Hi Matt and thanks for another dive into Kate's music. The story of this song is a well trodden path and a story that is often told. It is one of her collaborations with Prince. She utterly adored him. He was completely blown away by and then besotted with 'Hounds of Love' calling her his favourite woman. And so she approached him to work with her on this song. She sent him her demo version but by the time Prince sent it back to her he had pretty much completely re-designed it and put onto it layer upon layer of his own backing music etc to it. This left her in the position of having to try to de-Princify it, and turn it back into a Kate Bush song, without offending someone she held in such high regard and all separated by 3000 miles from each other. So, this version is what she eventually produced - not quite Kate, not quite Prince, but a kind of hybrid or musical chimera. Quite a few Kate Bush fans don't like it all. And I can understand that. But to me it does kinda, sorta work. As for the song itself. It does tease with quite a bit or religious imagery as she does fairly often on this album. But as with Lily etc she does seem to syncretize her Roman Catholic upbringing with a more oldy worldy kind of spirituality, referring to things like "the grey of the ghost" (grey ladies etc). It also latches on to a very old idea that some parts of the christian worldview held - namely that Jesus of Nazareth was a fairly humourless person. In the song she wonders about whether or not Jesus laughed or what kind of smile he had. This goes very back into history, at least as far back as the 4th century and "St" John Chrysostom who said: "Do you laugh," says St. John Chrysostom, " you who profess the monastic state? You who are crucified: you laugh, who are obliged to weep! Tell me where have you read, that Jesus Christ ever laughed: have you even heard it? Undoubtedly not, but on the contrary you may have read that he was sad and wept." This was part of an idea of Jesus being so holy, righteous and strict that poor sinners could not go directly to him in prayer but needed to go through an intermediary like Mary. This helped pave the way for the popularizing of prayers like the Rosary and led to people like "St" Alphonsus Liguori (17th Century) producing works like 'The Glories of Mary.' But Kate seems to reject the idea completely in this song and muses about him as having a smile that healed. I do often disagree with Kate in her view of the world, but one thing that often seems to come through is a deeply held positivity about the lens through which she sees things (and that very positivity is part of the reason why my gnarly old heart so often disagrees with her). Anyway - one of the great break up songs coming up next. Thanks Again.
You can find the original demo of this song here on UA-cam which Kate sent to Prince. It has extra lyrics which make the song's meaning a (little) clearer and has a more religious, sombre feel to it. Prince added a ton of extra instrumentation and so we ended up with this hybrid which is more like Kate guesting on a Prince track than a real collaboration. However, I do absolutely love (most) if it - I could live without Lenny Henry's vocals. Obviously the song is full of religious imagery, and I wonder if the song is equating that mystery of why you love a certain person with the sacred mysteries (The chapter (a book in the bible, possibly Solomon again, purple, gold, sacred heart, host, (holy) ghost) and the lines about Jesus and the "smile that heals". A line missing from the album version is "A smile that could take you home". So maybe "Why should I love you?" is actually a cry of anguish, and she is searching for comfort in religion from the pain of loving this person who doesn't love her back. That idea gets a bit lost in the joyous vibe of this version. Anyway, I really enjoy it and it has an ecstatic feel to it that I really love.
what can I say? this is the collaboration that ends all collaborations. It’s all I’ve asked for Christmas without ever knowing I asked for it in the first place!
You're right about this feeling a bit "anonymous." I feel that way too. Kate's original demo for this sounds much more serious, with additional lyrics that, once you hear them, feel strangely absent from the final version. For whatever reason, Kate decided to edit the lyrics to a point where the song lost some of its meaning to me. I won't get into the Prince of it all, but I'd definitely suggest you look up the demo for a very different song. I like the album closer that's next a lot more! It is about someone important to Kate's life who just passed away this week, Del Palmer, so it's gonna be extra sad listening to it.
Kate Bush's chorus on the original demo manages to destroy the groove, as the drum pattern suddenly drags & a disjointed chord progression sets in. This part must've instantly jolted Prince's instincts, and musically he was completely right to erase much of that segment and focus on the "why of all ... why should I love you" part and embellish it with the multi-tracked vocals' response. Prince's guitar adds much-needed color to the song, and the keyboards in the beginning give an unusual minor-chord counterpoint to Kate's basic chords. Prince gives form to something, that was either in an embryonic stage or just clumsily written - impossible for us to say. Handing the demo over to Prince is perhaps an indication, that Kate herself didn't know what to do with the song.
A standout track for me on TRS. This album represents Kate's quasi-farewell to traditional pop music, which she did for this album. The last track, which is next, is the best imo. Starting with Aerial in 2005 and then 50 Words for Snow in 2011, Kate returned to the ethereal, singular world of experimentation and originality she is known for. Cannot wait for when you start Aerial!
In the end it is a very good song. But before I got there years passed by. Prince's influence to the track is just so overwhelming for a Kate Bush albumtrack. But at the same time the fusion of these two very authentic and magical artists is out of this world. This album shows so many collaborations with other great and established musicians, but this one stands out so much more.
True, this isn't a typical Kate song, but on the other hand it is, as she so often managed to come up with original stuff. True, it's a bit Prince-y, but it works fine on this song I think, though I like the slower verses a bit better than the more up tempo stuff. "Have you ever seen a picture, of Jesus laughing? Mmh do you think he had a beautiful smile?" Lovely lyrics. I've heard the famous demo a couple of times but am very glad Prince took over and did what he did, as it sounded rather dull and a bit whiney to me. Now it's a thoughtful and joyful song. And a fantastic one to come next!
ua-cam.com/video/WW6V15U3ErU/v-deo.htmlsi=yJIYm8h9SFBUquCM As someone mentioned if you look at the Thank Yous on Prince album Diamonds & Pearls there's one for Kate on there. Think they respected each other immensely. A treat recorded NYE at the Millennium. Shows off the talent in this musician
Hi Matt and thanks for another dive into Kate's music. The story of this song is a well trodden path and a story that is often told. It is one of her collaborations with Prince. She utterly adored him. He was completely blown away by and then besotted with 'Hounds of Love' calling her his favourite woman. And so she approached him to work with her on this song. She sent him her demo version but by the time Prince sent it back to her he had pretty much completely re-designed it and put onto it layer upon layer of his own backing music etc to it. This left her in the position of having to try to de-Princify it, and turn it back into a Kate Bush song, without offending someone she held in such high regard and all separated by 3000 miles from each other.
So, this version is what she eventually produced - not quite Kate, not quite Prince, but a kind of hybrid or musical chimera. Quite a few Kate Bush fans don't like it all. And I can understand that. But to me it does kinda, sorta work.
As for the song itself. It does tease with quite a bit or religious imagery as she does fairly often on this album. But as with Lily etc she does seem to syncretize her Roman Catholic upbringing with a more oldy worldy kind of spirituality, referring to things like "the grey of the ghost" (grey ladies etc). It also latches on to a very old idea that some parts of the christian worldview held - namely that Jesus of Nazareth was a fairly humourless person. In the song she wonders about whether or not Jesus laughed or what kind of smile he had. This goes very back into history, at least as far back as the 4th century and "St" John Chrysostom who said:
"Do you laugh," says St. John Chrysostom, " you who profess the monastic state? You who are crucified: you laugh, who are obliged to weep! Tell me where have you read, that Jesus Christ ever laughed: have you even heard it? Undoubtedly not, but on the contrary you may have read that he was sad and wept."
This was part of an idea of Jesus being so holy, righteous and strict that poor sinners could not go directly to him in prayer but needed to go through an intermediary like Mary. This helped pave the way for the popularizing of prayers like the Rosary and led to people like "St" Alphonsus Liguori (17th Century) producing works like 'The Glories of Mary.' But Kate seems to reject the idea completely in this song and muses about him as having a smile that healed. I do often disagree with Kate in her view of the world, but one thing that often seems to come through is a deeply held positivity about the lens through which she sees things (and that very positivity is part of the reason why my gnarly old heart so often disagrees with her).
Anyway - one of the great break up songs coming up next.
Thanks Again.
RIP Del Palmer
A special edition of Home ground which is a tribute to Del, is available for anyone to download as a PDF.
The demo. That is my comment.
Kate's collaboration with Prince.
There is a 12th track on the UK album called "You're The One."
Prince strikes again !
You can find the original demo of this song here on UA-cam which Kate sent to Prince. It has extra lyrics which make the song's meaning a (little) clearer and has a more religious, sombre feel to it. Prince added a ton of extra instrumentation and so we ended up with this hybrid which is more like Kate guesting on a Prince track than a real collaboration. However, I do absolutely love (most) if it - I could live without Lenny Henry's vocals. Obviously the song is full of religious imagery, and I wonder if the song is equating that mystery of why you love a certain person with the sacred mysteries (The chapter (a book in the bible, possibly Solomon again, purple, gold, sacred heart, host, (holy) ghost) and the lines about Jesus and the "smile that heals". A line missing from the album version is "A smile that could take you home". So maybe "Why should I love you?" is actually a cry of anguish, and she is searching for comfort in religion from the pain of loving this person who doesn't love her back. That idea gets a bit lost in the joyous vibe of this version. Anyway, I really enjoy it and it has an ecstatic feel to it that I really love.
Of course, if it was an actual Prince track, it would be titled “Why Should Eye Love U?”
what can I say? this is the collaboration that ends all collaborations. It’s all I’ve asked for Christmas without ever knowing I asked for it in the first place!
Love this song, there is a demo version that leaked ages ago which is quite different, I love both versions though I prefer the demo.
You're right about this feeling a bit "anonymous." I feel that way too. Kate's original demo for this sounds much more serious, with additional lyrics that, once you hear them, feel strangely absent from the final version. For whatever reason, Kate decided to edit the lyrics to a point where the song lost some of its meaning to me. I won't get into the Prince of it all, but I'd definitely suggest you look up the demo for a very different song.
I like the album closer that's next a lot more! It is about someone important to Kate's life who just passed away this week, Del Palmer, so it's gonna be extra sad listening to it.
Kate Bush's chorus on the original demo manages to destroy the groove, as the drum pattern suddenly drags & a disjointed chord progression sets in. This part must've instantly jolted Prince's instincts, and musically he was completely right to erase much of that segment and focus on the "why of all ... why should I love you" part and embellish it with the multi-tracked vocals' response. Prince's guitar adds much-needed color to the song, and the keyboards in the beginning give an unusual minor-chord counterpoint to Kate's basic chords. Prince gives form to something, that was either in an embryonic stage or just clumsily written - impossible for us to say. Handing the demo over to Prince is perhaps an indication, that Kate herself didn't know what to do with the song.
A standout track for me on TRS. This album represents Kate's quasi-farewell to traditional pop music, which she did for this album. The last track, which is next, is the best imo. Starting with Aerial in 2005 and then 50 Words for Snow in 2011, Kate returned to the ethereal, singular world of experimentation and originality she is known for. Cannot wait for when you start Aerial!
I agree that you shoild also listen to the original demo version.
I hope you do the Aerial album next! & Kate’s Before The Dawn live album 😊
Love love love that Trio Bulgarka into.
Male vocal was Comedian Lenny Henry.
In the end it is a very good song. But before I got there years passed by. Prince's influence to the track is just so overwhelming for a Kate Bush albumtrack. But at the same time the fusion of these two very authentic and magical artists is out of this world. This album shows so many collaborations with other great and established musicians, but this one stands out so much more.
I think of TRS as Kate's last pop album.
Prince smothered this song with treacle. Seek out the demo. Oh what could have been…
True, this isn't a typical Kate song, but on the other hand it is, as she so often managed to come up with original stuff. True, it's a bit Prince-y, but it works fine on this song I think, though I like the slower verses a bit better than the more up tempo stuff.
"Have you ever seen a picture, of Jesus laughing? Mmh do you think he had a beautiful smile?" Lovely lyrics.
I've heard the famous demo a couple of times but am very glad Prince took over and did what he did, as it sounded rather dull and a bit whiney to me. Now it's a thoughtful and joyful song. And a fantastic one to come next!
ua-cam.com/video/WW6V15U3ErU/v-deo.htmlsi=yJIYm8h9SFBUquCM As someone mentioned if you look at the Thank Yous on Prince album Diamonds & Pearls there's one for Kate on there. Think they respected each other immensely. A treat recorded NYE at the Millennium. Shows off the talent in this musician
Still my least favourite album off all her releases 😢