nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan) (07/15/85)
["What's all this then?"] I was just listening to the song "There Goes a Tenner" from "The Dreaming" and I realized that if you had been listening to Kate Bush since the beginning of her career, and you played "The Dreaming" in order, "There Goes a Tenner" would be the first Kate Bush song you'd ever hear where she sings so low. In fact, she sings at about Tenor level in "There Goes a Tenner". The "Tenner" in the title, of course refers to a denomination of paper money, but it seems clear that the pun was intended. So I started to wonder if this pun had any deeper significance. On the surface level, the song appears to be a surrealistic song about bank robery. But I'm beginning to think that much (not all) of it is really metaphor for Kate's recording career. In particular, the differences between how her recording career used to be and how it was when she was recording "The Dreaming". "The Dreaming" is the first album that Kate produced completely by herself, and thus was a new source of challenge and frustration. Here's my analysis of some of the lyrics: Okay remember, okay remember That we have just allowed Half an hour To get in, do it and get out Alludes to the fact that Kate only has a limited amount of time to complete the album. The sense of adventure Is changing to danger At first maybe it was lots of fun, but with all sorts of pressures perhaps it's becoming very frustrating. All my words fade What am I gonna say? Writer's cramp? Self-doubt? The chorus is We're waiting. The record company (and fans?) are getting impatient and want the album soon. It's talking way longer than the year she promised. I'm having dreams about things Not going right Isn't that what much of the album is about? Both my partners Act like actors Is it difficult to get the emotionality she wants out of hired musicians? Then all I know is I wake up Covered in rubble One of the Rabble Needs Mummy Maybe the album won't be a success and she'll lose all her fame and fortune? I've been here all day A star in strange ways All of her previous albums were huge European successes and made her very famous. Ooh I remember That rich windy weather When you would carry me When she didn't produce her own albums, it was so much easier, wasn't it? She'd just write the songs, sing, and play the piano, and the producer would carry the rest. Pockets floating in the breeze There goes a tenner Hey look there's a fiver There's a ten schilling note Remember them? That's when we used to vote for him In those days, the money would just roll in. So what do you think? Make sense? -Doug Alan nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (or ARPA)