Bush began writing songs at 11. She was signed to EMI Records after Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour helped produce a demo tape. Her debut album, The Kick Inside, was released in 1978. Bush slowly gained artistic independence in album production and has produced all her studio albums since The Dreaming (1982). She took a hiatus between her seventh and eighth albums, The Red Shoes (1993) and Aerial (2005). Bush drew attention again in 2014 with her concert residency Before the Dawn, her first show since 1979's The Tour of Life.
The TV series "Stranger Things" used Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" in Season 4. As a result of the resurgence of interest, in 2022 the song reached #1 on the UK charts, 37 years after its initial release, and generated 100s of millions of streams.
Bush's eclectic and experimental musical style, unconventional lyrics, performances, and literary themes have influenced a diverse range of artists. She has been nominated for 13 British Phonographic Industry accolades, winning for Best British Female Artist in 1987, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. In 2002, Bush was recognized with an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. Bush was appointed a CBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to music. She was nominated three times for induction in the 2018, 2021, and 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Experiment IV
Kate Bush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our experiment in sound was nearly ready to begin
We only know in theory what we are doing
Music made for pleasure, music made to thrill
It was music we were making here until
They told us all they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
It's a mistake in the making
From the painful cries of mothers to a terrifying scream
We recorded it and put it into our machine
They told us all they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
It could feel like falling in love
It could feel so bad
It could feel so good
It could sing you to sleep
But that dream is your enemy
We won't be there to be blamed
We won't be there to snitch
I just pray that someone there can hit the switch
They told us all they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
And the public are warned to stay off
the streets
Cause terror is lurking in the soundwaves
We're creating...
The lyrics of Kate Bush's song Experiment IV are full of a looming sense of danger and warning. The song is about a secret military experiment to create a sound that could kill someone from a distance. The opening lines reveal this secretive and illegal work as the singer reveals that they are working secretly for the military. The team of scientists is creating music that is meant to thrill and bring pleasure, but it becomes a disturbing and horrifying project when they are told to create a sound that can kill someone from a distance. The lyrics capture the sense of discomfort and unease of the team as they are not sure what they are doing, and their work goes as far as recording the screams of people and putting it into their machine. The singer knows that the project is going to be a mistake, and they pray that someone can hit the switch to stop it.
The song is a warning against the potential for science to be used for destructive purposes, and it highlights the moral dilemmas of scientists who are caught between their work and responsibility towards humanity. The song is a reflection of the Cold War period in which the song was written when there was widespread nuclear paranoia and a concern for the misuse of science for destructive purposes.
Line by Line Meaning
We were working secretly for the military
We were employed by the military to conduct an experiment in sound.
Our experiment in sound was nearly ready to begin
We were close to beginning our experiment to create a new sound.
We only know in theory what we are doing
We were not entirely sure what we were doing, but had a general understanding in theory.
Music made for pleasure, music made to thrill
We originally made music for pleasure and to bring excitement.
It was music we were making here until
We were originally creating music in our experiment.
They told us all they wanted
The military instructed us to change our focus.
Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
The military wanted us to create a sound that could harm or kill someone from afar.
So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
We proceeded with the experiment and the gauges showed dangerous levels of sound.
It's a mistake in the making
We knew that what we were doing was a grave error.
From the painful cries of mothers to a terrifying scream
We recorded agonizing sounds to use in our experiment.
And the public are warned to stay off
The public was cautioned to stay away from the experiment.
It could feel like falling in love
The sound we created could evoke intense emotions, such as falling in love.
It could feel so bad
Conversely, the sound could also produce negative sensations.
It could feel so good
There were possibilities that the sound could feel good or pleasant.
It could sing you to sleep
The sound could potentially make you feel relaxed and help you fall asleep.
But that dream is your enemy
Despite the possibility of positive outcomes, we understood that the experiment was a dangerous and deadly one.
We won't be there to be blamed
We will not be held responsible for the outcome of the experiment.
We won't be there to snitch
We will not report the findings of the experiment.
I just pray that someone there can hit the switch
We hoped that someone would be able to stop the dangerous experiment before it was too late.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KATE BUSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
darren langton
We were working secretly
For the military
Our experiment in sound
Was nearly ready to begin
We only know in theory
What we are doing
Music made for pleasure
Music made to thrill
It was music we were making here until
They told us
All they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone
From a distance
So we go ahead
And the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
From the painful cry of mothers
To the terrifying scream
We recorded it and put it into our machine
Then they told us
All they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone
From a distance
So we go ahead
And the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
It could feel like falling in love
It could feel so bad
But it could feel so good
It could sing you to sleep
?"I'll bet my mum's gonna give me a little toy instrument!"?
But that dream is your enemy
We won't be there to be blamed
We won't be there to snitch
I just pray that someone there
Can hit the switch
But they told us
All they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone
From a distance
So we go ahead
And the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake we've made
And the public are warned to stay off
Written by:
Kate Bush
Lyrics licensed by LyricFind
Naitsabes 1999
This was written as an extra track for the compilation album The Whole Story and was released as the single. I was excited at the opportunity of directing the video and not having to appear in it other than in a minor role, especially as this song told a story that could be challenging to tell visually. I chose to film it in a very handsome old military hospital that was derelict at the time. It was a huge, labyrinthine hospital with incredibly long corridors, which was one reason for choosing it. Florence Nightingale had been involved in the design of the hospital. Not something she is well known for but she actually had a huge impact on hospital design that was pioneering and changed the way hospitals were designed from then on.
The video was an intense project and not a comfortable shoot, as you can imagine - a giant of a building, damp and full of shadows with no lighting or heating but it was like a dream to work with such a talented crew and cast with Dawn French, Hugh Laurie, Peter Vaughn and Richard Vernon in the starring roles. It was a strange and eerie feeling bringing parts of the hospital to life again. Not long after our work there it was converted into luxury apartments. I can imagine that some of those glamorous rooms have uninvited soldiers and nurses dropping by for a cup of tea and a hobnob.
We had to create a recording studio for the video, so tape machines and outboard gear were recruited from my recording studio and the mixing console was very kindly lent to us by Abbey Rd Studios. It was the desk the Beatles had used - me too, when we’d made the album Never For Ever in Studio Two. It was such a characterful desk that would’ve looked right at home in any vintage aircraft.
From THE OFFICIAL SITE OF KATE BUSH
CatWitch
2:30 I can't believe how beautiful Kate looks with blonde hair and as a ghost XD
Edit: I'm also copying the lyrics here
We were working secretly for the military
Our experiment in sound was nearly ready to begin
We only know in theory what we are doing
Music made for pleasure, music made to thrill
It was music we were making here until
They told us all they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
From the painful cries of mothers to a terrifying scream
We recorded it and put it into our machine
They told us all they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
It could feel like falling in love
It could feel so bad
It could feel so good
It could sing you to sleep
But that dream is your enemy
We won't be there to be blamed
We won't be there to snitch
I just pray that someone there can hit the switch
They told us all they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
And the public are warned to stay off
wendy Hill
Classic Katie, which I haven't had the pleasure of seeing for years. Her trademark ironic humour - The top scientist called Jerry Coe (the biblical town of Jericho allegedly destroyed by the Israelites noise) - The scientists and military officer killed either by or when using sound based tools (tapes and telephones) - The military officer having a report on his desk called "The Whole Story" (The KB album this came from) - The Hitch hiker/Sound Demon in disguise miming be quiet at the end (both a request not to tell the soldier her disguise and a comment on the entire premise of the song/story, saying "Be quiet", don't build a weapon using sound/music. Music is a tool of creativity not destruction). Classic track, ironic, humorous, freaky and (as many have pointed out) prophetic. Go Katie !!!
Dodo Xan
Also, isn't it brilliant that she plays as the "sounddemon" that kills all the people that came up with this horrible idea AND the mysterious hiker at the end, who apparently ended the experiment in one way or another? Clear statement for the audience.
Dan Brockett
@chainmatrix "Come to Daddy" is one of the most disturbing music videos I've ever seen. It's brilliant. Chris Cunningham is one disturbed artist.
kmontrose888
@songof erin you know they're talking about frequencies here
Donovan Mezzanine
@Dermacrosis it is more intense, unabashed, and explicit these days.
darren langton
We were working secretly
For the military
Our experiment in sound
Was nearly ready to begin
We only know in theory
What we are doing
Music made for pleasure
Music made to thrill
It was music we were making here until
They told us
All they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone
From a distance
So we go ahead
And the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
From the painful cry of mothers
To the terrifying scream
We recorded it and put it into our machine
Then they told us
All they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone
From a distance
So we go ahead
And the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake in the making
It could feel like falling in love
It could feel so bad
But it could feel so good
It could sing you to sleep
?"I'll bet my mum's gonna give me a little toy instrument!"?
But that dream is your enemy
We won't be there to be blamed
We won't be there to snitch
I just pray that someone there
Can hit the switch
But they told us
All they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone
From a distance
So we go ahead
And the meters are over in the red
It's a mistake we've made
And the public are warned to stay off
Written by:
Kate Bush
Lyrics licensed by LyricFind
Dawn Hebb
Thank you
Dave Weller
Very nice job
JOHAN ADARC
THIS VIDEO: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NuUWzNolFhw
CAN BE MORE ACCURATE ACCORDING TO KATE'S VIDEO.
سيد Didi
a big up three years late !!' bravo