Kate Bush - The Dreaming
I always enjoy vocalists who use their voice, not just to sing words, but like a musical instrument. And, no one does this better than Kate Bush.
The downside is, if the artist has something to say, sometimes that message gets lost in the vocal artistry. Such is the case with this song.
I've heard it many times since I first started listening to Kate over 20 years ago. But, I never paid much attention to what was going on, until I saw a video of Steven Wilson discussing the album, and he cites the opening lyrics: "Bang! Goes another kanga on the bonnet of the van." It was shortly after I made a trip down under and saw "kangas" in their native habitat (they're pretty much like deer here). The song itself tells about how the native population in Australia was, and is, being displaced by foreign invaders. Not unlike what happened in this country.
Some standout lyrics:
- The "civilized" keep alive the territorial war.
- Erase the race that claim the place and say we dig for ore.
- Dangle devils in a bottle and push them from the "pull of the bush".
- See the sun set in the hands of the man.
Anyway, I can't listen to this song the same way ever again. And I mean this in a good way.