WHILE we wonder why an artist revisits a pretty much perfect, and perfectly weird song, And Dream of Sheep, in its first incarnation as part of 1985’s Hounds of Love, Kate Bush’s slightly deeper timbre changes the tone of the original from sort of accessing her spirit animal, while inconveniently drowning, to one of shivering – pondering on a sink or swim scenario.
Kate Bush pictured in her performance Beyond the Dawn
But only wonder a bit, because she is Kate Bush – a walking interpretive dancing, non-stop concept record in beautiful human form. Always one for a well-thought out visual, this one has her turning gently blue in a tank of water, orange life-jacket framing her heart-shaped face. To this version she lends a sort of resigned, but stark delivery of lyrics that suggest dying quickly might be preferable to freezing (indeed, she suffered from hypothermia during the shoot). Sweetly melancholic and pure in melody, the song has indeed improved with age and experience.
The Shipping Forecast that lulls many of us to sleep or wakes us up is channeled here, in the song’s sleepy-eyed half-awake, half dreaming trance; floating somewhere between slumber and wakefulness. You can listen to it hundreds of times and come up with a different interpretation each listen, but it is always haunting and darkly beautiful.
by Michele Kirsch