Kate Bush had the privilege of growing up in a musical family. She mastered her instrumental skills early, and had all the support she needed from her family to begin a musical career. When Bush did sign on with a record company, she would prove to be far more than a talented, skilled and passionate new voice. Her erudition and creativity met in haunting, well-crafted songs reflective of the expansive soul behind them. Her debut album contained songs that she had composed in her early teens. Bush took inspiration from literary classics and contemporary politics, declining to write and sing too much about her own life or her own personal feelings.
One song in her debut album, “Kashka from Baghdad”, was a slice-of-life portrayal of a relationship between homosexual men…
“At night, they’re seen… laughing, loving… They know the way… to be happy”.
She incorporated visual concepts and interpretive dance in her videos. She would be outspoken, and incisively insightful, about the industry she worked in: decrying sexist marketing policies, as well as the way her record label forced her to rush her second album.
Bush had fought for her first song release to be “Wuthering Heights” instead of “James and the Cold Gun”, showing initiative and commitment to a clear vision early on in her career. When her own record label demanded that she produce an album within a time limit that left her dissatisfied with the product, she founded her own label with her family as members of the company.
Having established absolute creative control, Bush was then free to grant the world some truly enthralling and profoundly beautiful songs that she composed, performed, and even produced by herself. The instrumentation gradually became more exotic and adventurous, and the subjects and themes remained profound. Once so prolific that she had composed over forty songs before the age of twelve, her album releases became fewer and further between. Never has she lost her instinct for innovation, her musical genius becoming a national treasure.
