, production
  • In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) – words, production
  • Lizard (1970) – words, VCS3, pictures, production
  • Islands (1971) – words, sounds, and visions; production
  • Sailors' Tales 1970-1972, 27-disc boxed set (2017) – words, sounds & visions; production & live sound mix

With Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Others
McDonald and Gliles
Roxy Music
Premiata Forneria Marconi
  • Photos of Ghosts (1973) – production, lyrics
  • The World Became the World (1974) – production, lyrics
Angelo Branduardi
With Robert Sheckley and Brian Eno
  • In a Land of Clear Colours (1978) – narration
Gary Brooker
  • No More Fear of Flying (1979) – lyrics
Chris Squire and Alan White
Nikka Costa
  • The 1st Album (1981) – lyrics for "It's Your Dream"
  • Fairy Tales (1983) – lyrics for "My First Love", "I Believe in Fairy Tales", and "Trick or Treat"
Bucks Fizz
Moon Martin (1982) and TKA (1988)
Leo Sayer
Five Star
Flairck
  • Sleight of Hand (1987) – lyrics for "Walk Upon Dreams"
Agnetha Fältskog
Cher
Celine Dion
David Cross
  • Exiles (1997) – lyrics for "This Is Your Life"
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References
  1. "Rocking the Classics". Ulike.net. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2014. In his 1997 book Rocking the Classics, critic/musicologist Edward Macan noted that In the Court of the Crimson King "may be the most influential progressive rock album ever released"
  2. "Prog Rock Hero". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  3. Archived 8 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Danes Hill School homepage". Daneshillschool.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  5. "Peter Sinfield Q&A". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  6. "A Bowl of Soup". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  7. "A House of Hopes and Dreams". Songsouponsea.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  8. Archived 6 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Maconie, Stuart (2004). Cider With Roadies (1st ed.). London: Random House. p. 55. ISBN 0-09-189115-9.
  10. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 85. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  11. Interview with Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield about "I Believe in Father Xmas" on YouTube
  12. "Peter Sinfield – On Songwriting". Peter Sinfield: Marginalia maketh the man. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  13. "Exclusive interview w/ Sinfield: Donovan influence". Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2010.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
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