FEATURE:
Sympathy in Blue
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for 2011’s Director’s Cut
Kate Bush and How Her Music Can Help People Through Grief
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I may have mentioned this before…
but Kate Bush’s music has this enormously comforting and therapeutic quality. It can come in various forms. Whether a song of hers that is meaningful plays at a time when you need a lift, or there is this mood, lyric or essence in a track that makes you feel something, it is as rich, evocative and transformative as any music catalogue ever! I mention this, as journalist and author Jude Rogers recently wrote about how Kate Bush helped her at a low point in her life. Inspired and revived somewhat by Bush’s residency in Hammersmith in 2014, it is amazing how music in general can elevate and resuscitate! One can say that every artist, in some way, has the power and potential to lift someone and get them through grief. I think that the depth and beauty of Kate Bush’s music means it can dig deeper and prove much more medicinal and inspiring than her peers. The lyrics and story do not need to have a personal relevance. Jude Rogers has her experiences and reasons for finding Kate Bush’s music a vital lifeline. I have heard so many tales and tweets where people have said how they have literally been saved and kept alive by Kate Bush’s music. There is this sense that there is something in the music that does go into the heart and soul. I have not had the same experiences as others, where Bush’s music has pulled me back from the edge. I know Elton John – who she collaborated with on her 2011 album, 50 Words for Snow -, said how Bush’s music saved his life when he was addicted to drugs. Songs like Don’t Give Up (her 1986 duet with Peter Gabriel that appeared on his album, So), is one that literally beckons you to not throw in the towel!
In terms of her own songs, it is the sheer passion and beauty of her singing that can prove such comfort and resilience. For me, her music has kept me going and focused. There have been times when grief has struck – whether it is a particular tragedy or a general low period – and I have needed something from music that can keep me level. Even when things have been very black, I have managed to listen to Kate Bush’s music and get something from it that I have not before. Whether it is the entrancing gorgeousness of her debut album, The Kick Inside, or the suite on Hounds of Love, The Ninth Wave. That concept suite is about a woman adrift at sea who gets rescued when all looks lost and bleak. Bush herself puts messages in her songs and albums about keeping going and finding strength. I think listeners feel like they have a bond with her and she, in turn, is speaking directly to us. The warmth and sense of intimacy she can create – even in her most epic and widescreen songs – is a major reason why she is so useful and essential when you are feeing bad. Although a particular artist may not be able to pull someone out of grief and make them happy in an instance, they can spark something and provide a glimmer and glimpse of light that starts this recovery and transition to health and stability.
I will wrap up soon, but it was interesting reading what Jude Rogers said, and, during an especially tough spell, Kate Bush made a difference. It got me thinking about other people who have similarly been aided and given strength by Kate Bush. I don’t think there is one particular reason or element that means her music has that sort of pull and power that other musicians do not. Consciously or not, she creates these songs that can be personal to her, but I think they are designed to make people feel. To help them and provide a blend of comfort, wisdom and strength. Because of that, so many people around the world through the years have had Kate Bush to thank for being pulled out of a pit of despair; helped through grief or a very rough time. If that is her only legacy, then it is a mighty good one! Of course, Bush has so much more to her than that, though it is hugely impressive that she resonates with people and writes music that is so sympathetic, rousing and comforting! Like Jude Rogers, it might just be seeing her perform live or watching an interview she has given that gets through and connects. My experiences are very different to anyone else’s. For decades and generations to come, people everywhere will turn to Kate Bush’s music in times when they need healing and helped. This warm embrace that is so precious and important is one you can get from Kate Bush’s music. I am sure that there are many fans out there who will…
AGREE with me.