FEATURE:
The Smuggler’s Defiance
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport
Kate Bush’s Night of the Swallow at Forty
_________
ONE of the truly great ‘lost’ singles…
from Kate Bush, Night of the Swallow is from her fourth studio album, The Dreaming. It was the final single released from the album. Only released in Ireland, the song is one of the finest from that album. I think that it should have got wider release. It has a quintessential Kate Bush angle when it comes to the story. The type of song no other artist was making, I feel we get a glimpse into the Irish sounds that would come into future albums like Hounds of Love (1985) and The Sensual World (1989). Working with Liam O’Flynn (uilleann pipes, penny whistles), Seán Keane (fiddles) and Donal Lunny (bouzouki), this is Bush letting her imagination take flight, though it is also her nodding to her Irish heritage. There were hints of it prior to Night of the Swallow, though this is the first song where it really comes to the fore – future tracks, Jig of Life (Hounds of Love) and The Sensual World (The Sensual World) would put the Irish sound heavily into the mix. I am going to continue in a minute. First, and thanks to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia, here are some interview snippets where Kate Bush discussed the inspiration behind Night of the Swallow:
“Unfortunately a lot of men do begin to feel very trapped in their relationships and I think, in some situations, it is because the female is so scared, perhaps of her insecurity, that she needs to hang onto him completely. In this song she wants to control him and because he wants to do something that she doesn't want him to she feels that he is going away. It's almost on a parallel with the mother and son relationship where there is the same female feeling of not wanting the young child to move away from the nest. Of course, from the guys point of view, because she doesn't want him to go, the urge to go is even stronger. For him, it's not so much a job as a challenge; a chance to do something risky and exciting. But although that woman's very much a stereotype I think she still exists today. (Paul Simper, 'Dreamtime Is Over'. Melody Maker (UK), 16 October 1982)
Ever since I heard my first Irish pipe music it has been under my skin, and every time I hear the pipes, it's like someone tossing a stone in my emotional well, sending ripples down my spine. I've wanted to work with Irish music for years, but my writing has never really given me the opportunity of doing so until now. As soon as the song was written, I felt that a ceilidh band would be perfect for the choruses. The verses are about a lady who's trying to keep her man from accepting what seems to be an illegal job. He is a pilot and has been hired to fly some people into another country. No questions are to be asked, and she gets a bad feeling from the situation. But for him, the challenge is almost more exciting than the job itself, and he wants to fly away. As the fiddles, pipes and whistles start up in the choruses, he is explaining how it will be all right. He'll hide the plane high up in the clouds on a night with no moon, and he'll swoop over the water like a swallow.
Bill Whelan is the keyboard player with Planxty, and ever since Jay played me an album of theirs I have been a fan. I rang Bill and he tuned into the idea of the arrangement straight away. We sent him a cassette, and a few days later he phoned the studio and said, "Would you like to hear the arrangement I've written?"
I said I'd love to, but how?
"Well, Liam is with me now, and we could play it over the phone."
I thought how wonderful he was, and I heard him put down the phone and walk away. The cassette player started up. As the chorus began, so did this beautiful music - through the wonder of telephones it was coming live from Ireland, and it was very moving. We arranged that I would travel to Ireland with Jay and the multi-track tape, and that we would record in Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin. As the choruses began to grow, the evening drew on and the glasses of Guiness, slowly dropping in level, became like sand glasses to tell the passing of time. We missed our plane and worked through the night. By eight o'clock the next morning we were driving to the airport to return to London. I had a very precious tape tucked under my arm, and just as we were stepping onto the plane, I looked up into the sky and there were three swallows diving and chasing the flies. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, October 1982)”.
It is a shame that this is a song that was never played live or given much of an outing. Without reading too much into it, I think the heroine’s need for freedom and that defiance. That wanting to break free. I get a feeling Bush felt a bit like this by 1982. Wanting to establish herself as a producer and an artist without constraint, I feel there is some personal projection from Bush through Night of the Swallow. Maybe this artist who is seen as diminutive or bird-like it terms of her fragility, I always sense this track is Bush maybe talking with herself. This article explores the track in more detail:
"Night of the Swallow" by Kate Bush is a song that delves into themes of escapism, rebellion, and the desire for freedom. The lyrics present a narrative of a person who is determined to defy authority and take flight, symbolized by the imagery of a swallow. The song's protagonist seems to be addressing someone who disapproves of their plans, possibly a lover or a figure of authority.
In the verses, the protagonist expresses their determination to prevent the other person from doing "what they want to do." There is a sense of defiance in their refusal to let the other person proceed with their actions. The refrain, "I won't let you do it," reinforces this resistance.
The chorus further develops the theme of escape and rebellion. There is mention of a planned flight, orchestrated with secrecy and anonymity. The hired plane and absence of names emphasize the covert nature of the operation. The protagonist confidently states that they will be over the water like a swallow, indicating a swift and liberated journey.
Throughout the song, there are references to Malta, suggesting a specific location for the flight. Swallows are seen as migratory birds, capable of crossing borders effortlessly, which reflects the protagonist's desire to defy boundaries. They aim to free the guilty, symbolized by catching a swallow. The wings beating and bleeding could represent the sacrifices made to achieve liberation.
The bridge reveals a plea for freedom and a desire to break free from the monotony of life. The protagonist seeks something meaningful to justify their existence and yearns for a chance to fly, paralleling the swallow's ability to soar through the sky.
In the final repetition of the chorus, the protagonist directly asks to be released, emphasizing their longing for escape. The mention of pigs flying serves as a metaphor for the impossibility of their true identity being discovered. The song concludes with a realization that the other person is not capable of embracing the same liberation.
Overall, "Night of the Swallow" explores themes of rebellion, defiance, and the longing for freedom. It emphasizes the desire to break free from constraints, both external and internal, and to pursue a life of independence and autonomy”.
With the incredible B-side of Houdini, you wonder why Night of the Swallow did not make a bigger impact. This is a song that means a lot to Bush. Her mother was Irish. There was a lot of traditional Irish music played in the family house. Her brother Jay (John Carder Bush) had a love of Planxty (of which Dónal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn were members). Their music no doubt influenced that decision to use Irish music in her own. Not something that was common or especially mainstream. One of the first two songs to be recorded for The Dreaming, Bush put this down at Abbey Road Studios in the spring of 1981. Bush travelled to Ireland – like she did for Hounds of Love – and recorded those musicians there. Showing dedication and passion for the song, she quickly travelled back to London (after spending the night recording in Ireland; what she would have given for Zoom and the Internet back then!) and completed mixing the song in London. The fact that it was two years after she recorded it that it was released must have been a bit frustrating. I wonder what would have happened if Night of the Swallow was released wider. Rare that the song has no music video and was barely promoted, it is one of those singles that just fell away. The Dreaming was an album where the singles struggled. I feel Night of the Swallow might have been a bit esoteric and Folk for the Pop mainstream to appreciate in 1983. As it is forty on 21st November, I wanted to spend some time with an amazing song. Night of the Swallow is a gem that warrants…
MORE love and attention.