The Dreaming (song)
| "The Dreaming" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kate Bush | ||||
| from the album The Dreaming | ||||
| B-side | "Dreamtime" | |||
| Released | 26 July 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:09 (single version) 4:43 (album version) | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kate Bush | |||
| Producer(s) | Kate Bush | |||
| Kate Bush singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "The Dreaming" on YouTube | ||||
"The Dreaming" is the title song from Kate Bush's fourth studio album The Dreaming and was released as a single on 26 July 1982. "The Dreaming" peaked at No. 48 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song is about the destruction of Aboriginal Australians' traditional lands by white Australians in their quest for weapons-grade uranium. Musical guest Rolf Harris plays the didgeridoo on the recording, and bird impersonator Percy Edwards provided sheep noises.[1]
The title is based on The Dreaming, a concept in Aboriginal mythology. The original title for the track was "The Abo Song", which unwittingly made use of a racial slur; promotional 7-inch copies were circulated before being recalled.[2] A 12-inch single was also mooted but ultimately rejected by EMI for "not being commercially viable".
An alternative version of "The Dreaming", entitled "Dreamtime", was used as the UK single B-side. It is usually referred to as an instrumental version of "The Dreaming": while the track omits the sung lead vocals, it retains most of the backing vocals. "Dreamtime" contains both an extended intro and outro.
The cover art is by Del Palmer, Bush's partner at the time and sometime bass player. It features a depiction of the Wandjina, a sky spirit in Western Australian traditions. Wandjinas brought the law, culture and language.
Personnel[edit]
- Kate Bush – lead and backing vocals; piano; Fairlight CMI
- Paddy Bush – bullroarer; backing vocals
- Rolf Harris – didgeridoo
- Stuart Elliott – drums
- Percy Edwards – animal sounds
- Gosfield Goers – crowd noises
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 91 |
| UK Singles Chart[4] | 48 |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Percy Edwards Showdown BBC4 4 march, 2009
- ^ "Kate Bush - Abo Song". Discogs. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 50. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Kate Bush | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
