FEATURE:
But Then I Find It Hurts Me…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush with Lyn Spencer for Razzmatazz at Tyne Tees studios in 1981
Kate Bush’s Sat in Your Lap at Forty-Two
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I do make an effort…
to mark Kate Bush song anniversaries, especially when that relates to a single. Released on 21st June, 1981 (though Kate Bush’s official website says 22nd June, I think it was released the day before) - and subsequently included on Bush's fourth album, The Dreaming -, Sat in Your Lap is one of her best tracks. As it is coming up to its forty-second anniversary, I wanted to revisit this wonderful and incredibly individual piece of work. Something I think only Kate Bush could really master. In terms of the lyrical approach, Sat in Your Lap deals with humanity's endless search for knowledge, which is often limited by unwillingness to devote the effort necessary to attain it. One of Bush’s most accelerated and fast tracks to that point, it was a nice indication of what The Dreaming would offer - and how it would radically differ in terms of production and sound when you think about 1980’s Never for Ever. The release timing and gap between the single and album coming out is quite remarkable. Never for Ever’s final single, Army Dreamers, came out in September 1980. Sat in Your Lap arrived in June 1981. It would take until September 1982 for The Dreaming to arrive. That meant there was almost a fifteen-month space between the first single coming and then the album itself arriving. I am not sure whether this has happened in modern times, but it would be a strange thing. I think the fact that Bush had writer’s block prior to writing Sat in Your Lap, coupled with a desire (maybe more from EMI) not to leave gaps between releases so that she is still relevant and discussed was the reason.
The Kate Bush Encyclopedia sourced an interview where Bush talked about the inspiration behind Sat in Your Lap. I do love how one musical legend inspired another one to write such an extraordinary song. Sat in Your Lap must rank alongside her very best work:
“I already had the piano patterns, but they didn't turn into a song until the night after I'd been to see a Stevie Wonder gig. Inspired by the feeling of his music, I set a rhythm on the Roland and worked in the piano riff to the high-hat and snare. I now had a verse and a tune to go over it but only a few lyrics like "I see the people working", "I want to be a lawyer,'' and "I want to be a scholar,'' so the rest of the lyrics became "na-na-na"' or words that happened to come into my head. I had some chords for the chorus with the idea of a vocal being ad-libbed later. The rhythm box and piano were put down, and then we recorded the backing vocals. "Some say that knowledge is...'' Next we put down the lead vocal in the verses and spent a few minutes getting some lines worked out before recording the chorus voice. I saw this vocal being sung from high on a hill on a windy day. The fool on the hill, the king of the castle... "I must admit, just when I think I'm king."
The idea of the demos was to try and put everything down as quickly as possible. Next came the brass. The CS80 is still my favourite synthesizer next to the Fairlight, and as it was all that was available at the time, I started to find a brass sound. In minutes I found a brass section starting to happen, and I worked out an arrangement. We put the brass down and we were ready to mix the demo.
I was never to get that CS80 brass to sound the same again - it's always the way. At The Townhouse the same approach was taken to record the master of the track. We put down a track of the rhythm box to be replaced by drums, recording the piano at the same time. As I was producing, I would ask the engineer to put the piano sound on tape so I could refer to that for required changes. This was the quickest of all the tracks to be completed, and was also one of the few songs to remain contained on one twenty-four track tape instead of two! (Kate Bush Club newsletter, October 1982)”.
I really love Sat in Your Lap. The opening track from The Dreaming, the fact it reached number eleven in the U.K. is testament to its instant appeal. You might have thought the public would take time to adapt to something very different from Kate Bush. An artist who was always evolving and progressing her sound, there was something in Sat in Your Lap that resonated with people.
Sat in Your Lap is one of the more accessible songs from The Dreaming. Sadly, the other singles released from the album were comparatively disappointing in terms of chart positions. The excellent There Goes a Tenner reached ninety-three in the U.K. and did not chart anywhere else. The Dreaming is not as singles-ready and its follow-up, Hounds of Love. I think there was a conscious effort by Bush (and maybe a need from EMI) that Hounds of Love was a little more ‘chart friendly’ in some ways. The Dreaming is one of Bush’s masterpieces; Sat in Your Lap a phenomenal song that was a successful and loved single. It frequently features high on critical lists of the best Kate Bush songs and singles. Forty-two years after its release, and it is still played on the radio. I love the inspiration behind it and how refreshed and inspired Bush sounds! It is a magnificent lead single from an album that I still find is underrated. I would encourage people to listen to The Dreaming as we lead up to the anniversary of Sat in Your Lap. In terms of live performances, it would have been wonderful if Bush did a tour after The Dreaming’s 1982 release, as Sat in Your Lap is a song that would have translated well to the stage. With its amazing video shot at Abbey Road Studios, Kate Bush was nearing the peak of her powers. Released on 21st June, 1981, there is no doubting the fact that Sat in Your Lap is…
SUCH a remarkable song.