FEATURE:
Every Old Sock Meets an Old Shoe
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at Black Island Studios, London, in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
The Passing of Hannah Bush and Kate Bush’s 1993
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WHILST this year…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush with her brothers, John and Paddy, and her mother at the family home
holds a few big Kate Bush anniversaries – including the fortieth anniversary of The Dreaming -, there is one slightly unhappy one that happens on Valentine’s Day. On 14th February, 1992, her adored mother, Hannah, died from cancer. Normally I would not bring it up, though the thirtieth anniversary does make me think about how special and important she was. Even though, arguably her father (Robert) was more of a sounding board and willing audience of his daughter’s music – especially pre-The Kick Inside -, there is no doubt that Mother Bush was at the heart of the household. At East Wickham Farm, one might find Kate, John, Paddy and her parents enjoying music or a family activity. Whether it was something on the T.V. or an entertaining evening, there was much laughter, culture and energy in the house. Hannah Bush was a very loving and supportive mother. It is no coincidence that Kate Bush, as told in interviews, is very hospitable and welcoming. Often ready with a cup of tea and a warm ‘hello’, one gets the impression this was what her mother was like. I have read about Bush recording her albums and how musicians would often be in and out of the house. Her mother would frequently be there with food and a welcoming smile. More than a source of emotional and physical nourishment, there was this great affection between mother and daughter.
Born in Ireland, it is obvious how influential Hannah’s side of the family was. I have written about this before but, as we mark the passing of a key figure in the Kate Bush story, it is worth repeating. The family would take trips to Ireland; no doubt the young Kate would have been intoxicated by the sounds and scents of the music played around her. I think to this day Celtic and Irish sounds are rare in mainstream music. Right from her earliest albums, Bush was incorporating musical elements one can trace to her mother. One of the biggest instances of Irish music being used in her music comes from The Sensual World’s title track. Of course, Irish players make a big impression of Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave (especially Jig of Life). Hannah Bush also featured in the video for Suspended in Gaffa (from The Dreaming). Some people say that the song, Moments of Pleasure (which featured on 1993’s The Red Shoes), was written after Hannah died. It contains the line, “Every old sock meets an old shoe”. Bush has said how this was something her mother said only once - and yet it stuck with her. Her mum found it hilarious when she was told it was in a song. She would have been ill at the time it was recorded. Released as a single on 15th November, 1993, there was a poignancy that came in. Bush re-recorded the song for 2011’s Director’s Cut. Clearly a song that is special to her, it is one where the memory and wisdom of Hannah Bush looms large.
I think that Hannah Bush’s passing was a turning point when it came to career prioritised being shifted. Even though she died in February 1992, it impacted Kate. The Red Shoes was being recorded at this time…and I wonder whether it affected some of her decisions. Considered to be one of her weaker albums, one wonders how it would have sounded if not for her mother’s death. Although Bush has said in interviews since how a lot of the more heartbreaking and emotional elements of The Red Shoes were written before her mother died, no doubt 1993 was a year that was quite tough. Reviewers have noted how Bush sounds more like a woman on The Red Shoes. One could hear this maturity and new lyrical direction of 1989’s The Sensual World. In her mid-thirties when The Red Shoes was released, maybe Bush was thinking about taking a break and looking at life differently. It would only be six years after her mother died before Bush became a mother herself (to Albert/Bertie). 1993 was a year that changed so much. The Red Shoes was released at the beginning of November. Maybe taking on writing, directing and starring in a short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve, was a distraction. Released on 13th November, it was a very busy time. Both the album and film received mixed reception. Not that Hannah Bush’s death was the main reason why her daughter worked so hard, I feel there was something missing in the way of guidance and motherly support which could have led Bush to overwork herself. In need of some wise counsel and her support, I often wonder how she felt during such a tense year.
Although she herself would say it wasn’t a hugely bad year, she did split with her long-time boyfriend, Del Palmer. The fact that the two had worked together since before The Kick Inside (1978) – and the two still do work together to this day – would have made the split that bit harder. By the end of 1993, Bush started to wind down in terms of recording and promotion. Whilst Britpop was coming through in the U.K. and it was one of the most exciting and fruitful periods in musical history, one of music’s icons was preparing to step away from the spotlight. 2005’s Aerial was the next album Bush released. Starting a family and having some much-needed rest, the media didn’t know what to make of it. Kate Bush didn’t disappear. Instead, she was putting life and wellbeing above music and the demands that come with that. I don’t think it is a coincidence that there are elements of Hannah Bush in Aerial. The song, A Coral Room, features the lines “My mother and her little brown jug/It held her milk/And now it holds our memories”. On Valentine’s Day, I know that Kate Bush and her family (including her partner, Dan McIntosh) will think about Hannah. Whereas every artists’ mothers are important in some way, there was this close connection and influence that Bush carried right through her career. From Hannah supporting her young daughter when she decided to take up music full-time, through to her sonic, visual and lyrical presence in many of the studio albums, Hannah Bush will never be forgotten. I wanted to write about her ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of her death. On a day when sentiments and expressions of love are shared, this Valentine’s Day, Kate Bush fans around the world should send the much-missed Hannah Bush…
SO much love.