Lionheart
Studio album by
Kate Bush
Released13 November 1978[1][2]
Recorded7 July – September 1978
StudioSuper Bear Studios
(Berre-les-Alpes, France)
Genre
Length36:32
Label
ProducerAndrew Powell
assisted by Kate Bush
Kate Bush chronology
The Kick Inside
(1978)		 Lionheart
(1978)		 On Stage
(1979)
Kate Bush studio album chronology
The Kick Inside
(1978)		 Lionheart
(1978)		 Never for Ever
(1980)
Singles from Lionheart
  1. "Hammer Horror"
    Released: 27 October 1978
  2. "Wow"
    Released: 9 March 1979
  3. "Symphony in Blue"
    Released: 1 June 1979 (JP and CA)

Lionheart is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was released in November 1978, just nine months after Bush's successful debut album The Kick Inside. Lionheart reached no. 6 on the UK Albums Chart (her only album not to make the top 5) and has been certified Platinum by the BPI.

The first single taken from the album, "Hammer Horror", missed the UK Top 40. However, the follow-up single, "Wow", was released on the back of Bush's UK tour and became a UK Top 20 hit.

Overview

Background

Following the success of her debut album, Kate Bush's record company EMI were eager to get another out. Bush had composed many songs throughout her teens[4] (she was at this time 19 years old) and the majority of the tracks used for Lionheart were compositions from before her debut. Bush, however, was unhappy with the short length of time she had in which to produce the album. Recorded entirely at Super Bear Studios in Berre-les-Alpes on the French Riviera, this was to be her only album recorded outside the UK. Of the ten tracks, only "Symphony in Blue", "Fullhouse" and "Coffee Homeground" were newly composed songs, although the other songs had been reworked by Bush in preparation for the recording. The album was produced, like her first, by Andrew Powell, with Bush feeling that she was at this stage too inexperienced to produce it herself (she would go on to produce all her following albums). Since the album's release, Bush has many times said that she was unhappy with this album because of the restrictions imposed on it. In a 1989 interview she remarked: "Considering how quickly we made it it's a bloody good album, but I'm not really happy with it".

Literary references include J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan in "In Search of Peter Pan" (a song which also quotes "When You Wish Upon a Star" from the Disney film Pinocchio), as well as a nod towards Arsenic and Old Lace in the song "Coffee Homeground", which despite being similar in plot to the play, was inspired by a taxi driver who drove Bush once. Film references include "Hammer Horror", while although taking its name from the Hammer Film studios, is actually about a production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The British television show The Sweeney, a popular police drama from the 1970s, was mentioned in the lyrics of the song "Wow", which is a song about the music business and show business in general.[5] "Kashka from Baghdad", inspired by American detective series, is about the inhabitants of a town wondering about a couple living in an old house.[6]

Lionheart was the first Kate Bush album to feature Del Palmer, who played bass and had previously been in the KT Bush Band. Palmer went on to play bass, or to engineer and record on every subsequent Kate Bush album up to and including 50 Words for Snow (2011). He and Bush also had a long-term relationship between the late 1970s and early 1990s.[7][8]

Release

The album was released in November 1978, the title being taken from side one's closing track "Oh England My Lionheart". The front cover shot depicts Bush in an attic wearing a lion outfit, which she described as being "slightly comical". The photographer was Gered Mankowitz. The lead single chosen was "Hammer Horror", which peaked at a low 44 in the UK (although fared better in many other countries). The album however performed well in the UK, peaking at No. 6. It remained on the chart well into 1979, its promotion being continued by the second single and Bush's UK tour. In total it spent 36 weeks on the chart and was certified Platinum by the BPI for sales of over 300,000, making it one of Bush's better-selling albums.[9] The second single from the album was "Wow", which was released in early 1979. This fared better than the first, peaking at No. 14 in the UK and performing well in many other countries also. In some territories, "Symphony in Blue" was released instead. Around this time, Bush embarked on her first tour, which featured a number of songs from Lionheart – one of these ("Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake") was included on the On Stage EP in September 1979.

In the US, the album was initially unreleased following the failure of her debut.[10] As Bush gained a cult following over the coming years however, Lionheart was belatedly released in 1984 following the entry into the charts of her fourth album The Dreaming.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Drowned in Sound7/10[12]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
The Great Rock Discography5/10[14]
Mojo[15]
MusicHound Rock[16]
Record Mirror[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]
Sounds[19]
Spin Alternative Record Guide5/10[20]

Reception to the album was average, with the album almost universally being looked upon as an inferior version of her debut. NME's Ian Penman wrote: "'Mature' lyrics sung in that twee irritating schoolgirl-siren voice [...] Actually most of the time she's nearer a vague British lineage – Barbara Dickson to Lynsey de Paul – than a Joni/Janis wonderland".[21] Record Mirror was not convinced and wrote about the performance between the musicians: "The feel is often bland and soulless". Reviewer Chris Westwood concluded: "A product which is at best moderate, lacking and often severely irritating... This is flat conceived silliness."[17] The American magazine Trouser Press rated it well, in particular the songs "Symphony in Blue", "In the Warm Room" and "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake".[22]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Mike DeGagne feels that the album lacks substance, while noting that Bush was capable of much better work.[11] In a Guardian poll of Bush's best albums, Lionheart placed lowly with just 2% of the vote.[23] While Bush herself has said that she was unhappy with the finished album, she has mentioned satisfaction with the track "Wow".

Track listing

All tracks written by Kate Bush.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Symphony in Blue"3:35
2."In Search of Peter Pan"3:46
3."Wow"3:58
4."Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake"3:12
5."Oh England My Lionheart"3:10
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Fullhouse"3:14
7."In the Warm Room"3:35
8."Kashka from Baghdad"3:55
9."Coffee Homeground"3:38
10."Hammer Horror"4:39

Notes:

Personnel

Production

  • Andrew Powell – producer
  • Kate Bush – assistant producer
  • Jon Kelly – recording engineer, mixing
  • Patrick Jaunead – assistant engineer
  • Nigel Walker – mixing assistant
  • Gered Mankowitz – art direction, photography
  • Richard Gray – sleeve design
  • John Carder Bush – front cover concept

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Platinum 50,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[37] Platinum 100,000^
Japan — 26,100[28]
Netherlands (NVPI)[38] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Platinum 300,000^
United States — 28,000[41]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


References

  1. ↑ "Lionheart | Kate Bush".
  2. ↑ The Whole Story (Media notes). EMI Canada. PWAS17242.
  3. ↑ Hutchinson, Kate. "Kate Bush: where to start in her back catalogue". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Kate of Many Colour - Record Collector Magazine".
  5. ↑ "Wow".
  6. ↑ "Kashka from Baghdad".
  7. ↑ "The Independent: Kate Bush: The Return of the recluse". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 October 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Salon.com People: Kate Bush". Archive.salon.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Kate Bush | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Review Revue: Kate Bush - Lionheart".
  11. 1 2 DeGagne, Mike. "Lionheart – Kate Bush". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  12. ↑ Lukowski, Andrzej (3 December 2018). "'I caught a glimpse of a god' – Kate Bush's first four albums reconsidered". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  13. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). "Bush, Kate". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  14. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2006). "Kate Bush". The Great Rock Discography. Canongate U.S. pp. 146–47. ISBN 978-184195-827-9.
  15. ↑ Sutcliffe, Phil (June 2011). "A Magnificent Obsession". Mojo. No. 211. pp. 82–83.
  16. ↑ Galens, David (1999). Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. 179–80. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  17. 1 2 Westwood, Chris (25 November 1978). "But Kate's a myth". Record Mirror. p. 24.
  18. ↑ Considine, J. D. (2004). "Kate Bush". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 122–23. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  19. ↑ McCullough, Dave (November 1978). "Debenham's rock". Sounds.
  20. ↑ Sheffield, Rob (1995). "Kate Bush". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  21. ↑ Penman, Ian (25 November 1978). "A Bird and her Bush". NME. p. 53.
  22. ↑ "Kate Bush: Lionheart". Trouser Press. July 1979.
  23. ↑ "Poll: Which is the greatest Kate Bush album?". The Guardian. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  24. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  25. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kate Bush – Lionheart" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  26. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Kate Bush". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 40.
  27. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kate Bush – Lionheart" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  28. 1 2 Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  29. ↑ "Charts.nz – Kate Bush – Lionheart". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  30. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kate Bush – Lionheart". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  31. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Kate Bush – Lionheart". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  32. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  33. ↑ "Billboard Charts – Kate Bush – Lionheart" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  34. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  35. ↑ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  36. ↑ "Australia" (PDF). Billboard. 17 March 1979. p. AS-31. Retrieved 17 January 2021 – via World Radio History.
  37. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Kate Bush – Lionheart". Music Canada.
  38. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Kate Bush – Lionheart" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Lionheart in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  39. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Kate Bush – Lionheart". Recorded Music NZ.
  40. ↑ "British album certifications – Kate Bush – Lionheart". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  41. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (22 November 2005). "Ask Billboard: Bush League". Billboard. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
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