The View from the Hill - Justin Hayward

Judy Rucker's feelings about TVFTH - December 5, 1996

I have started several times to write a review of The View from the Hill. Every time, I have written a paragraph or two and then, with a feeling of dissatisfaction, scrapped the thing to start over again. I was trying to analyze and describe the album. Sorrow may be analyzed, a kiss may be described, but it doesn't make much sense to reduce such things to their basic elements and look at them coldly. It's too impersonal, and The View from the Hill is anything but impersonal. I can't write about it without some analysis and description, but rather than focusing on those things, they will supplement my thoughts.

The album opens with a celebration. I Heard It is a nostalgic look back toward Long Distance Voyager when Hayward first sang of The Voice. But more than that, it is an exultant expression of both the power of The Voice and the joy of having chosen to listen to it. Every time I hear this song, I'm glad that this man heard it.

Somehow this energetic, happy song crossfades beautifully into one of the most sweetly heartbreaking songs I've ever heard. Broken Dream is the best track on the album. This song is an honest expression of sorrow over something irretrievably lost. Its bittersweet music reflects the poignant sentiment of the lyrics. These lyrics are so richly layered with meaning that new ideas emerge even after repeated listenings yet the basic idea is clear from the first time. A sad song, it still ends with hope intact. Hayward makes brilliant use of metaphor, alliteration, and symbolism, and every word is exactly the right one. Yet nothing about it feels calculated or insincere. It is a masterpiece and the album is worth buying for Broken Dream alone.

One theme that recurs on View is that of people faced with the choice of either maintaining hope or giving up. Each song looks at this choice a little differently. The preceding songs both express undying hope, although that is really the only similarity between them. The Promised Land is another song of optimism, in yet another style. It is also unlike any of Hayward's previous work, solo or with the Moody Blues. The syncopated rhythm and the strong vocals in the chorus add an excitement that is very appropriate for this one.

It's Not Too Late expresses a more intimate kind of hope. It takes a look back at what has been and a look ahead toward what may be while the "spark of hope" continues to burn. It captures the feeling of finding a way to believe the world is "promising a better day" when it might be easier to believe maybe it really is too late. The following track, Something to Believe In, fits together quite well with It's Not Too Late. It is a look at the other side of the coin -- at those who haven't found that "spark of hope" and who consequently are not living their lives to the fullest. In Something to Believe In, the sad part is that no one even seems to be looking for that spark any more.

The Way of the World is a difficult song to characterize. Somehow a song that seems to be contemplating the fact that we're born into a world with no rulebook, where we have to figure it out as we go along, still manages to be upbeat. I think the key is in the verse that says "I had to choose if I should win or if I should lose." We can figure it out as we go along and we'll do OK if we make the right choices. It's an enjoyable song that doesn't always go where you expect it to. I think that's a good thing.

Sometimes Less is More is very pretty but every time I hear it I wish it was solely a Justin Hayward composition. According to an article in Higher and Higher, Dennis Lambert wrote approximately 90% of the lyrics while Hayward wrote the same proportion of the music. The lyrics are fine, but when I hear an excellent Hayward melody, I want to hear his lyrics too. However, this personal preference should not detract from the fact that this is a very pleasant song.

Calling Troubadour a country song risks prejudicing some people against it before they've heard it, but the slight country flavor should not be offensive even to those who don't like that style of music at all. Its charismatic tune and upbeat tempo are a lot of fun. Once again he refers to hearing a voice and Troubadour has some lyrical similarities to I Heard It. Both portray an adventure undertaken in response to an inner voice. This song, once again, seems very personal, as if we are being permitted to share in the joy of Hayward's adventure.

Earlier on the album, It's Not Too Late and Something to Believe In expressed two different sides of hope in terms of relationships. Shame and Billy express either side of hope on a broader level. Shame alludes to the pain that appears to pervade every aspect of our world while Billy comes right out and says "It's a sad world." But "Billy" can't deal with the pain, and resorts to suicide. Shame, on the other hand, doesn't really focus on the pain, at least not to the exclusion of the joy and love that also exist. I think Shame is the better of the two songs, but I will admit to being a sucker for the classic Hayward sentiments of freedom and peace as expressed in this song.

And all too soon we reach the closing track: Children of Paradise. This is another brilliantly crafted song. The simple acoustic arrangement is perfect and the lyrics are infused with wisdom and faith. It feels nostalgic and new at the same time. This song gets into your heart the way The Actor or The Land of Make Believe does. It is timeless. And it summarizes the answer to questions asked throughout the album with the conclusion that with love we can keep our hope alive forever, and with our hope we can heal.

The View from the Hill has a lot of strengths. Each song represents a part of a lovely view. As the exhilarated refrain of I Heard it merges into the intoxicatingly exquisite Broken Dream like a river into the sea, the idea dawns that each ensuing song adds another scene to a fascinating horizon. It is a view well worth taking in. As the opening track says, "Why don't you stop -- feel the wonder, listen to the sound?"

All Lyrics copyright their respective authors - Justin Hayward/WB Music Corp, Phil Palmer/Rondor Music (London Ltd), Paul Bliss(Paul Bliss Music/EMI Songs)
Dennis Lambert(Tuneworks Music), Mickey Feat, Copyright control

Copyrights held by their respective authors. Original text/graphics copyright 1996, Donna M. Forosisky and Judy Rucker