FEATURE:
Sweet Child of Mine
PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton
Kate Bush’s Bertie from Aerial
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BECAUSE a few Kate Bush albums…
have anniversaries in November, I am exploring each of them from different angles. Aerial turns sixteen on 7th November. The first album since 1993’s The Red Shoes, there was a mix of interest, excitement and curiosity when the album was announced. Why now for an album? Where had Bush been all of this time? It was a massive relief that she was back with a terrific album – a very good double album at that! One of the reasons as to why there was a big gap between albums is her son, Bertie. Born in 1998, he was a very young child when she was recording the album. Understandably, one can feel his presence and influence on many of the songs through Aerial. That is most explicit on a song especially for him. Bertie is a paen to her new son. More than a child, it is almost a new lease on life. I think about Bush in 1993 and what was going on with her. The Red Shoes did not get that much positive press. Her short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve, was also the recipient of some backlash. For the first time in her career, Bush was getting a fair bit of negativity. Throw in the break-up of a long-lasting relationship and the fairly recent death of her mother, one can understand why she would have wanted to retreat and spend some time not making music.
If one were to rank the tracks on Aerial, maybe Bertie would come quite low. In fact, I ranked it number six in a recent feature. I was ranking the seven songs that make up the brilliant first side of Aerial, A Sea of Honey. I ranked Pi last - though I have also done a feature about that. The only reason for ranking Pi so low was because, at its heart, it is Bush reciting numbers. There are other songs on that half/album that are fuller and more interesting. I have sort of changed my views about Bertie. It is undeniably sweet and loving. Many might see that as a reason to avoid. In fact, it is very tender and joyful. I am going to give further impressions. First, and thanks to the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia is Bush discussing the inspiration behind the song:
“He's such a big part of my life so, you know, he's a very big part of my work. It's such a great thing, being able to spend as much time with him as I can. And, you know, he won't be young for very long. And already he's starting to grow up and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on that, that I spent as much time with his as I could.
So, the idea was that he would come first, and then the record would come next, which is also one reasons why it's taken a long time (laughs). It always takes me a long time anyway, but trying to fit that in around the edges that were left over from the time that I wanted to spend with him.
It's a wonderful thing, having such a lovely son. Really, you know with a song like that, you could never be special enough from my point of view, and I wanted to try and give it an arrangement that wasn't terribly obvious, so I went for the sort of early music... (Ken Bruce show, BBC Radio 2, 3 November 2005)”.
The lyrics are simple and heartfelt: “Here comes the sunshine/Here comes that son of mine/Here comes the everything/Here's a song and a song for him/Sweet kisses/Three wishes/Lovely Bertie/The most wilful/The most beautiful/The most truly fantastic smile/I've ever seen/Sweet kisses/Three wishes/Lovely Bertie/You bring me so much joy/And then you bring me/More joy”. I feel that, if Bush were to discuss the track today, she would feel the same. It is clear that her son was a massive ray of sunshine and remains so. It is strange to think, as we look ahead to Aerial turning sixteen, Bertie is twenty-three. It almost seems impossible! I wonder whether, in 1993, Kate Bush could have ever predicted where her life would head! Because of this new-found peace and purpose, we get a phenomenal album in Aerial. She has named it as her favourite. Many would agree with her. It is a beautiful album with some of her finest lyrics, compositions and vocal performances. For all its simplicity, Bertie is a very affecting song where one can feel the warmth and pride flow from Bush. In the years since, Bertie (Albert) has appeared on Director’s Cut and 50 Words for Snow (both 2011). He was instrumental in her stage return in 2014. Before the Dawn also features him as an actor. If there is more music from Kate Bush, maybe we will hear an adult Bertie in some form. I do love Aerial and its context. Bush as this relatively new mother who, for the first time in many years, seemed settled, calmer and less pulled and pushed by demand and the industry. Even though it is not as musically rich or as lyrically deep as some songs on Aerial, Bertie is a beautiful song to…
HER much-loved son.