FEATURE:
The EIRE I Breathe
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Griffin
Kate Bush’s Best Half-Dozen ‘Irish Songs’
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ON 19th November…
a terrific Kate Bush-related episode, Give Kate Bush Back to the Irish, appeared on BBC Sounds. Presented by Steven Cockcroft and Jason Carty, they argue that certain artists – who are not Irish or have some Irish blood – belong to EIRE. That they are more tied to the Land of Saints of Scholars, The Emerald Island. You know! That a lot of their music connects with Ireland. I have always known Kate Bush has a connection to Ireland, as her late mother Hannah was born there. She has a lot of family there. She recorded sessions in Ireland/recorded with Irish musicians for Hounds of Love (1985) and The Sensual World (1989). Listening to the podcast, I did not realise just how many of her songs are either very Irish-sounding/reference or nods to the country – in terms of players and instruments. Everything from her 1991 cover of Elton John’s Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) (which is Irish Reggae) to the sublime The Sensual World nods to Ireland with beauty and grace. To honour the wide range of Irish-infused music that she put on her studio albums or recorded as singles, I am ranking her six best ‘Irish songs’. They may have a lot of Irish instrumentation, allude to the country, or simply have a flavour of the nation. Here is an article that lists her Irish connections. Songs that could have been included but were not include The Big Sky (the single from Hounds of Love sees Bush saying a particular cloud “looks like Ireland”), and her cover of My Lagan Love. You could say that Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) has Irish elements and sounds. In celebration of Kate Bush’s familial links to Ireland and the love she has always held for the country, below are her six best songs that either mention Ireland or have the country…
VERY much in the forefront.
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SIX: Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
From the Album: Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Release Date: 22nd October, 1991 (album)/25th November, 1991 (single)
Producer: Kate Bush
The Lowdown:
“Song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Originally released on Elton John’s album Honky Château, it was released as a single on 14 April 1972 and became a hit in the UK and the USA, as well as several European countries.
Kate Bush recorded a cover of the song in 1989 as a track for the album Two Rooms, which was released two years later. it was subsequently released as a single from that album on the Mercury label on 25 November 1991.
Formats
‘Rocket Man’ was released as a 7″ single in a poster sleeve, a 12″ single in a poster sleeve, a cassette single and a CD-single. All formats features another Elton John cover, Candle in the wind, with an added instrumental version of that track on the 12″ single and CD-single. The poster sleeve of the 7″ single in the UK was slightly bigger than the European version.
Kate about ‘Rocket Man’
From the age of 11, Elton John was my biggest hero. I loved his music, had all his albums and I hoped one day I’d play the piano like him (I still do). When I asked to be involved in this project and was given the choice of a track it was like being asked ‘would you like to fulfill a dream? would you like to be Rocket Man?’… yes, I would. (Two Rooms liner notes, 1991)
I was really knocked out to be asked to be involved with this project, because I was such a big fan of Elton’s when I was little. I really loved his stuff. It’s like he’s my biggest hero, really. And when I was just starting to write songs, he was the only songwriter I knew of that played the piano and sang and wrote songs. So he was very much my idol, and one of my favourite songs of his was ‘Rocket Man’. Now, if I had known then that I would have been asked to be involved in this project, I would have just died… They basically said, ‘Would we like to be involved?’ I could choose which track I wanted… ‘Rocket Man’ was my favourite. And I hoped it hadn’t gone, actually – I hoped no one else was going to do it… I actually haven’t heard the original for a very long time. ‘A long, long time’ (laughs). It was just that I wanted to do it differently. I do think that if you cover records, you should try and make them different. It’s like remaking movies: you’ve got to try and give it something that makes it worth re-releasing. And the reggae treatment just seemed to happen, really. I just tried to put the chords together on the piano, and it just seemed to want to take off in the choruses. So we gave it the reggae treatment. It’s even more extraordinary (that the song was a hit) because we actually recorded the track over two years ago. Probably just after my last telly appearance. We were quite astounded when they wanted to release it as a single just recently. (BBC Radio 1 interview, 14 December 1991)” – Kate Bush Encyclopedia
The Irish Connection: 6/10: Even though the song is not Irish or references the country, the fact Bush worked with Davy Spillane and his uilleann pipes turned a classic into Irish Reggae, it was Bush referencing her heritage and her mother. At a time when her mother was in her mind (she died of cancer in 1992), this seems like a tribute to her. One of the last times Bush would reference Ireland and Irish music in her career.
FIVE: The Sensual World
From the Album: The Sensual World
Release Date: 18th September, 1989 (single)/16th October, 1989 (album)
Producer: Kate Bush
The Lowdown:
“Song written by Kate Bush. Originally released as a single by EMI Records on 18 September 1989. Also released on her sixth album The Sensual World. Bush was inspired to write the song after hearing Irish actress Siobhan McKenna read the closing soliloquy from James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’, where the character Molly Bloom recalls her earliest sexual experience with husband-to-be Leopold Bloom. The book was published in 1922. Kate, believing the text had fallen to public domain, simply lifted parts from it and sang them on the backing track she’d created. She approached director Jimmy Murakami to make a video for the song, and he expressed doubts because he suspected James Joyce’s grandson Stephen James Joyce had the rights to the book. Kate then contacted him numerous times, but the Joyce estate refused to release the words. She spent over a year trying to gain permission before accepting defeat.
In the end, she kept the backing track but “re-approached the words”, writing a lyric that sounded a lot like the original text but also added the dimension of ‘stepping out of the page / into the sensual world‘, in effect Molly Bloom stepping out of the book and walking into real life.
Musically, one of the main hooks in the chorus of The Sensual World was inspired by a traditional Macedonian piece of music called ‘Nevestinsko Oro’ (‘Bride’s Dance’). A recording of this piece of music was sent to Kate by Jan Libbenga. As in the traditional version, the melody is played on uilleann pipes, in this case by Irish musician Davy Spillane.
Kate about ‘The Sensual World’
Because I couldn’t get permission to use a piece of Joyce it gradually turned into the song about Molly Bloom the character stepping out of the book, into the real world and the impressions of sensuality. Rather than being in this two-dimensional world, she’s free, let loose to touch things, feel the ground under her feet, the sunsets, just how incredibly sensual a world it is. (…) In the original piece, it’s just ‘Yes’ – a very interesting way of leading you in. It pulls you into the piece by the continual acceptance of all these sensual things: ‘Ooh wonderful!’ I was thinking I’d never write anything as obviously sensual as the original piece, but when I had to rewrite the words, I was trapped. How could you recreate that mood without going into that level of sensuality? So there I was writing stuff that months before I’d said I’d never write. I have to think of it in terms of pastiche, and not that it’s me so much. (Len Brown, ‘In The Realm Of The Senses’. NME (UK), 7 October 1989)
The song is about someone from a book who steps out from this very black and white 2-D world into the real world. The immediate impressions was the sensuality of this world – the fact that you can touch things, that is so sensual – you know… the colours of trees, the feel of the grass on the feet, the touch of this in the hand – the fact that it is such a sensual world. I think for me that’s an incredibly important thing about this planet, that we are surrounded by such sensuality and yet we tend not to see it like that. But I’m sure for someone who had never experienced it before it would be quite a devastating thing. (…) I love the sound of church bells. I think they are extraordinary – such a sound of celebration. The bells were put there because originally the lyrics of the song were taken from the bookUlyssesby James Joyce, the words at the end of the book by Molly Bloom, but we couldn’t get permission to use the words. I tried for a long time – probably about a year – and they wouldn’t let me use them, so I had to create something that sounded like those original word, had the same rhythm, the same kind of feel but obviously not being able to use them. It all kind of turned in to a pastiche of it and that’s why the book character, Molly Bloom, then steps out into the real world and becomes one of us. (Roger Scott, Interview. Radio 1 (UK), 14 October 1989)” – Kate Bush Encyclopedia
The Irish Connection: 8.5/10: Referencing and inspired by James Joyce’s Ulyesses, Bush worked with John Sheahan (fiddle), Davy Spillane (uilleann pipes) and Dónal Lunny (bouzoukiy) to create a distinct Irish sound. A song influenced by a classic novel from one of Ireland’s greatest authors.
FOUR: Army Dreamers
From the Album: Never for Ever
Release Date: 8th September, 1980 (album)/22nd September, 1980 (single)
Producers: Kate Bush/Jon Kelly
The Lowdown:
“Music video
The music video opens on a closeup of Kate Bush, dressed in dark green camouflage, holding a child. She blinks in synchronisation with the song’s sampled gun cocks. The camera pulls out and shows that Bush has a white-haired child on her lap. The child walks off and returns in military combat uniform. Bush and several soldiers (one of whom has “KT8” or “KTB” stencilled on the butt of his rifle: “KTB” was a monogram used by Bush early in her career) make their way through woodland, amid explosions. As the song progresses, Bush reaches out for the child soldier, but he disappears. Finally, one of the soldiers is blown up.
Kate about ‘Army Dreamers’
‘Army Dreamers’ is about a grieving mother who through the death of her soldier boy, questions her motherhood. (Kate Bush Club newsletter, September 1980)
It’s the first song I’ve ever written in the studio. It’s not specifically about Ireland, it’s just putting the case of a mother in these circumstances, how incredibly sad it is for her. How she feels she should have been able to prevent it. If she’d bought him a guitar when he asked for one. (Colin Irwin, ‘Paranoia And Passion Of The Kate Inside’. Melody Maker (UK), 10 October 1980)
The song is about a mother who lost her son overseas. It doesn’t matter how he died, but he didn’t die in action – it was an accident. I wanted the mother to be a very simple woman who’s obviously got a lot of work to do. She’s full of remorse, but he has to carry on, living in a dream. Most of us live in a dream. (Week-long diary, Flexipop, 1980)” – Kate Bush Encyclopedia
The Irish Connection: 6.5/10: Even though the instrumentation is not Irish, the fact is Bush adopts an Irish accent. The use of the word ‘mammy’ is Irish. I think that she is singing from the perspective of an Irish mother. Rather than referencing the Republic of Ireland, it may be more of a reference to Northern Ireland and a young soldier killed during The Troubles there (which ran from the 1960s to 1998).
THREE: Mná na hÉireann
From the Album: Common Ground (Voices of Modern Irish Music)
Release Date: 11th June, 1996
Producer: Dónal Lunny
The Lowdown:
“Poem written by Ulster poet Peadar Ó Doirnín (1704–1796). It is most famous as a song, and especially set to an air composed by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971). As a modern song, ‘Mná na hÉireann’ is usually placed in the category of Irish rebel music; as an eighteenth-century poem it belongs to the genre (related to the aisling) which imagines Ireland as a generous, beautiful woman suffering the depredations of an English master on her land, her cattle, or her self, and which demands Irishmen to defend her, or ponders why they fail to. The poem also seems to favor Ulster above the other Irish provinces.
Kate Bush recorded her rendition in 1995 for the 1996 compilation album Common Ground – Voices of Modern Irish Music. According to Donal Lunny, who contacted her for this contribution, ‘She was very excited with the idea of singing the Irish in a way that Irish speakers would understand, and of conveying the meaning of the song through the sounds of the words. I helped as much as I could. She had Seán Ó Sé’s recording of Mná na hÉireann as reference. She was as faithful to the pronunciations as she could possibly be. It was with characteristic care and attention that she approached it. She did not stint one bit. Of course you’ll get people saying, `Oh, you’d know she doesn’t talk Irish straight off’. You wouldn’t know it straight off. I would defend her efforts as being totally sincere. No matter how perfect she gets it, she’s not an Irish speaker. This may rankle with some people.’
Critical reception
The track was reviewed as ‘impressive’ by Hot Press, saying that Kate’s ‘fiery interpretation….may well prove to be among the most controversial cuts on Common Ground’. Indeed the Irish Times review of Common Ground singled out Kate as ‘fumbling her way through’ the song. NME was more positive about the track: “Since Lunny made a significant mark on her ‘Sensual World’ album, she repays him with a swooning version of ‘Mná na hÉireann’ (Women Of Ireland) that’s as good as anything she’s done this decade.”
Kate about ‘Mná na hÉireann’
It was fun and very challenging …..I will eagerly await comments from all Irish-speaking listeners in particular. I’m sure Ma gave me a helping hand! (Kate Bush Club Newsletter, December 1995)
Donal Lunny about ‘Mná na hÉirann’
Not being an Irish speaker, she had to learn the words phonetically and took enormous pains over that. We exchanged, at the time I think it was faxes, of phonetic versions of it and spoke over the phone, went over the pronunciations, and eventually she got it pretty well. (Kate Bush sings as Gaeilge – Donal Lunny on working with a legend, RTÉ Radio 1 (Ireland), 4 September 2020)” – Kate Bush Encyclopedia
The Irish Connection: 9.5/10: With Bush singing ‘Irish rebel music’ in Irish, it is probably one of the most pure and potent ‘Irish song’ she ever recorded. It is a very authentic and brave testament and tribute to a country that is very dear to her.
TWO: Night of the Swallow
From the Album: The Dreaming
Release Date: 13th September, 1982 (album)/21st November, 1983 (single)
Producer: Kate Bush
The Lowdown:
“Formats
The song was ultimately released as a single in Ireland, most likely because of the Irish nature of the song, featuring instrumental accompaniment by members of the Irish bands Planxty and the Chieftains. The single was released on 21 November 1983, over a year after the release of the album The Dreaming. The B-side was Houdini.
When the single was released, around 1000 copies were made with a picture sleeve; the vinyl 7″ was pressed in England (presumably) and the sleeve produced in Ireland. More vinyl was produced than sleeves; because the single did not sell well, by the time the next shipment of 7″ singles was in transit the single had already flopped. The surplus discs hung around and from about 1990 copies with a lighterweight sleeve appeared. And so, the original copies had card sleeves whereas later versions had paper sleeves.
Kate about ‘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 aceilidhband 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)” – Kate Bush Encyclopedia
The Irish Connection: 10/10: I think this might be Bush’s most ‘Irish’ track. Not only did she employ the service of the loyal and super-talented Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes, penny whistle), Seán Keane (fiddle) and Dónal Lunny (bouzouki), the song was released as a single in Ireland only. Even though it did not chart well, it is still a nod to the nation and a special single released for fans there.
ONE: Jig of Life
From the Album: Hounds of Love
Release Date: 16th September, 1985
Producer: Kate Bush
The Lowdown:
“Kate about ‘Jig Of Life’
At this point in the story, it’s the future self of this person coming to visit them to give them a bit of help here. I mean, it’s about time they have a bit of help. So it’s their future self saying, “look, don’t give up, you’ve got to stay alive, ’cause if you don’t stay alive, that means I don’t.” You know, “and I’m alive, I’ve had kids [laughs]. I’ve been through years and years of life, so you have to survive, you mustn’t give up.”
This was written in Ireland. At one point I did quite a lot of writing, you know, I mean lyrically, particularly. And again it was a tremendous sort of elemental dose I was getting, you know, all this beautiful countryside. Spending a lot of time outside and walking, so it had this tremendous sort of stimulus from the outside. And this was one of the tracks that the Irish musicians that we worked with was featured on.
There was a tune that my brother Paddy found which… he said “you’ve got to hear this, you’ll love it.” And he was right [laughs], he played it to me and I just thought, you know, “this would be fantastic somehow to incorporate here.”
Was just sort of, pull this person up out of despair. (Richard Skinner, ‘Classic Albums interview: Hounds Of Love. Radio 1 (UK), aired 26 January 1992)” – Kate Bush Encyclopedia
The Irish Connection: 9.5/10: Another extremely Irish song, its lyrics do not reference the country, yet Jig of Life is awash with Irish musicians and instruments (Dónal Lunny (bouzouki), John Sheahan (whistles and fiddles), Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes). They bring this rousing and joyous track to life. It appears at a vital moment on Hounds of Love’s second side, The Ninth Wave. Her brother, John Carder Bush, provides narration right near the end of the track that is an Irish accent. All the more reason why it is a gleaming emerald in the midst of her 1985 masterpiece album. A redemptive, spirited and busy song that injects new hope into The Ninth Wave and its heroine in peril (a suite which, I feel, warrants a short film adaptation).