Cloudbusting -- Kate Bush In Her Own Words

Army Dreamers

"Army dreamers'' is about a grieving mother who, through the death of her soldier boy, questions her motherhood. (1980, KBC 7)

But you really live out your roles and fantasies. Playing the mother in ``army dreamers''

Yeah, I seem to link on to mothers rather well. As I've grown up a bit I've become very aware of observing my own mother trying to observe me. It's fascinating. When I was a kid I never really thought about her, about how she ticks.

But I can be more objective now and I find it fascinating about mothers, that there's something in there, a kind of maternal passion which is there all the time, even when they're talking about cheese sandwiches. Sometimes it can be very possessive, sometimes it's very real. (1980, Oct 10, Melody Maker)

It's not actually directed at Ireland. It's included, but it's much more embracing the whole European thing. That's why it says BFPO in the first chorus, to try and broaden it away from Ireland.

What about the irish accent?

The Irish accent was important because the treatment of the song is very traditional, and the Irish would always use their songs to tell stories, it's the traditional way. There's something about an Irish accent that's very vulnerable, very poetic, and so by singing it in an Irish accent it comes across in a different way. But the song was meant to cover areas like Germany, especially with the kids that get killed in manoeuvres, not even in action. It doesn't get brought out much, but it happens a lot. I'm not slagging off the Army, it's just so sad that there are kids who have no O-levels and nothing to do but become soldiers, and it's not really what they want. That's what frightens me. (1980, Zigzag)

It's the first song I've ever written in the studio. It's not specifically about Ireland, it's just putting the case of a mother in these circumstances, how incredibly sad it is for her. How she feels she should have been able to prevent it. If she'd bought him a guitar when he asked for one. (1980, Oct 10, Melody Maker)

Correct me if I'm wrong, ``army dreamers'' is going to be the next single, isn't it?

Yes, it is. Yes, indeed.

It's got a sort of waltz feel to it - three, four, quick, quick, slow, slow - isn't it?

Yes, it is a waltz. It was based very much on traditional music, the stuff that I was brought up on as a kid. So it's deliberately like that, it's very acoustic.

...That must... Is that one of your favorites... To be the single? Yes, it is. It's hard to like tracks that you create because they seem so old so quickly and it almost becomes a sort of objective thing where you've just become very close to it, so you do like it. But it's very hard to actually say you like or you don't like your own music, it's a very strange thing because it's so personal.

Having said that though, you actually did state while that was playing, it was so good to hear your tracks being played on the radio, at last...

It's wonderful. It is, it's really exciting because it's been so long since I've had an album and this has been finished for nearly three months now and it's so good to actually see it moving, it's lovely.

My first reaction listening to that track, was actually to ask you if you'd kindly have a waltz in the studio which is unfortunately to small.

There's no room, I would, I'd love to! [Both laugh] (1980, Never For Ever Debut)

No, it's not personal. It's just a mother grieving and observing the waste. A boy with no O-levels, say, who might have [??? Line missing!] whatever. But he's nothing to do, no way to express himself. So he joins the army. He's trapped. So many die, often in accidents. I'm not slagging off the army, because it's good for certain people. But there are a lot of people in it who shouldn't be. (1980, Sunday Times)

The song is about a mother who lost her son overseas. It doesn't matter how he died, but he didn't die in action - it was an accident. I wanted the mother to be a very simple woman who's obviously got a lot of work to do. She's full of remorse, but he has to carry on, living in a dream. Most of us live in a dream. (1980, Flexipop)

The earliest track to show the strong influence of traditional Irish music on my songs. (C.1986, AVD)

What's your most successful video to date, in your opinion?

From an artistic point of view, definitely ``Army Dreamers.'' For me that's the closest that I've got to a littl bit of film. And it was very pleasing for me to watch the ideas I'd thought of actually working beautifully. Watching it on the screen. It really was a treat, that one. I think that's the first time ever with anything I've done I can actually sit back and say ``I liked that'' That's the only thing. Everything else I can sit there going ``Oh look at that, that's out of place.'' So I'm very pleased with that one, artistically. (1980, Profiles In Rock)

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