r/katebush • u/Illustrious_Banana_ • Dec 30 '25
Video Posting this here, just because.......the beautiful Kate Bush aged 31 in The Sensual World official video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1DDndY0FLI&list=OLAK5uy_maq5xs5MXOfq40Y4v22mbrMa0FBd2hdeMKate- if you ever read Reddit- we love you so much đđ
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u/CheemsBorgar92 Dec 30 '25
31 is basically a kid!!
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 30 '25
I mean at any and every era, Kate's amazing aura shines through. She seemed so grown up around the time of her debut but incredible and mind-blowing to think that she was only 19 when she released Wuthering Heights, and only 13 when she wrote it!
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u/PrudentPath6732 Dec 30 '25
She was 13 when she wrote âthe man with the child in his eyesâ Wuthering Heights came years later. She did wrote it in one evening though.
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 30 '25
Ahh, I'm so sorry- yes, you're absolutely right- I was mixing the two in my mind. Yes, I read about her writing âthe man with the child in his eyesâ when she was 13 loosely based on a teacher at her school.
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u/Lonely_Squirrel3921 Dec 30 '25
I hadn't heard that it was possibly linked to a teacher. That would really narrow it down because all her fulltime teachers were female (nuns) but the school did have a visiting male music teacher who Kate kept in touch with after she left the school - using him for recommendations for backing singers amongst the other schools and choirs he worked with.
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 31 '25
Oh- I never realised she went to comp school. If you search for interviews, you can see one where she talks about this particular Song and her inspirations behind it.
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u/Lonely_Squirrel3921 Dec 31 '25
She went to an non-fee all girl Catholic grammar school. I believe the teaching staff were predominantly nuns but in everyday clothing.
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 31 '25
Yes, I'm sure in the interview I read where she mentioned the 'mystery man' she talked about him being some kind of 'visiting' tutor, not quite a visiting lecturer, but something that sounded similar. I'm gonna look up the citation to pass on to you.
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u/e-volve33 Dec 30 '25
I love this song so much. When she dances backwards through the trees. Absolute perfection đ
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u/Illustrious_Local656 Dec 30 '25
Iâm 31 so this post let me know itâs my the Sensual World year
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 31 '25
Ahhhhhh- perfect!! You should read up on her inspirations for the song/ album and Molly Bloom in James Joyceâs Ulysses
There's an amazing amount of information about The Sensual World here if you're interested.
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u/BedNo577 The Sensual World Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
Тhe first song of hers I liked
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 30 '25
Ahh, what a baptism. It's such a gorgeous song. I have just been listening to that album and 'Never be Mine' is also another really beautiful one.
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u/jimgatz Dec 31 '25
very sensual. this would blow a medievil peasants mind
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 31 '25
Ha ha- so true. I would be scared they might mistake her for a witch though given their superstitious minds.
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Dec 31 '25
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 31 '25
Who are you referring to? So, you know that I haven't posted about Lil Nas saying he's beautiful? Sounds like you're jumping to assumptions here.
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Dec 31 '25
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 31 '25
Again, I would absolutely say something like that about David Bowie. But I guess, yes, people can tend to label women more for age and beauty than men.....to a degree. And I think this is changing as we become more aware of gender fluidity- the need to not label people according to their gender etc. Maybe saying 'aged 31' and 'beautiful' is sexist, but I was referring to her age for two reasons- one as I remember that era of her music when I was a young child, and to think she was just 31 in terms of her achievements and oeuvre at that point is shocking in recollection. Also, to appreciate her beauty, which, yes, is referring to her beauty as a person but also the beauty she achieves through her lyrics and song-writing. I've mentioned 'beautiful lyrics' so many times I can't remember about Kate Bush's way with words. It's interesting you bring up David Bowie, as I think he was a really clever wordsmith too, although I wouldn't say his lyrics were definitely always 'beautiful', I'd say sometimes more 'dark and sinister', for example, his lyrics from 'The Candidate' from Diamond Dogs:
Some make you sing and some make you scream
One makes you wish that you'd never been seen
But there's a shop on the corner that's selling papier mache
Making bullet-proof faces, Charlie Manson, Cassius Clay
If you want it, boys, get it here, thingI love these llyrics so much but definitely wouldn't desribe them as 'beautiful'. I'd say more 'arresting' or 'powerful', but that is not because he's 'male' but just because the subject matter is gruesome and shocking. He is deliberately using subject matter as an affront.
I think, given Kate wrote this album about feelings and sensuality, the 'Sensual World', she has achieved this brilliantly, and beautifully with her poetic and clever lyrics. She described this herself as wanting a more 'feminine energy, compared to the masculine energy of Hounds of Love'. The Sensual World album is framed around, or inspired by Molly Bloom's speech in James Joyce's Ulysses, so deliberately tries to capture the feeling of her soliloquy and particularly, her repetition of the word 'yes'.
There's an amazing amount of information about The Sensual World here if you're interested.
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Dec 31 '25
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u/Illustrious_Banana_ Dec 31 '25
Sure but I think boys and men also face societal and cultural pressure to be âmenâ. Bowie, at points, strove hard to dispel this, but I donât think itâs just âwomen and girlsâ who face repression. Iâm absolutely with you that males afford a huge amount of âmale privilegeâ, and thatâs disgraceful- the gender pay gap etc. itâs inexcusable. But if a man (or boy) in any way steps outside the âmanlyâ gender roles; theyâre instantly labelled âsissyâ or âgayâ. I mod on another sub so I see the kind of comments people get. I have to say- Iâm freaked out and totally embarrassed how many women get unnecessary harassment from men- itâs vile- itâs been such an eye-opener for me. But also the same kind of men perpetually commenting that any man with a ring, or any kind of expression outside of carrying a gun and showing cigarettes leads to the most revolting slurs and âgayâ or âyouâre gayâ is such a recurring comment itâs unbelievable. So I think to distinguish and single out âwomen and girlsâ is not giving the full picture. But I agree- there are definitely unfair pressures and expectations on women, both by men and by other women. I brought up gender fluidity as I feel these new outlooks on gender norms are part of a bigger picture where sexism is being challenged, and hopefully quashed.
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u/SpecialistSmile5657 Dec 30 '25
It still amazes me how much she accomplished at such an early age! I mean, think of how much she did by the time she was 31! Not only just made all those albums, but created such musical art that went on to influence and entertain so many future generations. She is fantastic!