FEATURE:
Room to Leave It Open
PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris
Kate Bush and the Long-Held Misconception of Perfectionism
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THIS is a slightly different angle…
when it comes to a Kate Bush feature. I cannot recall whether I have explored this in depth but, through the years, there has been this label applied to Bush: the idea that she is a perfectionist, and that is why albums take so long to arrive and come together. Bush has said herself how she is not a perfectionist. One of the reasons why she recorded Director’s Cut (2011) and redid songs from The Sensual World (1989), and The Red Shoes (1993), was because she was dissatisfied with elements of those albums. Maybe it was the production sound or something lacking from the original recordings. It is interesting that people consider Bush to be a perfectionist. Her music is exceptional and hugely accomplished, but I think the reason why she does quite a few takes and spends a long time on songs is to get the sound right. That might sound like perfectionism, but I don’t think music can be seen as perfect or without flaws. Bush’s lyrics and music is unique and has so much depth, so it is only natural that she would spend a lot of time working on the music and making sure the final product is as good as it could be! If she was honest with herself, Bush would say that all of her albums could be improved or changed in some form. I want to bring in a few articles where terms of like ‘perfectionist’ have been used to describe Kate Bush.
Every time there is a delay between albums, people always feel that Bush is crafting away at every song meticulously in order to achieve that golden sound. She has said how lyrics come together pretty fast; it is the production and recording that takes the longest time. Rather than an overly-precise approach to music, I think Bush is trying to make her music as rich and interesting as possible. She has a great love of sound and how one experiences an album. As we can see from this BBC article in 2011, Bush has addressed the idea that she is a perfectionist:
“An album of reworked songs, Director's Cut, is released later this month.
The collection features material from her Sensual World and Red Shoes albums, released in 1989 and 1993 respectively.
A new version of Deeper Understanding was released as a single in April, with a video starring Robbie Coltrane, Noel Fielding and Frances Barber.
Speaking to Radio Four's Front Row arts programme, the singer denied she was a perfectionist in the recording studio.
"I don't think I am," she said. "People have said this, but I don't think I really want anything to be perfect.
"I think it's important that things are flawed," she continued”.
"That's what makes a piece of art interesting sometimes - the bit that's wrong or the mistake you've made that's led onto an idea you wouldn't have had otherwise."
Bush described her new material as "work in progress", but was unwilling to say when it might see the light of day.
"Even if I was able to talk about it now, it might completely change in a few weeks and so would no longer be relevant”.
I think Bush picked up on something interesting. Songs change all the time and, maybe, it is that constant sense of curiosity that keeps her going. She will start with an idea of a song and, as time goes on, she will notice things not working or ideas that could heighten a particular track. Rather than trying to make her music sound perfect, Bush wants to record music that is different and memorable. I wonder whether Bush will do another Director’s Cut, where she reworks other albums and gives them a new take. When The Guardian provided recommendations of Bush’s albums, they used the P-word when highlighting 1986’s greatest hits, The Whole Story:
“Ever the perfectionist, Bush is constantly rearranging her catalogue, her oeuvre ever-evolving like a living, breathing organism, and here there is Wuthering Heights with a newly recorded vocal, as well as a new song, Experiment IV, whose scary sci-fi video Bush directed (and which was subsequently banned by Top of the Pops)”.
Another article from The Guardian highlighted the 2007 track, Lyra, and noted how it was a song that came together quickly:
“A single by default, not design: it charted on downloads from the soundtrack album of The Golden Compass alone. Belying Bush’s reputation as a pernickety studio perfectionist, it apparently took 10 days to write and record. It’s not her greatest song, but its ambient synth and choral backing is luscious and enveloping”.
I think, rather than Kate Bush being a perfectionist, there is a confidence that means her music does take longer to coalesce. In an article from The Independent, a couple of interesting passages stood out:
““She was fastidious about getting things right,” recalls The Dubliners’ John Sheahan. “I remember playing the [tin] whistle. She was saying ‘this is absolutely beautiful but when you get to this note can you just slide up’. She was a real perfectionist.”
“Kate is quite secure in her own self-confidence,” Palmer told me in 2018. “But with many artists you have to make them feel loved. If you want them to do something again you’ll say, ‘oh it’s my fault’. You want to turn any comment you might have into something positive”.
Bush has said how she wants to create interesting music, hence this quest and sense of experimentation. I guess it is not a bad thing to be called a perfectionist – as Bush is often incorrectly referred to as being reclusive more -, but I think that word gets used too much to explain why albums take a long time to come out. One cannot say perfectionism is the reason why there has not been a follow-up to 2011’s 50 Words for Snow. One can argue that, were it not for Bush’s approach and confidence, we would not get the same quality. That said, were the writing and recording quicker and looser, then we might have seen more albums from her. Even though Bush kicks herself when it comes to album releases, knowing how good her music is, we wouldn’t have it…
PHOTO CREDIT: Rex
ANY other way.