Social Issues in Kate's Songs

[POLS051@csc.canterbury.ac.nz]

Path: canterbury.ac.nz!pols051
From: pols051@csc.canterbury.ac.nz
Newsgroups: rec.music.gaffa
Subject: Social Issues in Kate's Songs
Message-ID: <1992Jan4.164537.3329@csc.canterbury.ac.nz>
Date: 4 Jan 92 16:45:37 +1300
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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Dear Katefans, 

I decided in this posting to see if I can initiate any discussion of social and
political issues in Kate's songs.   Being both a Political Science masters
student and a Katefan, this seems natural to me.

Basically, how many references in Kate's songs can people find to political and
social issues?   Although in the interview that she gives for TSW video she
talks of her dislike of formal political processes, I can find quite a few
references in her songs to "informal" political issues (or "private" verses
"public" political issues, to use the feminist terminology).     Just to start
the ball rolling, here I some of my own interpretations:


- "The Dreaming" is of course about racism, but what do I make of "Heads We're
Dancing"?

- "Army Dreamers", "Experiment IV", and "Pull out the Pin" are obviously 
anti-military songs.   How about the second verse of "Oh England, My
Lionheart"?

- From what I remember, "Room for the Life" seems quite feminist in tone,
although I'm not quite sure what to make of "This Women's Work".   The last
verse of "Suspended in Gaffa" may also be trying to make some sort of point
about the position of women.   Also I remember reading somewhere that "Get Out
of My House" is a song about rape, and the same seems to apply to "Leave it
Open" on the same album.

- "Kaska from Bagdad" is obviously a song about male homosexuality, but is
"Wow"?  I remember reading somewhere that it is a song about a gay actor who
can't get work because he is discriminated against due to his sexuality. 
Is this true?

- Oh, and I just remembered the anti-nuclear sentiments of "Breathing".



So are these interpretations correct?   Have I missed any out?   What has Kate
said in recorded interviews about political and social issues?

	- Andrew.

__________________________________________________

Andrew Hoy,
Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND.

"Rolling over like a great big cloud
 Walking out on the big sky now"