FEATURE:
Good for the Blood Circulation, Good for Releasing the Tension
Kate Bush’s Sublime and Extraordinary Symphony in Blue
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WHILST I have mentioned the song…
on a few occasions, I don’t think I have spotlighted and gone into detail about Symphony in Blue. The opening track from Kate Bush’s second studio album, Lionheart (1978), it was one of a few new tracks she wrote for the album. With the remainder of Lionheart’s songs coming from her archives, Symphony in Blue is a song that may reflect a sense of where Bush’s head was at the time. As Lionheart was the second album she put out in 1978, there was this hectic schedule and sense of her feet never touching the ground. Along with the other newly-written songs, Coffee Homeground and Full House, there is a sense of unhappiness, reflection, paranoia and anxiety running throughout. Whereas the latter two are quite edgy and have dread in their bones, there is something elegant, sumptuous and beautiful about Symphony in Blue. One of Kate Bush’s best songs, one hardly hears it played on the radio (if ever at all). Although she did move away from the piano-and-vocal dynamic of The Kick Inside and Lionheart by the time Never for Ever came along in 1980 (not entirely, though her musical palette was broader), Symphony in Blue is a remarkably sensuous, hypnotising and accomplished song. Still only twenty when Lionheart came out, it is remarkable reading the lyrics of Symphony in Blue. It is believed that the lyric of the song is an attempt at describing Bush’s belief system. The descriptions of God, sex and the colour blue seem to be inspired by reading about Wilhelm Reich's theory in A Book of Dreams.
I am going to get to the lyrics soon enough. With terrific accompaniment from her band (drums and percussion: Stuart Elliott, bass: David Paton, electric guitars: Ian Bairnson and Fender Rhodes: Duncan Mackay), Symphony in Blue is an overlooked masterpiece. Bush’s voice is angelic, feminine and swooping, though it also has so much character, emotion and maturity running throughout. An extraordinary performance and one of her finest set of lyrics, Lionheart opens wonderfully strong! I think the album as a whole is terrific and gets undue criticism. At ten tracks, it is quite lean and focused, and yet there is diversity in terms of sound and themes (perhaps more so than her debut album). With sex, death, life and so many deep subjects gracefully and poetically written by Bush, there is not a wasted word in Symphony in Blue. The song is structured so there is a verse about the colour blue, and thoughts/emotions associated with it. The following verse expands on that before getting to the chorus. The second half does the same with the colour red. I love the opening verse: “I spent a lot of my time looking at blue/The colour of my room and my mood: Blue on the walls, blue out of my mouth; The sort of blue between clouds, when the sun comes out/The sort of blue in those eyes you get hung up about”. Maybe it is about depression or a feeling or resignation. The idea of a blue mood, blue language and someone’s blue eyes nods to lust and anger and defeat. It is a rich and complex verse that is followed superbly: “When that feeling of meaninglessness sets in/Go blowing my mind on God: The light in the dark, with the neon arms/The meek He seeks, the beast He calms/The head of the good soul department”.
That idea of the power of faith and the notion that God provides light amidst the darkness. I love that last line and the concept of a ‘good soul department’! Bush’s incredible way with words means she can write verses that are unique and complex, and yet they have universal sentiments so that everyone can relate in some way. The vocal and intensity rises slightly as the verse comes in. Almost like the sun poking through the clouds, one hears a sense of energy and rush coming: “I see myself suddenly/On the piano, as a melody/My terrible fear of dying/No longer plays with me/for now I know that I'm needed/For the symphony”. Whether this refers to Bush finding purpose through music or she is using the piano as a metaphor for something larger in life, I am not too sure. Bush’s voice flows and twists through the verse so that all of the words come to life. The ‘blue’ half of the song seems to be about philosophical, religious and spiritual depth. The ‘red’ half is much more physical. Sex and passion come more to the fore: “I associate love with red/The colour of my heart when she's dead; Red in my mind when the jealousy flies/Red in my eyes from emotional ties/Manipulation, the danger signs”. It starts with blood and danger. That colour red being associated with forms of jealousy and fear, again, is very powerful and memorable! I think that Symphony in Blue contains some of Bush’s finest lyrics.
Before the verse comes in, Bush uses the colour red more to do with blood rushing to the head and the cheeks: “The more I think about sex, the better it gets/Here we have a purpose in life: Good for the blood circulation/Good for releasing the tension/The root of our reincarnations”. Other artists have used the colours red and blue to contrast one another. I was thinking about The Beautiful South’s Old Red Eyes Is Back (“Blue is a street without an end/Red is the colour of my hell/Blue is a greeting from a friend/Red is the colour of farewell”). Covering sex, rage, God, low mood and jealousy, you get so many visions and scenes racing through the mind as the song plays! Symphony in Blue was released as a single in Canada and Japan. I think that it could have been a successful single in the U.K. I would have loved to have seen a video made for the song! Bush performed Symphony in Blue during 1979’s The Tour of Life. The song also appeared in the 1979 Christmas special. A track that a lot of people do not know about, I feel we need to hear the majestic and utterly stunning Symphony in Blue played a lot more. A gorgeous composition, astonishing vocals and some of Kate Bush’s most remarkable lyrics, few of her albums have opened as strongly as Lionheart! If ever you need convincing that the album is well worth diving into, then Symphony in Blue should convince! A beautiful deep cut that does not get fair recognition, Symphony in Blue is a wonderful song that…
BLOWS the senses.