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.
You're The One
Kate Bush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'll pick up all my things
Everything I have bought with you
But that's alright too
It's just everything I do
We did together
And there's a little piece of you
In whatever
I've got petrol in the car
I've got some money with me
There's just one problem
You're the only one I want [Repeat: x4]
It's alright I know where I'm going
I'm going to stay with my friend
Yes, he's very good looking
The only trouble is
He's not you
He can't do what you do
He can't make me laugh and cry
At the same time
Let's change things
Let's danger it up
We're crazy enough
I just can't take it
You're the only one I want [Repeat: x4]
I know where I'm going
But I don't want to leave
I just have one problem
We're best friends, yeah?
We tied ourselves in knots
Doing cartwheels 'cross the floor
Just forget it alright
Sugar?
Honey?
Sugar?
The song “You're the One” by Kate Bush is a poignant and reflective piece that has the potential for several interpretations. On the surface, it appears as though the singer has just broken up with someone and is coming to terms with the fact that they need to pick up their belongings and move on. However, it is also possible to see the song as a plea to a former lover, asking them to return to the relationship.
It begins with the singer stating that they will return to pick up all of their belongings at a time when their former partner is not there. She acknowledges that everything they have – every item purchased while they were together – was done as a team. There is “a little piece” of her former partner in everything she has. Despite coming across as collecting her belongings and making a clean break, the underlying emotions are that they are still very much in love with this person. She then goes on to list her own independence and self-sufficiency while making it clear that there is one glaring hole in her life: her former partner. She cannot have a complete and fulfilling life without them.
The subsequent verses talk about moving on and being with someone else. She knows where she is going but she cannot leave yet. Her new partner is good looking, but that is not enough. The singer desperately misses the unique qualities and the emotional depth that her past partner brought to the relationship. The lyric, “He can’t make me laugh and cry at the same time” is a powerful statement, emphasizing how the previous relationship touched the singer on every level. A final plea is made for the former partner to return. They are best friends and have already tied themselves in knots. In the last few lines of the song, she calls up to her former partner through an intercom, offering sugar, honey, and sugar again, echoing the desperation and heartbreak that she feels.
Line by Line Meaning
It's alright I'll come 'round when you're not in
It's okay if you're not around, I'll come and take my things that I have bought with you.
And I'll pick up all my things
I'll take everything that belongs to me.
Everything I have bought with you
All the things I've bought while we were together.
But that's alright too
It's fine, I'm okay with it.
It's just everything I do
Everything I do reminds me of you.
We did together
We did everything together.
And there's a little piece of you
There's a part of you in everything.
In whatever
In anything and everything.
I've got everything I need
I have everything I need to move on.
I've got petrol in the car
I have a full tank of gas.
I've got some money with me
I have enough money to survive on.
There's just one problem
But there's only one issue.
You're the only one I want [Repeat: x4]
I still want you, and only you.
It's alright I know where I'm going
It's okay, I know where to go from here.
I'm going to stay with my friend
I'll stay with my friend.
Yes, he's very good looking
He's good-looking.
The only trouble is
The only issue is.
He's not you
He's not like you.
He can't do what you do
He can't make me feel what you made me feel.
He can't make me laugh and cry
He can't make me experience a mix of emotions like you did.
At the same time
All at once.
Let's change things
Let's do something different.
Let's danger it up
Let's take a risk.
We're crazy enough
We're wild enough.
I just can't take it
I just can't handle it.
I know where I'm going
I know where I need to go.
But I don't want to leave
But I don't want to go alone.
I just have one problem
But there's only one issue.
We're best friends, yeah?
But we're best friends, right?
We tied ourselves in knots
We created a complicated situation.
Doing cartwheels 'cross the floor
We were messing around and having a good time.
Just forget it alright
Let's forget about it.
Sugar?
Is everything alright?
Honey?
Is everything okay?
Sugar?
Is there anything you want to tell me?
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BENJAMIN BUSH, JEFFERY WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind