Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)

Kate Bush - The Kick Inside (1978)

Tracklist front / back album covers

Kate Bush - The Kick Inside

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Side one

1. "Moving"   3:01

2. "The Saxophone Song"   3:51

3. "Strange Phenomena"   2:57

4. "Kite"   2:56

5. "The Man with the Child in His Eyes"   2:39

6. "Wuthering Heights"   4:28

Side two

7. "James and the Cold Gun"   3:34

8. "Feel It"   3:02

9. "Oh to Be in Love"   3:18

10. "L'Amour Looks Something Like You"   2:27

11. "Them Heavy People"   3:04

12. "Room for the Life"   4:03

13. "The Kick Inside"   3:30

 

Kate Bush Band Members / Musicians

Kate Bush – piano, lead vocals, backing vocals

Andrew Powell – arrangements, keyboards (2), piano, Fender Rhodes (3), bass guitar, celeste (6), synthesizer (9), beer bottles (12)

Duncan Mackay – piano, Fender Rhodes (1, 10), synthesizer (3), Hammond organ (4, 6, 7), clavinet (4)

Ian Bairnson – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (except on 2), backing vocals (9), beer bottles (12)

David Paton – bass guitar (1, 3, 4, 7, 9–12), acoustic guitar (6, 9), background vocals (9)

Stuart Elliott – drums (exc. 2, 5, 13), percussion (9, 12)

Alan Skidmore – tenor saxophone (2)

Paul Keogh – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (2)

Alan Parker – acoustic guitar (2)

Bruce Lynch – bass guitar (2)

Barry de Souza – drums (2)

Morris Pert – percussion (3, 4, 6), boobam (12)

Paddy Bush – mandolin (9), backing vocals (11)

David Katz – orchestral contractor (for an unnamed orchestra on all tracks exc. 4, 5, 7, 8, 12)

Andrew Powell – producer

David Gilmour – executive producer (2, 5)

Jon Kelly – recording engineer

Jon Walls – assistant engineer

Wally Traugott – mastering

The Kick Inside is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter and musician Kate Bush. It was released on 17 February 1978 and contains her UK number one hit, "Wuthering Heights". The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. The production included efforts by several progressive rock veterans, including Duncan Mackay, Ian Bairnson, David Paton, Andrew Powell, and Stuart Elliott of the Alan Parsons Project, and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.

Catherine Bush CBE (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, dancer and record producer. In 1978, aged 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female artist to achieve a UK number one with a self-written song. Bush has since released 25 UK Top 40 singles, including the Top 10 hits "The Man with the Child in His Eyes", "Babooshka", "Running Up That Hill", "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Peter Gabriel), and "King of the Mountain". All 10 of her studio albums reached the UK Top 10, including the UK number one albums Never for Ever (1980), Hounds of Love (1985), and the compilation The Whole Story (1986). She was the first British solo female artist to top the UK album charts and the first female artist to enter the album chart at number one.

Kate Bush Discography Full - Studio albums

The Kick Inside (1978)

Lionheart (1978)

Never for Ever (1980)

The Dreaming (1982)

Hounds of Love (1985)

The Sensual World (1989)

The Red Shoes (1993)

Aerial (2005)

Director's Cut (2011)

50 Words for Snow (2011)

Kate Bush – The Kick Inside (1978): A Singular Vision That Changed Pop Forever

Released in February 1978, The Kick Inside is one of the most extraordinary debut albums in popular music history. Created by a then 19-year-old Kate Bush, the album announced the arrival of a completely original artistic voice—one that combined literary ambition, theatrical performance, classical influences, and art-pop experimentation in a way that had never been heard before.

At a time when punk, disco, and mainstream rock dominated the charts, The Kick Inside felt like it came from another world. It was daring, eccentric, poetic, and unapologetically feminine. More than four decades later, it remains a cornerstone of art pop, progressive pop, and alternative music.

Artist Background and Early Breakthrough

Born in 1958 in Bexleyheath, England, Kate Bush began writing songs at an unusually young age. Her extraordinary talent was discovered by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, who helped finance professional demo recordings and introduced her to EMI Records.

Unlike most debut artists, Bush was given full creative control over her first album—an unprecedented move for a teenage female artist in the 1970s. The Kick Inside draws heavily from songs she wrote between the ages of 13 and 19, making it not only a debut but also a document of early artistic identity.

Musical Style and Sound

The Kick Inside defies easy categorization. It blends:

• Art pop

• Progressive pop

• Folk

• Classical piano traditions

• Experimental rock

The arrangements are delicate yet dramatic, often built around piano, strings, and expressive vocal performance. Bush’s voice—high-pitched, elastic, theatrical—acts as both instrument and narrator, shifting tone and character from song to song.

Despite its youth, the album is remarkably confident, with complex structures, unexpected melodies, and emotional depth far beyond Bush’s years.

Tracklist Overview

1. Moving

2. The Saxophone Song

3. Strange Phenomena

4. Kite

5. The Man with the Child in His Eyes

6. Wuthering Heights

7. James and the Cold Gun

8. Feel It

9. Oh to Be in Love

10. L’Amour Looks Something Like You

11. Them Heavy People

12. Room for the Life

13. The Kick Inside

The sequencing mirrors an emotional journey—moving from introspection and fantasy to intensity and vulnerability, and finally to quiet resolution.

Standout Songs

“Wuthering Heights”

Inspired by Emily Brontë’s novel, this song became one of the most iconic debut singles of all time. Its soaring melody, ghostly lyrics, and otherworldly vocal delivery propelled it to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, making Kate Bush the first female artist to top the UK chart with a self-written song.

“The Man with the Child in His Eyes”

Written when Bush was just 13 years old, this haunting ballad demonstrates her early maturity as a songwriter. The song won an Ivor Novello Award and remains one of her most revered compositions.

“Moving”

The album opener introduces Bush’s fascination with dance, movement, and physical expression, setting the conceptual tone for her entire career.

Lyrical Themes

The lyrics on The Kick Inside are unusually ambitious for a pop debut. Bush explores:

• Romantic obsession and longing

• Fantasy and literature

• Emotional vulnerability

• Sexual awakening

• Power dynamics in relationships

Many songs adopt dramatic personas, drawing from novels, poetry, dreams, and imagined narratives. This theatrical approach helped redefine what pop songwriting could achieve narratively and emotionally.

Fun Facts & Trivia

• Kate Bush wrote most of the album while still a teenager.

• “Wuthering Heights” was inspired by watching a BBC adaptation of the novel late at night.

• David Gilmour helped secure Bush’s record deal but did not interfere creatively.

• Bush choreographed her own performances, integrating dance into pop long before it became standard.

• The album title references emotional release and vulnerability.

Did You Know?

• The Kick Inside reached No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart.

• Kate Bush was only 19 years old at the time of its release.

• The album has appeared on countless “Greatest Albums of All Time” lists.

• Bush refused to follow trends, choosing art over commercial formulas.

• The record influenced generations of female artists across genres.

Commercial Performance and Best-Selling Albums

The Kick Inside was both a critical and commercial triumph.

Key achievements:

• UK Albums Chart: No. 3

• Multiple hit singles

• Established Kate Bush as a major artistic force

Kate Bush’s best-selling and most influential albums include:

• The Kick Inside (1978)

• Never for Ever (1980)

• Hounds of Love (1985) – Over 3 million copies worldwide

• The Sensual World (1989)

While Hounds of Love would later become her commercial peak, The Kick Inside remains her most culturally transformative debut.

Cultural Impact and Legacy

Few debut albums have had such a lasting impact. The Kick Inside challenged gender norms, industry expectations, and musical conventions. Bush proved that a young woman could be experimental, intellectual, emotional, and commercially successful—on her own terms.

Artists influenced by this album include Tori Amos, Björk, Florence Welch, PJ Harvey, St. Vincent, Lorde, and FKA twigs. Its DNA can be found across alternative pop, art rock, and experimental music.

The album also helped open doors for female artists to demand creative control and artistic autonomy.

Most Famous Songs by Kate Bush

• Wuthering Heights

• Running Up That Hill

• The Man with the Child in His Eyes

• Babooshka

• Cloudbusting

• Hounds of Love

• This Woman’s Work

Many of these songs have experienced renewed popularity across generations.

Full Discography (Studio Albums)

• The Kick Inside (1978)

• Lionheart (1978)

• Never for Ever (1980)

• The Dreaming (1982)

• Hounds of Love (1985)

• The Sensual World (1989)

• The Red Shoes (1993)

• Aerial (2005)

• 50 Words for Snow (2011)

Artist Timeline

• Born: July 30, 1958

• Debut: 1978

• Years active: 1975–present (selective releases)

• Status: Active

Keywords

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