As I'm watching this from the comfort of my own home, the sky over Glasgow is dense with snow. Perfect. This album is a beautiful journey. Let yourself go with it and drift along like a snowflake...
This album was never a shock, nor was it a let down. It's a beautiful and gorgeous album. It is quintessential Kate. She's going to make the music she loves, if you follow along, that's up to you.
I'm a huge Kate Bush fan hearing "The Kick Inside" which I had to buy in NYC as an import. My next LP was "The Dreaming" which came out in the US. What a jump musically! This perfect winter music the same way that "Ariel" is for summer. I love listening to it yearly as snow falls, fires burn, and hot chocolate warms me.
I think this album is such a massively underrated gem in Kate's catalog. Love the undestated melancholy and beauty in this record and i'm always glad when i can find people who appreciate the nuances in it. Kate's such a brilliant artist.
This album settles my soul into winter. Long term Kate fans know not to expect anything. This song is so special, she’d concentrated on raising her son so to hear them together is so moving… “I am sky!” gets me every time. Have a wonderful 2023 ❤
Been a fan for a long time. At first I liked it. It was so different. Now I thinks it’s brilliant.so unique. It gets better with each listen. Now it’s one of my favorites. Just gorgeous. She stopped caring about hits. I’m here for this Kate
Kate Bush is my musical hero and this is just another piece of beauty from her please Kate 1 more album 🙏🙏 And another live show 🙏🙏 The woman is a GENIUS
I love this track. It paints pictures in my mind of heavy snowfall and one delicate flake's journey. The first winter it was released I was listening to it whilst driving through snowfall and it made the perfect soundtrack. I will admit however, that I don't listen to this album as much as others but only because of its seasonal themes.
Before I started watching reactions on UA-cam, I had never heard of Kate Bush before. As I was listening to this, I started forming my thoughts, but decided that before I wrote them down here, I was going to wait to see what Justin said, to see if he agrees with me about this piece... he does. This might be the most beautiful piece by Kate that I've heard. I couldn't stop listening to it, and it felt like only 3 minutes had passed. I often listen to some of the music that Justin is reacting to, that I've never heard before, and I'll listen a little, and then usually just click on something else... but not this time... Kate took me somewhere... and I didn't want to leave.
Don’t constantly refer to what other people think of the music you are listening to - it’s how it moves and affects you that we tune in for and love you for. Wishing you and your wife a gorgeous Christmas and a very happy New Year x
No laughter here. When I first heard this album, I found it elusively magical and upon further hearings find it stunning wherein trying to get closer to its elusiveness I found it getting closer to me. That's how Kate works I think. She creates innocently waiting for the words and music to arrive and then reaches us that way. Personifying that falling of a snowflake as a child descending to a hand, a piano describing the moment like an awakening and an awareness and a reaching of what the weather shows us and how it is a reflection of our selves.
Her most recent album ❄️☃️🌨️ but maybe not the last ... 50 Words for Snow is very different from her previous albums - although perhaps a complementary piece to the second disc of Aerial. It's still quitessential Kate Bush though. I thought Wild Man was a magnificent single, and the whole of the album is a wonderfully spare meditation on the season of dormancy. Merry Christmas JP. Edited: as we get older there are things we see and understand about life, its fleeting nature, and the cycle of renewal; as well as many of poignant details that might have been lost on us as brash youths. One of the things that may have been touching you here is that Kate is singing with her son, Bertie. The muse passing between the generations. You're not crazy at alI. It is beautiful, it does make us weep. Second edit:. Okay, you got it ... why would I think you wouldn't? You're intuitions are always very good. I can't think of another channel that deals better with lyrics. This album is dominated by Kate's presence on the piano. Which is where she began, as an elfin, wildly imaginative teenager. It's where she found her voice, and its natural that later in her career she returns home, to the place of her beginning.
I was hoping you were gonna do this album! I'm so excited. This track is so beautiful, it makes me want to cry too! I agree that Kate and her son singing together makes it just beautiful on a whole other level. I think he was about 12 years old maybe? This album is incredibly underrated, so atmospheric and beautiful and her voice is so warm and comforting. The length of the songs makes me get so lost in them and it's very meditative as well. I think even if you don't do another Misty reaction you should still listen to it again since it's been a year and it's easily one of her best songs ever. I'm so glad you understand how brilliant this is, I wish everyone did.
Minimal or not, this album is brilliant. If you enjoy this, it’s similar to David Bowie’s Dark Star, although that is even more melancholy. Both geniuses.
Gonna be honest also, I put off listening to this because I have to be in the mood for Kate. Sometimes she’s a bit much for me but it’s the post Christmas morning and colder than I’d like, so I thought I’d catch up on some reactions. I tend to start the song and leaf down to the comments and see what’s happening. Some were not positive and I could see their point pretty quick. At that point I thought I’d change my point of view and listen to her as a new, unknown artist(s)… I started to understand the hypnotic piano and deep emotion in the lyrics… I was won over. I can understand your internal emotional feelings and I too kept it inside but when I substituted my daughter for her son, I burst into tears. Very power this. Thank you.
Music is so individual that I don't care about other people's opinion to be honest. Kate Bush is an artist, and she has the right to do whatever she wants to. Now to this song. I like the constant repeating of this one piano motive. It hypnotizes me in a way. It's like a mantra put into music, repeated over and over again. It is peaceful - like the image of a falling snowflake. And Kate's singing isn't changing much as well, like the piano motive. She only breaks out occasionally of it when she sings the high notes, just to come back again to the melody she was singing before. I always loved the album from the first date it came out.
For me this album was clearly meant to be a turn or pivot. There are no typical Kate characters, few original 'voicings' or any vocal acrobatics at all. Its instead introspective, minimalist (not minimal) and incredibly evocative - and one of the very few times another vocalist is heard. Its not Kate's easiest album to get into but, like virtually everything she does, its worth the effort.
This was an amazingly thoughtful and intelligent analysis of one of my favorite Kate Bush songs. Totally agree that the older you get the more you connect to songs emotionally and I love that you shared that!
The album, when I first heard it, became my favourite from her wide catalogue. After 10 years it still is. And yes the older you get the more emotional you can become. This album can put you in that zone. Nice analysis by the way.
No laughing at you here Justin! As a long time fan (since Wuthering Heights) I loved this album on first listen (bar one song). The next one you'll react to is my absolute favourite but I love this one so much. I'm so looking forward to when you react to Aerial which I think you'll find is a fabulous transition between The Red Shoes Album and 50 Words. Thanks again for your really insightful reactions.
First off, let's get one thing straight right now! I would NEVER "laugh at" you, in the way you meant! However, I have been on the receiving end of that kind of laughter, for the same reason, all my life. So, I get it. I was welling up in the first few seconds, and continued throughout. I was almost relieved when it ended, because I was getting too sad...... This song reminds me very much of Laura Nyro's "New York Tendaberry"!!! Personally, I think she is describing the birth of her son, from both perspectives. Don't ever stuff your emotional nature! That's what I love about you! Merry Christmas!
This is a beautiful album. It is an album that is not in any hurry. You just have to sit back and let it flow over you, and soak up the atmosphere. There are some appearances, later on, by some UK national treasures, including, Elton John and Stephen Fry. The Beatles, Laura Marling and Kate Bush in one day! Thank you, you have just made my Christmas!
I've been waiting for you to review this track, it's my absolute favourite on the album. It's a real treat in the winter, when it's snowing outside, to play this song and just wallow in it as I watch the snow falling through the window.
thank you, I always feel like walking in a snow fall thick as they can be, and i love this repeat on the piano, warm and heart beat like. And her son Bertie sings so beautiful in it. This album is again creating a masterpiece, and when people dont like it, fuck em , for wanting life to repeat itself, and dont want things to change.
Blooming heck JP. That got a bit deep! Really top analysis on the track and made lots of sense. Excellent end to Christmas Day in the UK so I thank you for that and wish you and yours a fab rest of the day
This album was no surprise or a shock to me. Actually musically it picked up where Aerial (A Sea Of Honey) left off. I was thrilled by this fact. Finally Kate allowed herself to stay close at home with the production of her compositions. Beautiful! The surprise to me was her son opening the album for her. He was already introduced to us on her previous album Aerial as a toddler.
As a massive Kate Bush fan I was so excited when this album came out, sadly I have never really given it the time it deserves, because as you say it is very different. However you have inspired me to have another go at getting into it.
Please do yourself this favour. Be patient, let her music neutralise your expectations and just let it come over you. Give it a season. The snow is a soft blanket that will provide a soft landing when falling into it.
Gosh its beautiful and moving x I have the album and a must for this time of year x I love how you sit and feel the music allowing it space to breathe x So emotional for me as is alot of kates music 🎶 ☃️✨️it's her tone of voice and exquisite piano playing plus the energy that gets into your heart so I get where you are coming from and loved your analogy of meaning between kate and son💚
I love this album. It's a grower. At first I was kind of 'meh', but honestly it just gets better and better. Imagine having not released an album for 6 years and then on the first track it's not even your voice as the driving force. And yet it works. that hypnotizing, warm lullaby-sounding piano hook. It's so perfect. And it's also the first time I really hear the similarities between Kate and Björk. In fact, I think that you could replace Bertie with Björk's voice on this track and it would be just as good.
Great comment. Agree that it’s a ‘grower’. I was too young back then and hadn’t listened to jazz. But now I did. And…. the term jazz doesn’t do this album justice actually
Beautiful reaction and analysis, Justin. I'm of the type of Kate fan that you're asking your question... I've been a fan since 1979 and I've listened to each release as it came out (when I started, she'd just released Never Forever, but I first heard The Kick Inside, then picked up the two subsequent albums.) The first time I heard 50 Words for Snow, I will confess I was impressed, but it took me a while to get into it. Part of that isn't Kate, it's the way I had come to listen to music in the 2000's, as opposed to the 80's and 90's, when I was completely consumed by music. It's not an album I come back to frequently, but when I do, I am impressed all over again. It really is a beautiful and complex album. Justin - I can't remember, have you listened to Aerial yet? If you haven't, I hope you will react to it, because it's the transition from her art/pop music to her more introspective work. Aerial, for me, is up there with Hounds of Love and The Dreaming. But thanks for listening to 50 Words for Snow, because it's bringing all the genius back to me all over again.
Kate Bush fan here since I was 10, no in my 50s. When FIRST heard it I struggled a bit. But... I am a longtime Kate Bush fan and this is not the first time... I purposefully studied art periods in uni "I did not like," as I learned, i loved them. This album is a masterpiece. Not sure what you know, but it is a Kate Bush world: The entire suite takes place in a snow globe once it has been shaken. The first song takes place over the life of a snowflake "born in a cloud" falling to the ground to be caught by a woman. The part of the snowflake is sung by her son Bertie. His voice was going to change soon so Kate rushed to get his song recorded before that. Kate is the woman waiting to catch the snowflake (son). ... I mean... come on!
I put on the headphones and get enveloped in beautiful sounds - I love Kate’s music and voice, although I think this would make a beautiful instrumental album as well.
She only sings 11 words. She sings them a lot. They are so packed with emotion and love and motherly care and I just don’t know. The first time I heard that track I was a bit entranced with it to be honest. Her piano is exquisite. The brief addition of other instruments, the guitar at one point, the bass notes running through. It’s more than a little hypnotic.
Long term, from-the-very-first-single fan here. I loved this album on first listen. I was obviously predisposed to adore it, as I believe her to be a true genius, and one of my favourite artists ever. This song is full of warmth and love, and moves me deeply too. The only song I didn't like - and still don't - is Snowed In At Wheeler Street. The last song, Among Angels, was the second and final encore at her epochal 2014 concert residency at the Hammersmith Apollo, and was overwhelming ❤️
Same as me. I loved this album instantly and the only song I don't care for is Snowed In At Wheeler Street: can't stand Elton John's vocals. You're so lucky to have got to see her live, I can only imagine how magical that was to see her perform.
Kate Bush fan since 1980. I was blown away the first time I heard this. Musically, this song is like Schuman. It's spare while intensely emotive. The utilization of Bertie singing in a classic choir boy vocal is stunning. The dual voices also reckon some call and response. The mixtures of these forms is amazing. Lyrically it's jaw dropping. Kate is perfect to imagine the pov of a snowflake and the bringing together the metaphor of the cycle of life into the percipitation of the earth. The one that sticks to me is Lake Tahoe. The video is gorgeous. It's really a lovely album. I'm so glad you are visiting this album. All songs are good. Many like Misty. Wild Man had a brief spot on the charts. The title track is whimsical. When this and Aerial came out, there were some Kate fans who felt the maturity and use of more classical musical forms was disappointing. I personally feel the Elton john duet is one of the weaker songs, yet it touches on one of Kate's constant themes, enduring love. The album is Kate through and through... enduring love, ghosts, the cycle of life, sensuality, and a little bit of whimsy.
Interesting in that I actually liked this album a lot on my first listen when I was still new to Kate's music. Maybe because I've been a jazz lover for many years and also appreciate classical music a lot this album didn't feel difficult to me. I understand why it's divisive for Kate fans who expect more art pop/rock music from her which this album really isn't. It's got an understated, graceful atmosphere that if you're willing to sit with can really pull you in. For me "Snowed In At Wheeler Street" is easily the weakest track on the album and that's due to Elton John's vocals which I'm not fond of and the whole thing feels a bit schmaltzy to me. Other than that this album is a beauty and I wish more fans were open to giving it a chance as opposed to dismissing it because it's slow.
I have been an enormous KB fan since Dec 9, 1978. The first time I heard this album (50 Words) I thought it rubbish! But via a FB group I was encoraged to give it another try. Now Misty is one of my all time favorite Kate songs. Just brilliant. And I have grown to like or love all 7 tracks. Maybe I needed to grow up a little more?? I agree with your reaction - it is so emotional. Moody in ways kind of like The Dreaming, but not as dark and wild, rather, more calm and mature.
Interesting question indeed. At first I found it too quiet sounding album: but it grew on me: it’s my favourite. The subtlety and soundscape and great storytelling is so great. And emotional as well😊 Great music choice and in-depth comment, thanks
50 Words For Snow is a great album. Snowed In At Wheeler Street is my favorite track on the album. I look forward to your reactions to all of these songs.
Speaking to Mojo magazine, Bush said that she wrote the song for her son, "to show off this really beautiful voice that he has." She went on to explain there were two ideas: "Firstly, the idea of this snowflake falling from the sky - this fragile, temporary creation. And Bertie still has his high voice, but it's also a fragile instrument, because soon his voice will drop and I thought there was a nice meeting of the two ideas - of this fragile little snowflake making its journey, and this voice that will soon pass."
For some reason I can't really get into New York Tendaberry, although I thought both the thirteenth confession and beads of sweat were wonderful. Do you have any idea why that could be?
Another great reaction! I know you have already heard it but my favorite KB album is The Dreaming. Hope you are having a great holiday in our cold Florida.
As a long-term KB fan, when I first heard this album I thought it was both pretty and pretty dull. It took a long time for this album to get under my skin. Now it's definitely in my top 10 all time albums, and probably top 5. It's beauty is subtle, and I've grown to love that. Let it wash over you.
Long time fan. I adore this album, and have done from the first time I heard it. It's stripped down and moody and is moving in the direction of classical minimalism as opposed to art rock. I understand the dislike to some degree but, to me, it's from people wanting a retread of past glories. Who really wants that? Not Kate, I'm sure.
I totally get why this song hits you. For me, it's on an emotional level on par with some David Sylvian stuff (Secret Of The Beehive) I remember hearing this album for the first time, when i still smoked outside in the snow at night. I was absolutely blown away....
Diolch JP! Have you heard “Mid-Air” by Paul Buchanan, or “It’s a Very Deep Sea” by The Style Council. Wot about Dexys’ “ it’s ok John Jo” or Ed Harcourt’s “The Diving Bell” and the rest of his tearjerking “Beyond the End” LP. Four Piano based minimalist pieces for sure, but long term investments guarenteed to pay emotional dividends. Glad I’ve been able to hear this. Nos Da🤙🙂
Every snowflake is unique. And inevitably part of a snowfall, a speck of something drifting. And inevitably part of a snowdrift, packed under snow or on the surface in the sun. And inevitably part of the melt water, gone down the river, soon lost in the sea, never to be seen again. Just like who else? Nice easy trick question. *Major Parkinson* start *Sanity Fair* with some snowflakes, but then the get all boisterous. (Loved this song, BTW. I don't care what's meant to be wrong with it. I feel all nice and evened out and slow, now. That'll do me just fine.) Until I go and join all the dogs diving up to splashdown into dirty puddles with this: ua-cam.com/video/eoh62_Gejcg/v-deo.html
First time, i was underwhelmed. Never really grew on me. I am keeping my mind open though, still not convinced that this is on the level of Aerial and of her 80's output, but i will keep on following on the journey. (But i'd rather listen to Snowflake than most of the stuff on The Red Shoes.)
I stopped listening to Kate's albums when The Red Shoes came out. Sensual World didn't hit me like Hounds of Love did (how could it?) (I have come on board with that one in the years since its release.) I just let her go after that. I have to say, though... That was beautiful. That was compelling. I am very much looking forward to hearing the rest of it. Thank you for not listening to the discouragers.
As a UK based KB fan it sounds like a tonal homage (especially with her son as the lead vocalist and piano arrangement) to the theme song from 'The Snowman'. :-) ua-cam.com/video/upH1QZU4Z0Y/v-deo.html
As a fan since '78, my initial feeling on hearing this album was disappointment. Having waited a long time for it, as is the way with Kate more recently, I couldn't get into it at all. It sounded repetitive and, frankly, boring. I still think that most of the racks would have benefited by being shorter, but "50 Words" is very much a mood album and, if one is in the right mood, it has the ability to transport one to a different world. And yes, JP, it's an emotional world.
I don't care what people think. I am 26 years old. This, in my opinion, is the best Bush album. Gorgeous from start to finish. Not a single weak song. Having an enormous background, Kate recorded something as deep, mature and minimalistic as 50 words for snow. Period. I guess it's very easy for people to complain and throw things away when they differ. Same story with Bjork to me personally. I don't get those old fans who are into her 90s stuff and hate the recent. I am all about mature Bjork, a woman in her late 50s who stepped away from silly stuff like Oh It's So Quiet towards Vulnicura-Utopia-Fossora. Justin, did you see Sylvian dropped a Nine Horses demo from 2004 session, I'm too mad to let you know? Can't stop listening to it, so good.
You don't like it, that's fair enough. However, it does not 'lack' anything. It's the statement she wanted to make at that time, and it is a very completed work. I'm rather perplexed that you would think it lacks imagination - it's Kate freakin Bush! What is missing that would have satisfied your craving for originality?
@@Ozymandi_as I get your passion, but don't forget that it's all subjective, really, and there is something for everyone! And I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Merry Christmas!
I don't know how Wheeler Street could ever be described as lacking imagination. I find it completely beautiful and unique. I love the idea of 2 souls perfectly suited to one another constantly meeting for just a fleeting moment throughout different lifetimes. It's bittersweet and a little heartbreaking.
@@thedarksiderebel I won't argue about the lyrics. They are pretty interesting. But musically, the song is a bit dreary and repetitive with elements of corny AM radio music.
I was disappointed that this album was so jazzy and I found it self indulgent. I still do. That being said, I find the 1st couple of tracks (snowflake and Lake Tahoe) very moving. In a way, she went back to her roots, just her and the piano. This album could have used some serious editing though. Her voice didn't age particularly well and that makes it a bit harder for me to follow her path.
I'm a long-time devoted fan, since seeing her on SNL in the late '70s. I bought the singles, the books, magazines, had a poster of her on my wall. She retired for 12 years to raise her son then returned with "Aerial" which I found less than stunning but still liked it. This album I find dreary, slow, repetitive and lacking inspiration. I wanted to love it. I listen to ambient albums and instrumentals, classical works, etc. but this never grabbed me and I've heard it a few times. The arrangement is sparse, where's the meticulous production she was always so obsessed with? The lyrics are repetitive and frankly not sung at her best yet she does seem capable. That 1 piano riff just keeps repeating endlessly, where's the creativity, counter melodies, the depth and breadth? I was left with the impression that this was dashed off in a hurry, a mere 7 drawn-out tracks that seem a shadow of her former talent. All I feel is empty disappointment.
Sometimes less is more. The production is delicate and deliberate. If it doesn't work for you, then it doesn't work. But this album definitely has more layers than a first or second listen gives away.
As I'm watching this from the comfort of my own home, the sky over Glasgow is dense with snow. Perfect. This album is a beautiful journey. Let yourself go with it and drift along like a snowflake...
This album was never a shock, nor was it a let down. It's a beautiful and gorgeous album. It is quintessential Kate. She's going to make the music she loves, if you follow along, that's up to you.
Fan since album #1. First listen I was enthralled. Years later, it's still intoxicating and brilliant.
I'm a huge Kate Bush fan hearing "The Kick Inside" which I had to buy in NYC as an import. My next LP was "The Dreaming" which came out in the US. What a jump musically! This perfect winter music the same way that "Ariel" is for summer. I love listening to it yearly as snow falls, fires burn, and hot chocolate warms me.
I think this album is such a massively underrated gem in Kate's catalog. Love the undestated melancholy and beauty in this record and i'm always glad when i can find people who appreciate the nuances in it. Kate's such a brilliant artist.
This album settles my soul into winter. Long term Kate fans know not to expect anything. This song is so special, she’d concentrated on raising her son so to hear them together is so moving… “I am sky!” gets me every time.
Have a wonderful 2023 ❤
This track was specifically written for her son, the lead vocalist, on the recording. Beautiful to hear them both together.
Funny…. Everytime Kate, the mother, sings, these are the moments that Dan McIntosh the father and guitarist plays. Very intimate and beautiful combo
Been a fan for a long time. At first I liked it. It was so different. Now I thinks it’s brilliant.so unique. It gets better with each listen. Now it’s one of my favorites. Just gorgeous. She stopped caring about hits. I’m here for this Kate
Kate Bush is my musical hero and this is just another piece of beauty from her please Kate 1 more album 🙏🙏 And another live show 🙏🙏 The woman is a GENIUS
I love this track. It paints pictures in my mind of heavy snowfall and one delicate flake's journey. The first winter it was released I was listening to it whilst driving through snowfall and it made the perfect soundtrack. I will admit however, that I don't listen to this album as much as others but only because of its seasonal themes.
Before I started watching reactions on UA-cam, I had never heard of Kate Bush before. As I was listening to this, I started forming my thoughts, but decided that before I wrote them down here, I was going to wait to see what Justin said, to see if he agrees with me about this piece... he does.
This might be the most beautiful piece by Kate that I've heard. I couldn't stop listening to it, and it felt like only 3 minutes had passed. I often listen to some of the music that Justin is reacting to, that I've never heard before, and I'll listen a little, and then usually just click on something else... but not this time... Kate took me somewhere... and I didn't want to leave.
I think you and I might actually be related! Merry Christmas!!
@@MissAstorDancer Well here's hoping 🙂
@@Lightmane Awwww!!😘
Really happy you enjoyed it LM :)
@@JustJP glad you saw my comment JP : )
Don’t constantly refer to what other people think of the music you are listening to - it’s how it moves and affects you that we tune in for and love you for. Wishing you and your wife a gorgeous Christmas and a very happy New Year x
No laughter here. When I first heard this album, I found it elusively magical and upon further hearings find it stunning wherein trying to get closer to its elusiveness I found it getting closer to me. That's how Kate works I think. She creates innocently waiting for the words and music to arrive and then reaches us that way. Personifying that falling of a snowflake as a child descending to a hand, a piano describing the moment like an awakening and an awareness and a reaching of what the weather shows us and how it is a reflection of our selves.
Her most recent album ❄️☃️🌨️ but maybe not the last ...
50 Words for Snow is very different from her previous albums - although perhaps a complementary piece to the second disc of Aerial. It's still quitessential Kate Bush though. I thought Wild Man was a magnificent single, and the whole of the album is a wonderfully spare meditation on the season of dormancy.
Merry Christmas JP.
Edited: as we get older there are things we see and understand about life, its fleeting nature, and the cycle of renewal; as well as many of poignant details that might have been lost on us as brash youths. One of the things that may have been touching you here is that Kate is singing with her son, Bertie. The muse passing between the generations. You're not crazy at alI. It is beautiful, it does make us weep.
Second edit:. Okay, you got it ... why would I think you wouldn't? You're intuitions are always very good. I can't think of another channel that deals better with lyrics.
This album is dominated by Kate's presence on the piano. Which is where she began, as an elfin, wildly imaginative teenager. It's where she found her voice, and its natural that later in her career she returns home, to the place of her beginning.
I was hoping you were gonna do this album! I'm so excited. This track is so beautiful, it makes me want to cry too! I agree that Kate and her son singing together makes it just beautiful on a whole other level. I think he was about 12 years old maybe? This album is incredibly underrated, so atmospheric and beautiful and her voice is so warm and comforting. The length of the songs makes me get so lost in them and it's very meditative as well. I think even if you don't do another Misty reaction you should still listen to it again since it's been a year and it's easily one of her best songs ever. I'm so glad you understand how brilliant this is, I wish everyone did.
Minimal or not, this album is brilliant. If you enjoy this, it’s similar to David Bowie’s Dark Star, although that is even more melancholy. Both geniuses.
The greatest emotional singer EVER
Gonna be honest also, I put off listening to this because I have to be in the mood for Kate. Sometimes she’s a bit much for me but it’s the post Christmas morning and colder than I’d like, so I thought I’d catch up on some reactions. I tend to start the song and leaf down to the comments and see what’s happening. Some were not positive and I could see their point pretty quick. At that point I thought I’d change my point of view and listen to her as a new, unknown artist(s)… I started to understand the hypnotic piano and deep emotion in the lyrics… I was won over. I can understand your internal emotional feelings and I too kept it inside but when I substituted my daughter for her son, I burst into tears. Very power this.
Thank you.
This is my favorite album of hers! I've listened to it on repeat when it was released.
Music is so individual that I don't care about other people's opinion to be honest. Kate Bush is an artist, and she has the right to do whatever she wants to. Now to this song. I like the constant repeating of this one piano motive. It hypnotizes me in a way. It's like a mantra put into music, repeated over and over again. It is peaceful - like the image of a falling snowflake. And Kate's singing isn't changing much as well, like the piano motive. She only breaks out occasionally of it when she sings the high notes, just to come back again to the melody she was singing before. I always loved the album from the first date it came out.
For me this album was clearly meant to be a turn or pivot. There are no typical Kate characters, few original 'voicings' or any vocal acrobatics at all. Its instead introspective, minimalist (not minimal) and incredibly evocative - and one of the very few times another vocalist is heard.
Its not Kate's easiest album to get into but, like virtually everything she does, its worth the effort.
This was an amazingly thoughtful and intelligent analysis of one of my favorite Kate Bush songs. Totally agree that the older you get the more you connect to songs emotionally and I love that you shared that!
She is so unique , a genius , a angel on earth
The album, when I first heard it, became my favourite from her wide catalogue. After 10 years it still is. And yes the older you get the more emotional you can become. This album can put you in that zone. Nice analysis by the way.
I honestly loved it so much on first listen, and it's only grown on me. A perfect winter album.
No laughing at you here Justin! As a long time fan (since Wuthering Heights) I loved this album on first listen (bar one song). The next one you'll react to is my absolute favourite but I love this one so much. I'm so looking forward to when you react to Aerial which I think you'll find is a fabulous transition between The Red Shoes Album and 50 Words. Thanks again for your really insightful reactions.
Loved this album on first listen and it grew from there, is my definitive winter album.
First off, let's get one thing straight right now! I would NEVER "laugh at" you, in the way you meant! However, I have been on the receiving end of that kind of laughter, for the same reason, all my life. So, I get it.
I was welling up in the first few seconds, and continued throughout. I was almost relieved when it ended, because I was getting too sad......
This song reminds me very much of Laura Nyro's "New York Tendaberry"!!!
Personally, I think she is describing the birth of her son, from both perspectives.
Don't ever stuff your emotional nature! That's what I love about you!
Merry Christmas!
This is a beautiful album. It is an album that is not in any hurry. You just have to sit back and let it flow over you, and soak up the atmosphere. There are some appearances, later on, by some UK national treasures, including, Elton John and Stephen Fry.
The Beatles, Laura Marling and Kate Bush in one day! Thank you, you have just made my Christmas!
It's her worst album.
Happy Xmas Justin!!
This song is yet another of Kate's masterpieces.
I've been waiting for you to review this track, it's my absolute favourite on the album. It's a real treat in the winter, when it's snowing outside, to play this song and just wallow in it as I watch the snow falling through the window.
Golly. I sure do love Kate’s work. I was delighted with this album as soon as I dug into this first track. I love it.
thank you, I always feel like walking in a snow fall thick as they can be, and i love this repeat on the piano, warm and heart beat like. And her son Bertie sings so beautiful in it. This album is again creating a masterpiece, and when people dont like it, fuck em , for wanting life to repeat itself, and dont want things to change.
Blooming heck JP. That got a bit deep! Really top analysis on the track and made lots of sense.
Excellent end to Christmas Day in the UK so I thank you for that and wish you and yours a fab rest of the day
Appreciate that ARC! Thank you
Love this song and album. It grew on me over the years. Also, I’ve always loved that one little note around 5:14. Thanks for reacting!
This album was no surprise or a shock to me. Actually musically it picked up where Aerial (A Sea Of Honey) left off. I was thrilled by this fact. Finally Kate allowed herself to stay close at home with the production of her compositions. Beautiful!
The surprise to me was her son opening the album for her. He was already introduced to us on her previous album Aerial as a toddler.
As a massive Kate Bush fan I was so excited when this album came out, sadly I have never really given it the time it deserves, because as you say it is very different. However you have inspired me to have another go at getting into it.
Hope you enjoy MC!
it is definitely a grower! try it again
Please do yourself this favour. Be patient, let her music neutralise your expectations and just let it come over you. Give it a season. The snow is a soft blanket that will provide a soft landing when falling into it.
Gosh its beautiful and moving x I have the album and a must for this time of year x I love how you sit and feel the music allowing it space to breathe x
So emotional for me as is alot of kates music 🎶 ☃️✨️it's her tone of voice and exquisite piano playing plus the energy that gets into your heart so I get where you are coming from and loved your analogy of meaning between kate and son💚
Yes… emotional and beautifully intense
At first wasn't sure but now I think its wonderful powerful it takes you on a musical landscape beautiful
I love this album. It's a grower. At first I was kind of 'meh', but honestly it just gets better and better. Imagine having not released an album for 6 years and then on the first track it's not even your voice as the driving force. And yet it works. that hypnotizing, warm lullaby-sounding piano hook. It's so perfect. And it's also the first time I really hear the similarities between Kate and Björk. In fact, I think that you could replace Bertie with Björk's voice on this track and it would be just as good.
Great comment. Agree that it’s a ‘grower’. I was too young back then and hadn’t listened to jazz. But now I did. And…. the term jazz doesn’t do this album justice actually
Beautiful reaction and analysis, Justin. I'm of the type of Kate fan that you're asking your question... I've been a fan since 1979 and I've listened to each release as it came out (when I started, she'd just released Never Forever, but I first heard The Kick Inside, then picked up the two subsequent albums.) The first time I heard 50 Words for Snow, I will confess I was impressed, but it took me a while to get into it. Part of that isn't Kate, it's the way I had come to listen to music in the 2000's, as opposed to the 80's and 90's, when I was completely consumed by music. It's not an album I come back to frequently, but when I do, I am impressed all over again. It really is a beautiful and complex album. Justin - I can't remember, have you listened to Aerial yet? If you haven't, I hope you will react to it, because it's the transition from her art/pop music to her more introspective work. Aerial, for me, is up there with Hounds of Love and The Dreaming. But thanks for listening to 50 Words for Snow, because it's bringing all the genius back to me all over again.
Kate Bush fan here since I was 10, no in my 50s. When FIRST heard it I struggled a bit. But... I am a longtime Kate Bush fan and this is not the first time... I purposefully studied art periods in uni "I did not like," as I learned, i loved them. This album is a masterpiece. Not sure what you know, but it is a Kate Bush world:
The entire suite takes place in a snow globe once it has been shaken.
The first song takes place over the life of a snowflake "born in a cloud" falling to the ground to be caught by a woman.
The part of the snowflake is sung by her son Bertie. His voice was going to change soon so Kate rushed to get his song recorded before that.
Kate is the woman waiting to catch the snowflake (son).
... I mean... come on!
I put on the headphones and get enveloped in beautiful sounds - I love Kate’s music and voice, although I think this would make a beautiful instrumental album as well.
She only sings 11 words. She sings them a lot. They are so packed with emotion and love and motherly care and I just don’t know. The first time I heard that track I was a bit entranced with it to be honest. Her piano is exquisite. The brief addition of other instruments, the guitar at one point, the bass notes running through. It’s more than a little hypnotic.
Long term, from-the-very-first-single fan here. I loved this album on first listen. I was obviously predisposed to adore it, as I believe her to be a true genius, and one of my favourite artists ever. This song is full of warmth and love, and moves me deeply too. The only song I didn't like - and still don't - is Snowed In At Wheeler Street. The last song, Among Angels, was the second and final encore at her epochal 2014 concert residency at the Hammersmith Apollo, and was overwhelming ❤️
Same as me. I loved this album instantly and the only song I don't care for is Snowed In At Wheeler Street: can't stand Elton John's vocals. You're so lucky to have got to see her live, I can only imagine how magical that was to see her perform.
The first time I heard this as a long time Kate Bush listener I was blown away. Absolutely no turn down.
Kate Bush fan since 1980. I was blown away the first time I heard this. Musically, this song is like Schuman. It's spare while intensely emotive. The utilization of Bertie singing in a classic choir boy vocal is stunning. The dual voices also reckon some call and response. The mixtures of these forms is amazing.
Lyrically it's jaw dropping. Kate is perfect to imagine the pov of a snowflake and the bringing together the metaphor of the cycle of life into the percipitation of the earth.
The one that sticks to me is Lake Tahoe. The video is gorgeous. It's really a lovely album. I'm so glad you are visiting this album. All songs are good. Many like Misty. Wild Man had a brief spot on the charts. The title track is whimsical.
When this and Aerial came out, there were some Kate fans who felt the maturity and use of more classical musical forms was disappointing. I personally feel the Elton john duet is one of the weaker songs, yet it touches on one of Kate's constant themes, enduring love. The album is Kate through and through... enduring love, ghosts, the cycle of life, sensuality, and a little bit of whimsy.
Interesting in that I actually liked this album a lot on my first listen when I was still new to Kate's music. Maybe because I've been a jazz lover for many years and also appreciate classical music a lot this album didn't feel difficult to me. I understand why it's divisive for Kate fans who expect more art pop/rock music from her which this album really isn't. It's got an understated, graceful atmosphere that if you're willing to sit with can really pull you in. For me "Snowed In At Wheeler Street" is easily the weakest track on the album and that's due to Elton John's vocals which I'm not fond of and the whole thing feels a bit schmaltzy to me. Other than that this album is a beauty and I wish more fans were open to giving it a chance as opposed to dismissing it because it's slow.
I have been an enormous KB fan since Dec 9, 1978. The first time I heard this album (50 Words) I thought it rubbish!
But via a FB group I was encoraged to give it another try. Now Misty is one of my all time favorite Kate songs. Just brilliant. And I have grown to like or love all 7 tracks. Maybe I needed to grow up a little more??
I agree with your reaction - it is so emotional. Moody in ways kind of like The Dreaming, but not as dark and wild, rather, more calm and mature.
Totally agree with you Gerber! Its incredibly emotional and moody
I loved it instantly and it makes me very emotional... For me it's her Masterpiece it's truly raw and just beautiful... Its moving
Very very moving indeed :)
I think « Misty » is the best track of the album. A underrated masterpiece.
Yes!!
Interesting question indeed. At first I found it too quiet sounding album: but it grew on me: it’s my favourite. The subtlety and soundscape and great storytelling is so great. And emotional as well😊
Great music choice and in-depth comment, thanks
So atmospheric when you watch her videos
It’s her son as a snowflake that exactly knows to find her on earth…. Maybe like an incarnation. I agree
Only play it in Winter. It grows and grows and gets more beautiful.
50 Words For Snow is a great album. Snowed In At Wheeler Street is my favorite track on the album. I look forward to your reactions to all of these songs.
Speaking to Mojo magazine, Bush said that she wrote the song for her son, "to show off this really beautiful voice that he has." She went on to explain there were two ideas: "Firstly, the idea of this snowflake falling from the sky - this fragile, temporary creation. And Bertie still has his high voice, but it's also a fragile instrument, because soon his voice will drop and I thought there was a nice meeting of the two ideas - of this fragile little snowflake making its journey, and this voice that will soon pass."
Ethereal piano and inspired voice are on Laura Nyro's "New York Tendaberry" (1968).
For some reason I can't really get into New York Tendaberry, although I thought both the thirteenth confession and beads of sweat were wonderful. Do you have any idea why that could be?
Another great reaction! I know you have already heard it but my favorite KB album is The Dreaming. Hope you are having a great holiday in our cold Florida.
Ty Anthony, I'm bundled up right now lol!
I really reccomend you listen to ' A sky full of honey' from her album Aerial , a masterpiece this time depicting the season of spring
It reminds me of the cinematic orchestra
As a long-term KB fan, when I first heard this album I thought it was both pretty and pretty dull. It took a long time for this album to get under my skin. Now it's definitely in my top 10 all time albums, and probably top 5. It's beauty is subtle, and I've grown to love that. Let it wash over you.
I am listening to these out of sequence but I am enjoying this album more than that last one of hers (that you listened to). This feels more mature.
Long time fan. I adore this album, and have done from the first time I heard it. It's stripped down and moody and is moving in the direction of classical minimalism as opposed to art rock. I understand the dislike to some degree but, to me, it's from people wanting a retread of past glories. Who really wants that? Not Kate, I'm sure.
I totally get why this song hits you. For me, it's on an emotional level on par with some David Sylvian stuff (Secret Of The Beehive) I remember hearing this album for the first time, when i still smoked outside in the snow at night. I was absolutely blown away....
This is my first time hearing it. Reminded me very much of some of Nick Cave's recent solo albums.
I loved it the first time and still do. The only track on the album I'm not fond of is the song with Elton John Snowed in at Wheeler Street.
It's *literally* the only Kate Bush song I ever skip. Dull as ditchwater.
Yessss, one of my all time favourite albums! Aerial, Hounds of Love, 50 Words for Snow and The Dreaming... for me the 4 best albums ever made
Diolch JP! Have you heard “Mid-Air” by Paul Buchanan, or “It’s a Very Deep Sea” by The Style Council. Wot about Dexys’ “ it’s ok John Jo” or Ed Harcourt’s “The Diving Bell” and the rest of his tearjerking “Beyond the End” LP.
Four Piano based minimalist pieces for sure, but long term investments guarenteed to pay emotional dividends. Glad I’ve been able to hear this.
Nos Da🤙🙂
As is true of humans, every snowflake is unique.
Every snowflake is unique. And inevitably part of a snowfall, a speck of something drifting. And inevitably part of a snowdrift, packed under snow or on the surface in the sun. And inevitably part of the melt water, gone down the river, soon lost in the sea, never to be seen again.
Just like who else?
Nice easy trick question.
*Major Parkinson* start *Sanity Fair* with some snowflakes, but then the get all boisterous.
(Loved this song, BTW. I don't care what's meant to be wrong with it. I feel all nice and evened out and slow, now. That'll do me just fine.)
Until I go and join all the dogs diving up to splashdown into dirty puddles with this: ua-cam.com/video/eoh62_Gejcg/v-deo.html
She sounds so different
First time, i was underwhelmed. Never really grew on me. I am keeping my mind open though, still not convinced that this is on the level of Aerial and of her 80's output, but i will keep on following on the journey. (But i'd rather listen to Snowflake than most of the stuff on The Red Shoes.)
I stopped listening to Kate's albums when The Red Shoes came out. Sensual World didn't hit me like Hounds of Love did (how could it?) (I have come on board with that one in the years since its release.) I just let her go after that. I have to say, though... That was beautiful. That was compelling. I am very much looking forward to hearing the rest of it. Thank you for not listening to the discouragers.
The music here is incredible, Was she trying to sound like Aled Jones though?! Her voice was very different
It's her son!
@@TheoZoffrok oh!
Very appropriate choice.
As a UK based KB fan it sounds like a tonal homage (especially with her son as the lead vocalist and piano arrangement) to the theme song from 'The Snowman'. :-) ua-cam.com/video/upH1QZU4Z0Y/v-deo.html
As a fan since '78, my initial feeling on hearing this album was disappointment. Having waited a long time for it, as is the way with Kate more recently, I couldn't get into it at all. It sounded repetitive and, frankly, boring. I still think that most of the racks would have benefited by being shorter, but "50 Words" is very much a mood album and, if one is in the right mood, it has the ability to transport one to a different world. And yes, JP, it's an emotional world.
One of those albums where the weakest track is the title track.
The Beatles And Kate Bush!!??!!
Wow!!
Merry Christmas to you too!!
I don't care what people think. I am 26 years old. This, in my opinion, is the best Bush album. Gorgeous from start to finish. Not a single weak song. Having an enormous background, Kate recorded something as deep, mature and minimalistic as 50 words for snow. Period. I guess it's very easy for people to complain and throw things away when they differ. Same story with Bjork to me personally. I don't get those old fans who are into her 90s stuff and hate the recent. I am all about mature Bjork, a woman in her late 50s who stepped away from silly stuff like Oh It's So Quiet towards Vulnicura-Utopia-Fossora.
Justin, did you see Sylvian dropped a Nine Horses demo from 2004 session, I'm too mad to let you know? Can't stop listening to it, so good.
I never cared much for this album. It's lacks energy and imagination.
You don't like it, that's fair enough. However, it does not 'lack' anything. It's the statement she wanted to make at that time, and it is a very completed work. I'm rather perplexed that you would think it lacks imagination - it's Kate freakin Bush! What is missing that would have satisfied your craving for originality?
@@Ozymandi_as I get your passion, but don't forget that it's all subjective, really, and there is something for everyone! And I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Merry Christmas!
I don't know how Wheeler Street could ever be described as lacking imagination. I find it completely beautiful and unique. I love the idea of 2 souls perfectly suited to one another constantly meeting for just a fleeting moment throughout different lifetimes. It's bittersweet and a little heartbreaking.
@@thedarksiderebel I won't argue about the lyrics. They are pretty interesting. But musically, the song is a bit dreary and repetitive with elements of corny AM radio music.
@lashedbutnotleashed1984 yeah musically i think its the weakest on the album
It's a weird album. She could have made it more commercial or 'classic'. It was BTW leaked online 2 weeks before officially released
Kate has never been commercial or classic. I’m happy she stayed true to her music and herself
I was disappointed that this album was so jazzy and I found it self indulgent. I still do.
That being said, I find the 1st couple of tracks (snowflake and Lake Tahoe) very moving.
In a way, she went back to her roots, just her and the piano. This album could have used some serious editing though.
Her voice didn't age particularly well and that makes it a bit harder for me to follow her path.
I'm a long-time devoted fan, since seeing her on SNL in the late '70s. I bought the singles, the books, magazines, had a poster of her on my wall. She retired for 12 years to raise her son then returned with "Aerial" which I found less than stunning but still liked it.
This album I find dreary, slow, repetitive and lacking inspiration. I wanted to love it. I listen to ambient albums and instrumentals, classical works, etc. but this never grabbed me and I've heard it a few times.
The arrangement is sparse, where's the meticulous production she was always so obsessed with? The lyrics are repetitive and frankly not sung at her best yet she does seem capable. That 1 piano riff just keeps repeating endlessly, where's the creativity, counter melodies, the depth and breadth?
I was left with the impression that this was dashed off in a hurry, a mere 7 drawn-out tracks that seem a shadow of her former talent. All I feel is empty disappointment.
Sometimes less is more. The production is delicate and deliberate. If it doesn't work for you, then it doesn't work. But this album definitely has more layers than a first or second listen gives away.
First time hearing this I don't like it
YUCK!
But tell us how you REALLY feel!
Merry Christmas!
You're not ready yet
Tell us you have no musical taste in one word
@@thedarksiderebel feces
You are being honest to yourself, please keep it up. We need you.