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.
Violín
Kate Bush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ready to carry me over,
Over the quavers, drunk in the bars,
Out of the realm of the orchestra,
Out of the realm of the orchestra.
Filling me up with the shivers.
Filling me up with the shivers and quivers.
Get the bow going!
Let it scream to me:
Violin! Violin! Violin!
Get the bow going!
Let it scream to me:
Violin! Violin! Violin!
Paganini up on the chimney,
Lord of the dance,
With Nero and old Nicky.
Whack that devil
Into my fiddlestick!
Give me the Banshees for B.V.s,
Give me the Banshees for B.V.s.
Jigging along with the fiddle, oh, Johnny.
Jigging along with the fiddle-dee-dee.
Jigging along with the fiddle, oh, Johnny.
Jigging along with the fiddle-dee-diddle-dee-dee!
[Repeat: x4]
Get the bow going!
Let it scream to me:
Violin! Violin! Violin!
The song "Violin" by Kate Bush is an ode to the transformative power of music. The opening lines suggest that the violin is an instrument that can transport the artist to another realm, beyond the confines of the orchestra and into a world of freedom and possibility. The violin strings are described as being "ready to carry me over, over the quavers, drunk in the bars," evoking the sensation of being lifted away by the music, freed from the constraints of everyday life.
The chorus of the song repeats the words "Get the bow going! Let it scream to me: Violin! Violin! Violin!" This can be interpreted as a call to the artist to fully immerse themselves in the music, to let the instrument "scream" at them until they are filled with a sense of urgency and power.
The second verse of the song takes on a more mystical tone, referencing the famous violinist Paganini as well as the devil and other mythological figures. The line "Whack that devil into my fiddlestick!" suggests that music can be a way of channeling and conquering one's fears and negative impulses.
Overall, the song seems to celebrate the power of music, specifically the violin, to evoke strong emotions and transport the listener to different realms of experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Four strings across the bridge,
There are four strings across the bridge which represent the violin's strings.
Ready to carry me over,
The violin is ready to take the singer on an emotional journey.
Over the quavers, drunk in the bars,
The violin takes the singer on an emotional journey, away from the fast-paced, noisy world of bars and nightclubs.
Out of the realm of the orchestra,
The violin takes the singer away from the context of the orchestra, into a more personal, emotional realm.
Filling me up with the shivers.
The experience of playing the violin or listening to it fills the singer with a shiver-inducing emotion.
Filling me up with the shivers and quivers.
The emotional experience of playing or hearing the violin is so intense that it causes a physical reaction.
Get the bow going!
The singer wants the bow to start playing the strings.
Let it scream to me: Violin! Violin! Violin!
The singer wants the sound of the violin to be loud and impactful, and to be called out by name.
Paganini up on the chimney,
The singer imagines the famous violinist Paganini playing on a chimney.
Lord of the dance,
Paganini was known for his ability to play music that would make people want to dance.
With Nero and old Nicky.
The singer imagines Paganini playing with two other famous musicians, Nero and Nicky.
Whack that devil into my fiddlestick!
The singer wants to imbue their own playing with the same intensity and energy as Paganini's.
Give me the Banshees for B.V.s,
The singer wants to add the sound of a Banshee (a female spirit in Irish mythology that wails to signify an impending death) to their background vocals.
Jigging along with the fiddle, oh, Johnny.
The singer imagines a jig (a lively dance) being played on the fiddle, and calls out to someone named Johnny to dance along.
Jigging along with the fiddle-dee-dee.
The singer is enjoying the sound of the fiddle so much that they keep calling out to Johnny to keep dancing.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KATE BUSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Fear Of The Chip Pan
I love that the BBC were like “let’s give Kate Bush a no restrictions Christmas special that she can do whatever she wants with.” And the result? Violin Demons and Peter Gabriel complaining about dinner not being ready. I love it so much.
Signy Six
After the break to get you in the holiday spirit: A wedding murder and revenge killing!
88feji
Its so strange and surreal how she goes back to being this really shy and gentle girl in her private life ...
Jamm TV
Well put!
June Asiimwe
I just love how she completely loses herself in her performances and becomes a different character.
She's a singular talent. My favorite artist.
Lewis
I really wished she'd gotten heavy much more often.... - her approach to that chorus is worth the admission price on its own and signals what she could have been capable of... Spine-melting.
Nellie S
This outfit is maybe my favorite of hers! Bat Bush! I love this performance, she's always so crazy on stage but so sweet and reserved in interviews and it's so fascinating. Also that intro is so dreamy, I could watch it all day.
paula miles
I love the images on Never for Ever album cover- all the creatures coming out from under her dress.
Nate the Rocker Preacher
Only Kate can get away with a sensual song about the sound of Violins with Hard Rock riffs while having a straight face of the human violins attacking her. Brillant!!!!
EricH928
What was in the water in England that gave us Bowie and Kate at roughly the same time? Weird, wonderful, unforgettable.