I remember my first time hearing this and thinking how US RnB/Minnie Riperton sounding it was. Some nice jazzy chords and Rhodes from Max Middleton... lovely string arrangements too...
One of my favourite tracks off one of my favourite albums. The wedding list is also a great track on this album. I know you are more focused on the music but her voice on this song is just incredible. The lyric ' put out the light then put out the light' is a Shakespeare reference and is so clever considering the dedication of this song.
Hi Justin and thanks for another look at 'Never For Ever.' Your comments about an initial feel for melody, production, arrangement etc and then the issue of lyrics, background, meaning, and intention lying well beyond that and maybe well beyond an initial reaction video are well observed and also illustrate something that runs through Kate Bush's entire catalogue. I mean why would the listener bother to commit themselves to a song so as to actively seek out a meaning that might be obscured, or even several layered meanings to a single song? Why not settle for that initial feel or lack of feel for a song? After all there is a world of music that makes no demands of me. And let's face it, many Kate Bush songs are a bit like a puzzle to be solved - incorporating direct quotes from other works, clear and sometimes less clear allusions to other works, and frequent intertextual nods towards other works, often piled up in multi-layers in a singe song. This song is a case in point. It includes a direct quotation of a famous Shakespeare line, from Othello: "Put out the light, then, put out the light" Othello is about to murder Desdemona. he says "put out the light" as in put out the candle in her room - which leaves them alone in the darkness. And then once more he says "then put out the light" this time meaning to put out the light of her life and breath as he stands in that now darkened room. Whereas the candle can be relit, Desdemona's light cannot. Her light is forever extinguished within the darkness that he himself had brought into the scene. But this runs counter to much of the song - namely that the life light is NOT ultimately extinguished, only transferred, and even then if transferred maybe only temporarily so. In the world of this song Desdemona's light would be transferred to another world of another light. I might disagree with the world view that she conjures up but it is worth the effort to get to know it. Yes, her music makes demands of me - but those demands and that effort is worth it. Thanks again
You are right about the production on this one. There was a great balance between the core instrumentation and her use of sample technology. Some say that Kate went too far with technical production on The Dreaming and Hounds of Love, but it is alway obvious to any critical listener that the piano, bass and drums are always the foundation no matter how layered or dense the production was. Fun theory : one of tbe reasons that the bass is always so kickass on every Kate album may be because She was intimately involved with Del Palmer and he just happened to be the great bass player who worked closest with her for the longest period. They would often work on the material together with just piano and bass before adding the otber instrumentation.
One of my favourite tracks on this album. So emotive and powerful. Also shows off the ethereal nature of Kate's voice.
One of my faves from Kate's discography
Her phrasing is immaculate; her music is so wonderfully free.
This is a song she wrote for her lighting technician who fell to his death during her 'Tour of Life' in 1979.
I remember my first time hearing this and thinking how US RnB/Minnie Riperton sounding it was. Some nice jazzy chords and Rhodes from Max Middleton... lovely string arrangements too...
One of my favourite tracks off one of my favourite albums. The wedding list is also a great track on this album.
I know you are more focused on the music but her voice on this song is just incredible. The lyric ' put out the light then put out the light' is a Shakespeare reference and is so clever considering the dedication of this song.
Hi Justin and thanks for another look at 'Never For Ever.' Your comments about an initial feel for melody, production, arrangement etc and then the issue of lyrics, background, meaning, and intention lying well beyond that and maybe well beyond an initial reaction video are well observed and also illustrate something that runs through Kate Bush's entire catalogue. I mean why would the listener bother to commit themselves to a song so as to actively seek out a meaning that might be obscured, or even several layered meanings to a single song? Why not settle for that initial feel or lack of feel for a song? After all there is a world of music that makes no demands of me. And let's face it, many Kate Bush songs are a bit like a puzzle to be solved - incorporating direct quotes from other works, clear and sometimes less clear allusions to other works, and frequent intertextual nods towards other works, often piled up in multi-layers in a singe song.
This song is a case in point. It includes a direct quotation of a famous Shakespeare line, from Othello:
"Put out the light, then, put out the light"
Othello is about to murder Desdemona. he says "put out the light" as in put out the candle in her room - which leaves them alone in the darkness. And then once more he says "then put out the light" this time meaning to put out the light of her life and breath as he stands in that now darkened room. Whereas the candle can be relit, Desdemona's light cannot. Her light is forever extinguished within the darkness that he himself had brought into the scene.
But this runs counter to much of the song - namely that the life light is NOT ultimately extinguished, only transferred, and even then if transferred maybe only temporarily so. In the world of this song Desdemona's light would be transferred to another world of another light. I might disagree with the world view that she conjures up but it is worth the effort to get to know it. Yes, her music makes demands of me - but those demands and that effort is worth it.
Thanks again
You are right about the production on this one. There was a great balance between the core instrumentation and her use of sample technology. Some say that Kate went too far with technical production on The Dreaming and Hounds of Love, but it is alway obvious to any critical listener that the piano, bass and drums are always the foundation no matter how layered or dense the production was. Fun theory : one of tbe reasons that the bass is always so kickass on every Kate album may be because
She was intimately involved with Del Palmer and he just happened to be the great bass player who worked closest with her for the longest period. They would often work on the material together with just piano and bass before adding the otber instrumentation.
Her voice is different. Different is good. Lion Heart is another interesting album from her. 😊
test test comments arent workgfin did this go thru?
yes
Musically very interesting but not a favorite.