by Mark Nobes, chief editor
Despite being only a moderate hit in the British Isles, other countries were more appreciative, such as Ireland, where the single reached the top 5.
The B-side of the 7" vinyl single featured the instrumental track "Tao Te Ching". The 12 inch also included another instrumental "China Dance", as well as the "Hide & Seek (Long Version)" (8:30).
The lyrics are about the time before the start of the universe according to various faiths and practices such as Hinduism and Buddhism. "There was a time when there was nothing at all, nothing at all, just a distant hum".
The video starts with Jones pretending to play a pan flute against a celestial backdrop, before we see him repeat the part on his keyboard. We then see him surrounded by his synths against a backdrop of various scenes on a green screen (very 80s!) such as space, waves, forests, lakes, a sunset, desert sands and clouds.
The single entered the UK singles chart at No.24 on 12th February 1984, making it the second highest new entry that week - The Style Council enjoyed the highest at No.8 with "My Ever Changing Moods". "Hide and Seek" reached No.12 on 4th March, where it remained for two weeks. The song spent a total of 12 weeks in the Top 100, which is pretty decent.