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.
So Soft
Kate Bush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cruising down the main street,
How can anyone have such little defense?
You're soft.
In between the sheets, left in limbo,
Covered me like the pillow
You're soft,
So soft.
To be, to be with you
I'd leave everything.
But I don't know how to deal with you.
I swear you'd fall like a feather if I was cruel.
Love would melt me like hot butter.
You're soft,
So soft.
To be, to be with you
I'd do anything.
Walking down the street, brushing arms,
You're moonlight dancing.
I try hard to keep my feelings in.
You're soft.
Dancing to the music, so low.
I knead you like dough.
How can anyone be so loving
And soft,
So soft?
To be, to be with you
I'd leave everything.
But I don't know how to deal with you.
I swear you'd fall like a feather if I was cruel.
You melt me like hot butter.
You're soft,
So soft.
To be, to be with you
I'd do anything.
In Kate Bush's song "So Soft", the lyrics depict the intense emotions and vulnerability one can feel when in love. The first verse describes being held in the arms of someone while cruising down the main street and feeling defenseless. The chorus emphasizes the softness of the person she's singing about and how it makes her want to be with them despite the fact that she doesn't know how to deal with them. The second verse takes on a more sensual tone as she talks about being left in limbo, unable to tell the difference between the person and the pillow she's laying on. The bridge talks about how the person she's singing about dances like moonlight and how their love melts her like hot butter.
At its core, "So Soft" is a love song that touches on the intricate balance between vulnerability and strength. Throughout the song, Kate Bush uses vivid imagery and sensory language to convey her feelings. The metaphors of being held and covered like a pillow, or kneaded like dough, add a layer of sensuality to the song. The chorus repeated throughout the song strengthens the message of the song by emphasizing the contrasting hardness and vulnerability that comes with being in love.
Overall, "So Soft" is an introspective look at the conflicting emotions one might feel when in love. Kate Bush's poetic lyrics and metaphors paint a vivid picture of the push and pull one feels towards the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Held in your arms in the back seat, Cruising down the main street, How can anyone have such little defense?
Being in your loving embrace in the back seat of a car while driving down the main street makes me feel vulnerable and defenseless.
You're soft.
Your love and affectionate nature make you gentle and tender.
In between the sheets, left in limbo, Covered me like the pillow I can hardly tell the difference.
While lying together under the sheets and being enveloped in your love and tenderness, it's hard to distinguish where you end and I begin.
So soft. To be, to be with you I'd leave everything. But I don't know how to deal with you. I swear you'd fall like a feather if I was cruel. Love would melt me like hot butter.
Your tenderness is so enticing that I would sacrifice everything to be with you, but I am afraid that I might hurt you because of my inability to handle such gentle love. The thought of love, however, has a profound effect on me, making me emotional and vulnerable.
Walking down the street, brushing arms, You're moonlight dancing. I try hard to keep my feelings in.
As we walk side by side, and our arms brush against each other, your gentle and harmonious nature makes me feel like we are dancing together in the moonlight. I try to suppress my emotions.
Dancing to the music, so low. I knead you like dough. How can anyone be so loving and soft, So soft? To be, to be with you I'd leave everything.
As we dance to the soft music, I hold you tightly and press my body against yours, feeling like I'm kneading dough. I can't believe how much you love me, and your tenderness is irresistible. I would give up everything to be with you.
But I don't know how to deal with you. I swear you'd fall like a feather if I was cruel. You melt me like hot butter.
Again, I am overwhelmed by your tenderness and love, but I fear hurting your gentle nature. The thought of love melts me like hot butter.
You're soft. So soft. To be, to be with you I'd do anything.
Overall, your soft nature and tender love are irresistible, and I would do anything to be with you.
Contributed by Charlie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
iLikeTheUDK
Somehow I find this more beautiful than anything she recorded with Andrew Powell. There's a magical quality to her music that can't be fully captured with so-called "professional" recording with many session musicians; only closely approximated, and even then this closeness is usually not achieved. And even as she gained the level of creative control of her releases that she wanted, her voice deepened and this magic was gone. Replaced by something else, which is still a delight, but nothing like this.
One can only imagine what Kate would've achieved with her 1976-1980 vocal range and with the creative freedom and technical possibilities she had on The Dreaming and onward.
Then again, maybe what makes these demos feel so special are their low fidelity, the single microphone placed without much thought and with little effort to reduce the room reverb, and Kate performing honestly and directly, not worrying about any audience or listener base to impress aside from maybe her family and friends.
Paulius Ščerbinskas
She deepened her voice while smoking. And she done that on purpose.
iLikeTheUDK
@Paulius Ščerbinskas she did that on purpose?
Paulius Ščerbinskas
@iLikeTheUDK Yes. I read that first of all she thought that she will be songwriter because of her vocal. She was shy of her voice. Then she signed with EMI and wanted to be more attractive to audience. So she smoked for about 10 years. Sadly it worked.
I really like her early voice capabilities.
iLikeTheUDK
@Paulius Ščerbinskas Where did you read that? Can I get a link? I remember watching an interview from the Hounds of Love era where Kate said that she can, in fact, still reach some rather high notes, but she would just rather not.
Besides, she could already sing quite low at the time of The Kick Inside. She had a remarkable level of vocal control. If she wanted to sing lower she would - at the time she just thought her voice was most powerful in the falsetto range.
Besides, there is already an over-the-topness in The Kick Inside era that quite defies mainstream commercial appeal, much of which can't at all be coincidence.
And if you listen to the earlier Cathy demos, and even the first proper recordings predating the Phoenix demos - The Man with The Child in his Eyes, Saxophone Song, Humming, Passing Through Air - Kate's singing style is surprisingly normal. I bet the more theatrical singing style she became known for was a conscious choice on her part.
Dani Molusco
These demos are the best, I think it’s because it’s just her and her piano. I think even Dell Palmer said he thinks her best work is when it’s just her and her piano
lunah lulah
these lyrics are so eloquent for a 17-year old (or younger?) to have written, she had such a way with words!
jj
I was just musing today how good Tara Busch is as a kind of new Kate, but then I came and saw this and realised that Kate Bush has so much inherent talent and ability that she could never be topped; the most anyone can do is pay hommage to her.
TotalOverdoseGuru
ohh god she is the best! KATE BUSH 4 EVER!
theawkwards
nice! had never heard these early demos before - an interesting find....kate bush rules.