Brilliant song. Reminds me of my childhood. My brother, sister and I grew up with this music, so much so that my brother wanted this to be the first dance at his wedding. Oh the connotations: Night of the Swallow!
Nice pics, those artistic illustrations mixed amongst the photos I remember downloading to my computer yonks ago! before YouTube existed, nice to see them again in this context.
I worked for an ornithology grad student in Nebraska around 1996....the "frozen swallows" have always been on my mind.....we had a late cold front move through in May, and either all the food died off (swallows feed almost exclusively on little bugs), or it was just too cold to fly (temps never went above 40 for several days)....we had to pick up BOXES full of them....we warmed up and saved a few, but most didn't make it...
such a powerfully intense song from an incredibly versatile & unique performer... 1 of a kind. awesome song. great job with the slide show! well done you.
I am a huge KB fan ..and have just "discovered this song...I have The Dreaming Cd but would always skip this track.....now I can't stop playing it!!!!!!!She is Fucking Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!All the hardcore KB fans know what I mean about her music possessing you....this is my new addiction...Thanks for the music KATE!!!
@macksboy87: I know what you mean. Everyone who appreciates real genius should lock themselves in a room, put on headphones and listen to this album from start to finish. Then listen to it again. One of the greatest works of art ever committed to record and so advanced it went over most peoples' heads at the time. As usual people bought mediocrity instead of this masterpiece.
Night of the Swallow; should be every guy's favourite song. Means something a little bit more risque than when I was 6 and first fell in love with it. Think about it...
I love all the layers and experiments with sound on this album. You really do have to play it LOUD. I always knew that at the end she said 'But you're not a swallow' but I could never hear. Play it loud and it becomes clearer.
When I read Ellis Hanson and Eleanor Heartney, I can relate Kate Bush's work, which is "anti-rationalist" and often "deliberately backward-looking" to the nineteenth-century Decadents. Still, this is probably, along with "The Big Sky" the most amazing song she ever performed, especially the exhilarating final two minutes where one imagines a person flying like a swallow.
Stuart Elliott's drumming is amazing when one pushed the plugs in. One heard so many more beats!
I loved this song - my fave when given album for my birthday - but with no sleeve notes/ lyrics!! Countless hours depserately/blissfully trying to guess what she was singing. And the surprise years later to find a friend with the words and see all lines I couldn't guess - "the smell of the yankee hash - nowhere near!). Great album, even if she seems not so keen - can really see her testing the limits, only to pull back for genius of hounds of love. thanks kate....
This song gets in my head and stays there for days on end. I love her infliction on "there's no risk". It's so...manic? pleading? sardonic? I change my interpretation every time I hear it.
i'm a HUGE kate fan,and this is probably my favorite song of hers.and to have all those great pictures of her is even better,since she has so many different looks,and she's so beautiful.
Beautiful woman, beautifully sung song, beautiful vocals! Always wished I'd had the chance to meet her. All her songs are excellent but this is a real favourite
I find them on a lot of different sites. I search every Kate site I can find to see if they have any pictures I don't have and sometimes I'm lucky and find some.
What the lyric is or how it reads on the lyric sheet, and what Kate is singing, might be singing, is heard to sing, etc., is another matter. She's very smart, arch, very much aware of the power of words--written and spoken/sung--and likes people to "work" with her songs, so she doesn't "give too much away." I've been listening to her intently since around '78/'79, and even though I KNOW what I'm reading, I also KNOW what I'm hearing, and it doesn't always match up. All part of her charm.
it does sound like 'can't you swallow', although 'catch a swallow' makes more sense. its like in kate's 'where are the lionhearts?' , where it sounds like she sings 'climbing up the adders to slide down the adders', but the lyrics say 'climbing up the ladders to slide down the adders', which makes much more sense (snakes and ladders. . .)
GOD I love Kate Bush she is the most creative musician ever.I could go on for days why she is the greatest but I won't after all You already know, enjoy!!!!
Beyond "Symphonyofflowers" very true description of the song, I interpret the lyrics as the sacrifice one makes for another out of love in spite of the fear and iminent danger of becoming involved. I have always found the line: "If you go, I'll let the Law know" an interesting, desperate lyrical threat, a final warning before succumbing to the illegal act and then realizing it's all hopeless with the ending: "But you're not a swallow!".
I agree with Symphonyofflowers and dompy1, but I'd like to add one interpretation more: I think the song is also about someone being excited for the first time in years, which can be seen in the verse that begins with "give me a break" and ends with "just like a swallow". The person promises to be "home before the morning", so apparently the character isn't seriously planning a career in crime; it's more about being radical only once and feeling alive.
What's the first picture?
blimeyshoes 1 month ago
Lady GaGa, Beyonce, Adele etc et. I'm sorry, but none of these singers can hold a candle to the divine Kate Bush.
WeTheStrange 1 month ago
God I need this!!!
ChrissieBana 1 month ago
what can I say, but WOW!
yo519ge 2 months ago
Breathtaking, music and lyrics.
Seishuah 3 months ago
One of her best songs..and that's saying something as there are so many brilliant songs !!!!
shadyalan1 4 months ago 3
Kate's most under-rated song ?
TheHumbuckerboy 4 months ago 2
This song is so amazing :) I especially love the chorus xxx
GirlWithOneEyeXxx 6 months ago in playlist Kate Bush
Brilliant song. Reminds me of my childhood. My brother, sister and I grew up with this music, so much so that my brother wanted this to be the first dance at his wedding. Oh the connotations: Night of the Swallow!
riottori 6 months ago
Nice pics, those artistic illustrations mixed amongst the photos I remember downloading to my computer yonks ago! before YouTube existed, nice to see them again in this context.
Cyrus2182 7 months ago
My Mum's from Malta : )
Noodles37UK 8 months ago
1 person didn't catch the swallow
SylvanCyborg 8 months ago
Most epic climax in popular music ever
MurdererOfCalm 8 months ago 3
more new muzik from kate would be sweet, hurrah
orionconflict2007 9 months ago 2
This song blows my mind.
NemoFitzgerald 10 months ago
Beautiful song from a beautiful Lady...
I worked for an ornithology grad student in Nebraska around 1996....the "frozen swallows" have always been on my mind.....we had a late cold front move through in May, and either all the food died off (swallows feed almost exclusively on little bugs), or it was just too cold to fly (temps never went above 40 for several days)....we had to pick up BOXES full of them....we warmed up and saved a few, but most didn't make it...
freakette55 10 months ago
this song brings back such memories, such a deep song back then and still as profound now
maha77 10 months ago
I take pride in the fact that this video has no dislikes. Kate Bush deserves this.
rockerchickomg30 10 months ago 2
no words. beyond beautiful, and she keeps on coming up with such epic, poetic work. so, so humbling.
venusasaboyo 10 months ago
the one i never got on vinyl, thank god for you tube
geofflorimer 10 months ago
Where is the button for "ABSOLUTELY ADORE"?
eggaweb 1 year ago 4
I didn't appreciate this song until I listened to it like 5 times doing snowboarding..and it helped me somehow:) I love it.
Sharmilka 1 year ago
I wasn't a great fan of The Dreaming, generally- but this amazing song pretty much makes the album price worth it!
Totter7 1 year ago
Looks just like your face on the moon to me......... Kate has given me so many moments of pleasure.
never4everuk 1 year ago
one of my favorite Kate songs....
otizzo 1 year ago
such a powerfully intense song from an incredibly versatile & unique performer... 1 of a kind. awesome song. great job with the slide show! well done you.
tebindack 1 year ago
I don't know why but this song has always moved me to tears.
dompy1 1 year ago
pure ecstasy
maha77 1 year ago
I sure wish she'd release a new album.
WoodRatGirl 1 year ago
Best female voice EVER
IlFranceseBeats 1 year ago
One of my favourites from my favourite KB album - genius !
PatGleeson123 1 year ago
I am a huge KB fan ..and have just "discovered this song...I have The Dreaming Cd but would always skip this track.....now I can't stop playing it!!!!!!!She is Fucking Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!All the hardcore KB fans know what I mean about her music possessing you....this is my new addiction...Thanks for the music KATE!!!
macksboy87 1 year ago 4
@macksboy87: I know what you mean. Everyone who appreciates real genius should lock themselves in a room, put on headphones and listen to this album from start to finish. Then listen to it again. One of the greatest works of art ever committed to record and so advanced it went over most peoples' heads at the time. As usual people bought mediocrity instead of this masterpiece.
ipolson 1 year ago 4
One of my all-time favourite songs... she's the perfect artist.
SaucySara74 1 year ago 2
utter perfection
maha77 1 year ago
Night of the Swallow; should be every guy's favourite song. Means something a little bit more risque than when I was 6 and first fell in love with it. Think about it...
riottori 1 year ago
I love all the layers and experiments with sound on this album. You really do have to play it LOUD. I always knew that at the end she said 'But you're not a swallow' but I could never hear. Play it loud and it becomes clearer.
Yetaxa 1 year ago
@Yetaxa I don't hear it - no matter how loud I play it :-(
ThePROTO1TYPE 2 months ago
@ThePROTO1TYPE You can hear it at about 5:07. But you have to listen very closely, probably with headphones.
Symphonyofflowers 2 months ago
this is such a beautiful song.i wish more ppl wrote like her.i dont believe she get all the credit she deserves for her talent
XstatictranceX 1 year ago
Kate is a piece of art....
mochofalante 1 year ago
Wonderful album. Every track a work of art.
ipolson 1 year ago
When I read Ellis Hanson and Eleanor Heartney, I can relate Kate Bush's work, which is "anti-rationalist" and often "deliberately backward-looking" to the nineteenth-century Decadents. Still, this is probably, along with "The Big Sky" the most amazing song she ever performed, especially the exhilarating final two minutes where one imagines a person flying like a swallow.
Stuart Elliott's drumming is amazing when one pushed the plugs in. One heard so many more beats!
guodade 1 year ago
one of the greatest songs ever, i have made a top 40 KATE BUSH songs video, if you want to watch it, it's on my channel.
thebiglebowski1993 1 year ago
Dark side of the moon and the dreaming are the two greatest albums ever.
thebiglebowski1993 2 years ago 6
I loved this song - my fave when given album for my birthday - but with no sleeve notes/ lyrics!! Countless hours depserately/blissfully trying to guess what she was singing. And the surprise years later to find a friend with the words and see all lines I couldn't guess - "the smell of the yankee hash - nowhere near!). Great album, even if she seems not so keen - can really see her testing the limits, only to pull back for genius of hounds of love. thanks kate....
bobbiemars 2 years ago
My beautiful muse..Is tú mo ghrá <3 ^_^
whiskeychimp 2 years ago
This song gets in my head and stays there for days on end. I love her infliction on "there's no risk". It's so...manic? pleading? sardonic? I change my interpretation every time I hear it.
paintitfuschia 2 years ago 2
A song of insane love, selfless sacrific and doubt
grahamwillet 2 years ago 3
3 requisites for dedicating yourself to the aether.
whiskeychimp 2 years ago
Great song!
ftheGOP 2 years ago 2
I love this song--thanks for posting.
inatangle 2 years ago 4
You're welcome!
Symphonyofflowers 2 years ago
i'm a HUGE kate fan,and this is probably my favorite song of hers.and to have all those great pictures of her is even better,since she has so many different looks,and she's so beautiful.
mikec4666 2 years ago
The most chillingly beautiful song I've ever heard. I love The Dreaming.
zack11993 2 years ago
je t'aime kate depuis toujours tu es mon inspiration i love you so much
groslucce 2 years ago 2
....Though pigs can fly, they'll never find me posing as the night.....Brilliant!!!
ursamage 2 years ago 7
I know, that's one of my favorite all-time lyrics. She's just a genius...
Vegannibal 2 years ago
Beautiful woman, beautifully sung song, beautiful vocals! Always wished I'd had the chance to meet her. All her songs are excellent but this is a real favourite
rigatone 2 years ago 15
SO Beautifull!!!!!!
It's So Beautifull!
DebbyTessy 2 years ago 6
So beautifully, I Love Kate Bush Thanks 5***** :)
Schallschatten 2 years ago 3
this is ridiciculous. shes so good i don't even know what to do with it. shit
theehotgurl 2 years ago 5
In the first minute she's virtually screaming, then whispering, then almost chanting an incantation.
The Dreaming is one of the greatest vocal performances ever put on vinyl - so raw it hurts.
You can hear the woman trying to stretch herself and fight with her media image of a 'cute girly pop princess.'
'Give me something to show for my miserable life...' Well, I'd be happy with something one tenth as good as this!
arosegrowingold 2 years ago 9
My favourite song off the album.
So beautifully haunting....
WoodRatGirl 2 years ago 3
kate.
ErroneousClutter 2 years ago
Where on earth do you get all these fabulous pictures!?
Thank you for putting all these videos together and sharing them with us, Symphonyofflowers. <3
CynicalHippie 2 years ago 7
I find them on a lot of different sites. I search every Kate site I can find to see if they have any pictures I don't have and sometimes I'm lucky and find some.
Symphonyofflowers 2 years ago
Kate, you are beautiful ( just in case you don't know)
kripiczemunie 2 years ago 5
Isn't it 'can't you swallow'? Not 'catch a swallow'?
Zingo33 2 years ago 2
No, it is "catch a swallow". "Can't you swallow" would be pretty meaningless.
Symphonyofflowers 2 years ago
Agree it would be meaningless, but that's what it sounds like.
Zingo33 2 years ago 6
This comment has received too many negative votes show
a swallow is a bird. If you're not a native speaker of English, maybe that's the source of your confusion???
segismundo77 2 years ago
I know what a swallow is. I know what the song is about. What do you take me for?
I am talking about what it sounds like she's singing.
You're the one who is confused, thinking I am talking about swallowing.
Zingo33 2 years ago 8
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I took you for a non native speaker of English, that's all. I find it pretty clear that she says "catch a swallow" and not "can't you swallow".
Overreaction amuses me.
segismundo77 2 years ago
What the lyric is or how it reads on the lyric sheet, and what Kate is singing, might be singing, is heard to sing, etc., is another matter. She's very smart, arch, very much aware of the power of words--written and spoken/sung--and likes people to "work" with her songs, so she doesn't "give too much away." I've been listening to her intently since around '78/'79, and even though I KNOW what I'm reading, I also KNOW what I'm hearing, and it doesn't always match up. All part of her charm.
keithdeweese 2 years ago 4
it does sound like 'can't you swallow', although 'catch a swallow' makes more sense. its like in kate's 'where are the lionhearts?' , where it sounds like she sings 'climbing up the adders to slide down the adders', but the lyrics say 'climbing up the ladders to slide down the adders', which makes much more sense (snakes and ladders. . .)
alexthenerd1 2 years ago 11
@alexthenerd1 yeah exactly, we have said this before and those fucking hearts instead of thumping hearts, i love not knowing what she says haha.
KatesPinkZeppelin 1 year ago
Kate Bush's songs really are like onions; they have many layers. Oh well, that probably was quite a cheap juxtaposition, but you get the picture!
millamariaJ 3 years ago 3
The juxtapositioning these days...
EmileJoulbert 2 years ago
Genious song, great chorus and lovely performer!!
rls22 3 years ago
Thank you!
Symphonyofflowers 3 years ago
GOD I love Kate Bush she is the most creative musician ever.I could go on for days why she is the greatest but I won't after all You already know, enjoy!!!!
chelpydog 3 years ago 5
I think this is tied with This Woman's Work as my favourite song of all-tine.
zack11993 3 years ago
How do you interpret the lyrics?
wildfemale 3 years ago
The song is about a smuggler flying from England to Malta and back, and his lover begs him not to go because she thinks it's too dangerous.
Symphonyofflowers 3 years ago
Beyond "Symphonyofflowers" very true description of the song, I interpret the lyrics as the sacrifice one makes for another out of love in spite of the fear and iminent danger of becoming involved. I have always found the line: "If you go, I'll let the Law know" an interesting, desperate lyrical threat, a final warning before succumbing to the illegal act and then realizing it's all hopeless with the ending: "But you're not a swallow!".
dompy1 3 years ago 2
I agree with Symphonyofflowers and dompy1, but I'd like to add one interpretation more: I think the song is also about someone being excited for the first time in years, which can be seen in the verse that begins with "give me a break" and ends with "just like a swallow". The person promises to be "home before the morning", so apparently the character isn't seriously planning a career in crime; it's more about being radical only once and feeling alive.
millamariaJ 3 years ago
I totally agree with your interpretation. Also I think one could say something similar about "Rocket's Tail"
udtu 2 years ago 3
Thank you!
Symphonyofflowers 3 years ago
I ADORE this song!!! I love the images you selected of Kate!!! LOVELY!!!
~Aqua :0)
aquavelvet13 3 years ago
i've always loved this song...dark and beautiful...of course what kate song is not to love? :)
thanks for adding it!
orpheusine 3 years ago 5
Excellent video i must admit some of them pics i never seen before *****
Dreaming32 3 years ago
Thank you very much!
Symphonyofflowers 3 years ago
This is one of my favorite tracks from the -
ground breaking "Dreaming" album,possibly my
fave Kate album!!
Great memories from buying the LP all those-
years ago! Beautiful song indeed!Five 4 sure!
Thanks dear Symphonyofflowers!!*****!!
shum65 3 years ago
You're welcome!
Symphonyofflowers 3 years ago