FEATURE:
Prelude to Prologue
How Kate Bush’s Albums Have Impacted Me Through Lockdown
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I have been listening to Kate Bush’s music…
PHOTO CREDIT: Kate Bush
a lot during the pandemic. I think a great deal of people have listened to her music more; many others have discovered it and found it very uplifting. I often think how Bush is coping with lockdown and whether she is okay. Maybe she is not putting together new music; just trying to keep going and get through the other side. I feel that her albums are so enriching and different that everyone gets something different from them. I will discuss my experiences with her music in a bit. I was compelled by an article in GIGWISE, where Lucy Harbron tested her limits and listened to all of Kate Bush’s studio albums (plus The Other Sides) in a single day. The introduction and conclusion is interesting:
“How much of a good thing can kill you? When do the things we love start to smother us? Or at least make us really, really sick of them? It’s a question that the culture of TV show binging has tested us with over and over. So with nothing good left to watch on Netflix and the winter lockdown delusion setting in, for some reason, I decided to test it out with my one true love: Kate Bush.
With little to no interaction with other humans and even less sunlight, what better artist to over-indulge in than Kate Bush, with her discography full of odd story lines, high notes and whispering vocal effect? But could the beautiful madness of Kate ever become too much? For some reason I decided to try it, listening to every song she’s ever made in a single day...
Conclusion
As the final album finishes and silence fills my room, I want to say that it was really rewarding to get a clear image of all Kate’s fascinations and inspirations. I could talk about how it’s a crime that we don’t have some weird Kate Bush version of Mamma Mia, like a psychological drama set along to her songs, but honestly, I want to not think about Kate Bush at all, at least for a couple of days...then I’ll press play on 'Babooshka' and relapse into my love all over again”.
I have been doing something similar with Bush’s music. Rather than play all of the albums in a single day, I have been listening to all of her albums in a more forensic way. Before the lockdown, I might have dipping into a few songs and I listened to songs that I love the most. Lately, I have been diving deep into her catalogue and spending a lot more time digesting her work. It is amazing to revisit her albums and feel they affect you. I have written about this before, but Kate Bush’s music has been a lifeline and source of comfort for so many of us. I did not touch (in that feature) on how different and immersive her music is. If you want to be encapsulated and moved by one of the most original artists ever, I would suggest, maybe, spending a few days listening to all of Bush’s albums. I would start, as I have done, with her her debut, The Kick Inside, and work your way to 2011’s 50 Words for Snow.
Not only does one hear and feel Bush grow and change between albums; you also feel like you are part of the music when you listen. When listening to The Kick Inside, it is as though you are in the mind and diary of an extraordinary and passionate young woman! I think the songwriting on her debut is so accomplished and mature. One then hears the ambitious Bush blooming and diversifying her work by the time of her third album, Never for Ever. Hounds of Love – often considered to be her most astonishing work -, is such a cinematic and theatrical collection of songs that blows the mind. It is an album that, when she was listening to all the albums in one day, Harbron was moved by:
“Hounds of Love is a desert island album, housing so many of her best songs. 'Mother Stands For Comfort' still sounds so new and modern, 'Jig of Life' hits harder than usual, and 'Waking The Witch' is… there. By the final notes of 'The Morning Fog' I almost want to applaud, no amount of over-exposure would ever be enough to ruin that masterpiece. Take a bow Kate”.
There are artists who I can listen to and feel better. There are others that make me calmer; some who bring out different emotions. Apart from, maybe The Beatles, there is nobody like Kate Bush - in the sense that I can listen to her albums and they impact me in different ways.
It has been a tough time in lockdown. Music has been a real fountain of safety and security. I have always adored Kate Bush’s music, but I charged myself with investing more time to listening to her albums more fully. Not only that, but I wanted to listen to all of her studio albums and not skim past those that I am not that enamoured of. Whether it is the tenderness and promising spring of The Kick Inside, or the experimental and different-sounding The Dreaming, each album is an incredible work that demands attention and focus! It is almost hard to put into words but, because Bush’s albums are so different and deep, they each provoke different emotions and can hit you in different ways. I have gained a new appreciate for Kate Bush as a writer and performer. I am noticing new details and understanding how much effort and passion goes into each album. Above all, the music is offering strength and hope at a very unsteady time. It makes me wonder about Bush herself and how she is faring right now. We would all like to imagine that new work is being conjured and, when she cannot do a lot away from home, she is recording ideas and looking ahead. Whereas Lucy Harbron wanted to see how she’d feel about Kate Bush by listening to all of her albums in one day, I would say to anyone to hear all of Bush’s albums – not necessarily in one day; spread over a couple/few days is probably more digestible. The music has helped me and created new affection for Bush. It will do the same to you. Maybe it sounds timely and difficult listening to ten studio albums (and any compilations/live albums if you want), but I can promise you that it is…
WELL worth the time.