‘And Dream of Sheep’ ‘Under Ice’ (Kate Bush) ‘Cloudbusting’ (Kate Bush)
(Kate Bush)
Context Hounds of Love Album (1985) – concept album
Ninth Wave (side B) – she thought of it as a film, person stuck in water with only life-jacket + light, waiting for
someone to help, forcing self to stay awake so will not drown + left to own imagination = terrifying
‘And Dream of Sheep’: drifint in the sea, awaiting rescue
‘Under Ice’: in a dream-like state, the narrator is skating on ice, she sees herself under the ice
‘Cloudbusting’: based on relationship between the psychoanalyst/inventor Wilhelm Reich and his son, he
believed he could cure humanity’s ills and create rain (using Cloudbusters) by capturing a mysterious energy,
the marketing/publicising of this led to his imprisonment for 2 years for fraud
Kate Bush: studied dance/mime as well as musical skills, not classically trained, literary/historical/art
concepts in most songs, psychological basis, free flowing melodies, unpredictable, improvisatory nature,
unconstrained non-functional harmonies, unusual structures, musical inspirations include: rock, folk, ethnic
styles, electronica + classical forms
Perform Voice + piano (more dramatic + Low male backing vocals in Classical string sextet
ing wider range in verses) choruses, additional vocals to make Most conventional, but lacks
Extra: bouzouki (adds decorating 3 parts in chorus 4 traditional backing (no bass/electric
Forces
lines to verse 2, plays in second Synthesised/sampled strings guitar + restrained drums most
link/outro) + Irish whistles (multi- produced by the Fairlight CMI noticeable is military snare drum
tracked during outro) lullaby, (bleak/colder sound) part)
floating, boat whistles Synth pad (constant underlying Brief balalaika line
drone)
Sonority Effects: spoken vocal sample in Mysterious vocal harmonic effect Keyboard triggered Fairlight
style of radio shipping forecast with moving filter frequency to samples (treated vocal sample in
(more realistic like film), gulls sound like throat singers bridge, steam engine sound, two
Kate Bush’s distinctive voice Low tessitura of lead vocals sampled tracks as melody + accomp
Samples: whispered ‘wake up’, in instrumental)
distant out of key cry, wave sound
effect, water drips
Structur All contain many familiar structural devices of pop songs, but very distorted closer to rock + musical
e theatre (extended conventional song structure)
Verse 1, chorus, bridge (chord Through composed Verse 1, bridge, chorus, verse 2,
sequence from chorus), verse 2 Cyclic – 10 bar repeated phrase bridge 2, chorus, instrumental,
(variation: bouzouki, engine low defined by accomp, rhythm + time chorus, outro
note, 2 beat anacrusis to 7 bar sig Chorus: violin riff starts, vocal hook
, section, rests filled with vocal Intro, verse 1, chorus 1, verse 2, idea sung three times
arpeggio figure), chorus, bridge, chorus 2, verse 3, chorus 3, verse 4,
outro chorus 4, outro (dialogue between
Verse 1: 2 bar, 2 bar, 3 bar lead + backing vocals)
phrases
Texture Verse accomp: wide ranging Melody dominated homophony Verse 2: string countermelody in
spread chords, sparse, some Open 5 ostinato
th
octaves
doubling of vocals, 3 part Articulated octave bass pedal Polyphonic feel in chorus (violin riff
Chorus accomp: throughout in counterpoint to vocal) + outro
crotchet/semibreve (very simple) Dialogue between lead + backing (though three lines rarely all
block chords + pedal vocals in coda together)
Melody (vocals) + Silence for impact at end of bridge
accompaniment sections
Tonality Verses: C# minor + choruses: E A natural minor Modal C# minor
Clear major Ambiguity – A sus2 + D major
tonality, Tonality used to define structure chords, no dominant chords
not Modal elements: B naturals in C#
diatonic or minor sections = Mixolydian
functional mode, frequent use of subtonic
Harmon Based on main elements of diatonic functional harmony, rare use of conventional cadences + progressions
y based on primary chords, wide chord palate due to added note/extension/sus/slash chords
Verse: C#m7 – F#m/A – B (I IVb Synth strings use 5ths (+ octaves in Verse/outro: C#m7 – Badd9 – A6/9 – Badd9
flat VII) articulated bass pedal outlining (acts as a substitute dominant)
Chorus: tonic bass pedal, E – E6 – bass note of chord) Chorus/instrumental = similar
F#m/E – B/E (I II V I) Finishes on an ambiguous Asus2 (F#7(sus4) instead of A6/9, but contain
Perfect cadence in E major closes chord same notes)
chorus F maj7#4
– Dm – A
9 (sus2)
– Am/C Faster harmonic rhythm in bridge
All from A natural minor scale,
expect few Dmj
Melody Static/conjunct melodic shape Lyrical sections: pentatonic shape, Range of a tenth, mostly mid-range
Low range some conjunct movement, mainly Verse 1: triadic shape including an
Verse characterised by rising 5th leaps of 3rds/4ths/5ths unprepared seventh
interval + ends with many Accomp vocals: repeated Bridge: 5 similar phrases all ending
repeated Es notes/conjunct = static contrast on low B
Chorus characterised by Chorus: rising 5th, otherwise mainly
oscillating minor 3 + more
rd
conjunct/ repeated notes, 3x
