FEATURE:
And I Thought You Were Crazy, Wishing Such a Thing
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
Rocket’s Tail from Kate Bush’s The Sensual World
___________
I have done a search of my site archives…
and I don’t seem to have done a specific feature on Rocket’s Tail. The penultimate track from 1989’s The Sensual World, it is an underrated cut from the album that features the talents of the incredible Trio Bulgarka (the three women in the trio are Stoyanka Boneva from Pirin, Yanka Rupkina from Strandja and Eva Georgieva from Dobrudja). I am featuring the track now as The Sensual World turns thirty-two in November. A few of Bush’s albums have anniversaries in October and November. I am eager to cover as much ground as possible regarding those albums in the run-up. This is one of these songs that should get more airplay. Even though I recently ranked Rocket’s Tail as last in my rundown of The Sensual World, it is still a fascinating song with many reasons to listen. I like the fact that the Trio Bulgarka provide these wonderful, unforgettable vocals that gives the song so much life! Maybe not Kate Bush’s strongest song, it is a deep cut that still warrants more inspection and focus. Bringing in this article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia, Bush talks about the inspiration behind Rocket’s Tail:
“I wrote this for the trio, really, musically, in that I wanted a song that could really show them off. The other two songs that they appear on were already structured and in a way they had to very much fit around the song's structure to become a part of it, but this song they were there en masse, really, the whole song was based around them. And I wrote it on a synthesizer with a choir sound and just sang along.
We put John's on and I had no idea if their voices were going to work on it at all, really, so the whole thing hung on the fact of whether when we went out to Bulgaria, whether it worked or not. And the arranger we worked with out there was such a brilliant man. In some ways, I think that the fact that we didn't speak the same language made our communication much easier because he seemed to know exactly what I wanted, and, really, just after a few hours he was coming up with the most incredible tunes, and I just had to say "Oh yes, I like that one", "Er, no, not too keen on that one," "Umm, that's lovely!" and just go away and write it out. It was incredible, I've never worked like that before, so quickly with someone I've never met before. It was really exciting to find that kind of chemistry. (...)
Rocket is one of my cats, and he was the inspiration for the subject matter for the song, because he's dead cute [laughs]. And it's very strange subject matter because the song isn't exactly about Rocket, it's kind of inspired by him and for him, but the song, it's about anything. I guess it's saying there's nothing wrong with being right here at this moment, and just enjoying this moment to its absolute fullest, and if that's it, that's ok, you know. And it's kind of using the idea of a rocket that's so exciting for maybe 3 seconds and then it's gone, you know that's it, but so what, it had 3 seconds of absolutely wonderful... [laughs] (Roger Scott, BBC Radio 1 (UK), 14 October 1989)
For a couple of friends this song was very phallic. I was so concerned I tried to change the "it was the biggest rocket I could find" line but "the most expensive rocket I've ever seen" wasn't quite the same. It's just the idea a rocket is only there for three seconds but those three seconds are lived fully and totally. ('Love, Trust and Hitler'. Tracks, November 1989)
It was a vehicle to get their voices on a track in as dominant a way as possible. So I put this down with a DX7 choir sound so it had this kind of vocal feel. Then we got a drummer in and got this big Rock 'n' Roll thing going. Then I got some friends in to hear what it would sound like with big block vocals singing behind my voice, and although they were English people that sing completely differently, it still gave me a sense of vocal intensity. So these two friends must have spent all day trying to sing like Bulgarians. But it was so useful, because there were so many things I immediately understood we couldn't do, and lots of things it felt like we could do.
So we took it to Bulgaria and started working with this arranger. I told him what I wanted, and he just went off and said "what about this?" and they were great. He kept giving me all these things to choose from, and we worked so well together. It was so good that we decided to hold the drum kit - it was originally starting much earlier in the song. Then we let Dave Gilmour rip on it, so we'd have this really extreme change from just vocals to this hopefully big Rock 'n' Roll kit, with bass, and guitar solos. (Tony Horkins, 'What Katie Did Next'. International Musician, December 1989)”.
Kate Bush’s brief but brilliant collaboration with the Trio Bulgaraka is something I have looked at previously. She did not collaborate much with female vocalists through her career. The fact is she trusted and respected them. Blown away by their vocal gifts and sound, I wonder what songs like Rocket’s Tail would sound like were it not for their input. Rocket’s Tail is leads into the finale, This Woman’s Work, on The Sensual World. With some great work by soloist Yanka Rupkhina and brilliant guitar from Dave Gilmour, Rocket’s Tail is an undiscovered gem that has this interesting history and background. I especially like the fact Rocket was the name of one of Bush’s cats at the time! She did go on to work with the Trio Bulgarka on her follow-up album, 1993’s The Red Shoes. I do wonder if she ever stays in touch with them or has plans to collaborate again. The combination of a vocal ensemble from Bulgaria and the English Kate Bush, the blend could have been awkward or misjudged. As it is (and on Never Be Mine and Deeper Understanding) they are brilliant and help to elevate the song. Also, the fact that Rocket’s Tail was one track not included for reworking on her 2011 album, Director’s Cut (where she re-approached songs from The Sensual World and The Red Shoes) , to me, shows that Bush understands the importance of the Trio Bulgarka. I don’t think it is a case of her not liking the original and wanting to leave it alone. In its original form, it sounds as good as it can be. Coming right near the end of The Sensual World, Rocket’s Tail is a track that…
SETS alight and soars!