The song that inspired Kate Bush to write a song about incest: “It was an area that I wanted to explore”
Kate Bush is no stranger to exploring eerie and unsettling romantic and familial dynamics—her most famous song, after all, is titled ‘Wuthering Heights’. However, there’s a lesser-known track in her discography that might strike listeners as particularly unusual if they pay close attention to the lyrics.
In fact, it’s more than just a little odd—it’s downright disturbing, given that this song is explicitly about incest. So, what could have compelled this English national treasure to write such a controversial piece about siblings engaging in the unspeakable? The answer lies in the fact that she didn’t conjure this story from her own imagination.
In fact, her track was actually inspired by a traditional folk song, which contains just as concerning subject matters embedded in the lyricism. The traditional English folk number is called ‘Lucy Wan’, and when Kate Bush heard the song for the first time, she recalled: “It was an area that I wanted to explore because it’s one that is really untouched and that is one of incest. There are so many songs about love, but they are always on such an obvious level”.
So, if that’s where the inspiration came from, what song did the tale inspire? If you’ve heard Kate Bush’s song ‘The Kick Inside’, congrats. You’ve been listening to a song about incest.
The song itself is written to be a suicide note, penned by a woman who fell in love with her brother and became pregnant with his baby, hence the title ‘The Kick Inside’. In the song, the woman tells her brother not to feel responsible for her death or the choices she made. The lyrics go incredibly dark, which is honestly appropriate for the subject matter.
In the song, Bush sings: “I’m giving it all in a moment or two, giving it all in a moment for you. This kicking here inside, makes me leave you behind. No more under the quilt to keep you warm. Your sister I was born, you must lose me like an arrow shot into the killer storm”. It’s pretty unmistakable—the song is absolutely about a brother and sister who do the unspeakable.
Alongside her smash hit single ‘Wuthering Heights’, Bush also penned this song when she was just 19. Of course, this shocked many listeners, considering that she was young and had been educated in a convent. However, she did say that her characters were a part of keeping her faith and that she made sure never to pass judgment on them.
The track croons in her classic high register, with full orchestral and piano backing. It’s undeniably a beautiful musical arrangement, almost enough to make you forget the lyrical drama behind it and the folk song that inspired it.
Appearing on the same album as ‘Wuthering Heights‘, Bush boldly titled the entire album after her song, leaving it as the last track on The Kick Inside. The album came out in 1978. If the topic strikes people as controversial now, you can only imagine what it was like to write about the taboo back then.
‘The Kick Inside’ is a prime example of Bush’s ability to tackle complex and potentially controversial topics with grace and nuance, a talent that would become one of her trademarks throughout her career. The song’s exploration of taboo subjects, coupled with its literary inspiration, marks it as a deeply personal and artistic statement, even at this early stage in her career. It’s a song that hints at the depth and ambition that would come to define Kate Bush as one of the most innovative and influential artists in music history.
In many ways, ‘The Kick Inside’ encapsulates the essence of Kate Bush’s artistry. It’s a song that combines lyrical sophistication with emotional honesty, all wrapped in a musical arrangement that is as delicate as it is powerful. Even early in her career, Bush demonstrated an uncanny ability to tackle difficult subjects with grace and insight, marking her as a unique voice in the music world. ‘The Kick Inside’ remains one of her most moving and introspective works, a testament to her talent for blending the poetic with the profoundly personal.
