Hide and Seek (Howard Jones song)

"Hide and Seek" is a song by English musician Howard Jones, released in February 1984 as the third single from his debut studio album, Human's Lib. It reached the top five in Ireland and peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. Musically, the song is darker than other songs by Jones, featuring an eerie gothic-tinged sound that is comparable to dark ambient. The song has been covered by many artists, including a version by the band Gregorian on their Masters of Chant Chapter IV album.^[2] A re-recorded, longer version of the song was released on the album Perform.00 in 2000.

"Hide and Seek"
Single by Howard Jones
from the album Human's Lib
Released	10 February 1984 (1984-02-10)[1]
Recorded	1983
Length	4:49
Label	WEA
Songwriter(s)	Howard Jones
Producer(s)	Rupert Hine
Howard Jones singles chronology
"What Is Love?" (1983) "Hide and Seek" (1984) "Pearl in the Shell" (1984)
Music video
"Hide and Seek" on YouTube

Background

When writing "Hide and Seek", Jones was inspired by the work of Alan Watts, particularly on his views of life and death. Jones recalled reading a book from Watts that discussed the concept of explaining the concept of God to a child from the paradigm of Eastern philosophy. He described "Hide and Seek" as a "very spiritual song" about being interconnected with the world.^[3] In a 2024 interview, Jones said that "Hide and Seek" was "even more relevant now because of where we are as a world. It's very easy to give up on things and resign yourself to doom, but it's very important to feel hopeful and positive about the future. That song is definitely about hope."^[4]

Jones performed a solo acoustic version of the song at the 1985 Live Aid benefit concert.^[4] He reflected in 2015 that it was "very fortunate" that he picked that song to perform and said that it was a "wonderful feeling" when the audience joined in to sing parts of the chorus.^[3]

Track listing

The B-sides, "Tao Te Ching" and "China Dance", are both instrumentals. All tracks were written by Jones.

7"^[5]

1. "Hide & Seek" – 4:49
2. "Tao Te Ching" – 3:52

12"^[5]

1. "Hide & Seek" (long version) – 8:30
2. "Tao Te Ching" – 3:52
3. "China Dance" – 3:50

UK limited edition 10"^[5]

1. "Hide & Seek" (concert version)
2. "Hide & Seek" – 4:49
3. "Tao Te Ching" – 3:52

UK limited edition 7" square shaped picture disc^[5]

1. "Hide & Seek" (long version) – 8:30
2. "Tao Te Ching" – 3:52
3. "China Dance" – 3:50

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1984) Peak position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 38 Germany (GfK)[7] 38 Ireland (IRMA)[8] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[9] 32 UK Singles (OCC)[10] 12

Year-end charts Chart (1984) Position UK Singles (Gallup)[11] 89