The good Kate Bush giveth: As an accompaniment to her three-part live album Before the Dawn (out November 25), Bush has newly released a video for “And Dream of Sheep,” a song that first appeared on 1985's Hounds of Love, but was recorded with Bush singing live while swimming in a water tank at Pinewood Studios for her 2014 concert series.
Along with the video, a statement has been posted to Bush’s official website:
Kate has released a special piece of film to accompany the release of her new single ‘And Dream Of Sheep’. The vocal was performed live while filming Kate lying in the huge water tank at Pinewood Studios. This was to create a sense of realism, as the character in the song is lost at sea. However it became more realistic than Kate had imagined. She spent so long in the water during the first day of filming that she contracted mild hypothermia. She recovered after a day off and carried on filming. Everyone agreed it had added to the authenticity of the performance. This film was then projected onto a large oval screen which hung above the stage during the performances of her live show.
The video features Bush, wearing a blinking life vest, almost entirely submerged in water. “Little light shining, little light will guide them to me,” she sings optimistically, but as time goes on, she loses hope. “Like poppies heavy with seed, they take me deeper and deeper,” the song ends, with Bush sinking beneath the surface, lulled by the promise of drowning.
Someone please draw Kate Bush a nice warm bath.