Song written by Ricky, Scarlett & Kim Wilde.
Sixth track on the album Here Come the Aliens.
The song was inspired by the horrific suicide of teenagers Charleigh Disbrey (15) and Mert Karaoglan (18), who jumped in front of a train near Elstree and Borehamwood station in Hertfordshire in June 2014. Charleigh, whose family was of Turkish origin, feared that his relationship with Mert Karaoglan would not be approved of. In their desperation, they decided to take their own lives.
Live performances
'Solstice' was performed live during the Here Come the Aliens Tour and during the Return of the Aliens Tour.
Kim about 'Solstice'
Ricky, Scarlett and myself wrote 'Solstice' after some really tragic stories that we were hearing about a few years back, dealing with teenage suicide. We wrote this really hard-hitting ballad as a response to that. It's the way it made me feel emotionally. It was very powerful. We used my love of Elton John to inspire the backing vocals which run throughout the song, sung by Ricky. A very personal song, and a little bit sad. (1)
Credits
Drums: Jonathan Atkinson
Guitar: Neil Jones
Keyboards, guitar: Ricky Wilde
Backing vocals: Kim Wilde, Ricky Wilde & Scarlett Wilde
Interview source
(1) Track by track video, YouTube, March 23, 2018