Kate Bush Making Never For Ever: Behind Her First No.1 Album

When Kate Bush heard Pink Floyd’s The Wall, she initially felt intimidated, admitting she thought there was no point in writing songs anymore because they had seemingly said it all. Yet, after a couple of weeks of reflection, she realized they hadn’t done everything. That realization fueled the creation of her third record, 1980’s Never For Ever—an expansive album exploring everything from cheating husbands and returning to the womb to saving the planet.

Following the intense schedule of her legendary 1979 Tour Of Life and discomfort with EMI’s visual emphasis on her sexuality during the promotion of Lionheart, Bush retreated from heavy touring. Following her Christmas 1979 TV special, she assumed complete auteur control in the studio. That gamble paid off. Never For Ever made history as the first album by a British female solo artist to top the UK album chart straight in at No.1, as well as the first by any female solo artist that was not a compilation.

The Stories Behind the Tracks

Among the standout tracks was "Babooshka," a bitter love story born from a mix of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac and Rupert Holmes’ "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)." Bush explained to Australian TV that the song’s wife tests her husband’s loyalty via scented letters from a young temptress, inadvertently ruining their relationship.

Inspired partly by the traditional English folk song "Sovay," the track featured John Giblin’s distinctive fretless bass. At the song’s climax, the sound of breaking glass came from Bush actually smashing crockery at Abbey Road—later apologizing with chocolates to the kitchen staff—marking an early use of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer’s sampling abilities, introduced to her by Peter Gabriel.

Another deeply personal moment arrived with "Blow Away," subtitled "For Bill" and dedicated to Bill Duffield, the lighting director tragically killed in an accident during the Tour Of Life.

The song explicitly namechecked musicians who had recently passed away, including Marc Bolan, Minnie Riperton, Keith Moon, Sid Vicious, Sandy Denny, and Buddy Holly, picturing a celestial gathering of artists.

Bush also incorporated a quote from Shakespeare’s Othello, describing it in her fan club newsletter as a comfort against the fear of dying.

Elsewhere, tracks like "Delius (Song Of Summer)" drew inspiration from Ken Russell’s 1968 TV movie about composer Frederick Delius, while "All We Ever Look For" heavily utilized the Fairlight synth to weave in samples ranging from chanting Hare Krishna followers to birdsong.