Top quotes by Kate Bush

I'm a very strong person, and I think that's why, actually, I find it really infuriating when I read, 'She had a nervous breakdown' or 'She's not very mentally stable, just a weak, frail little creature.' Votes: 26

People ask what I really did in the three years between 'The Dreaming' and 'Hounds of Love.' I spent it with my family, living a normal home life. Votes: 19

When I started music, I think it was responsible for keeping me sane, because training as a dancer really kept me in good spirits amid all the crazy stuff that happened when I first became popular. Votes: 13

It's so fascinating to think about how each snowflake is completely individual - there are millions and millions of them, but each one is so unique. Votes: 12

It's not important to me that people understand me. Votes: 12

I understand that people want to just listen to a track and put it on their iPod, and that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that, but why can't that exist hand in hand with an album? They're such different experiences. Votes: 11

One of the main reasons for wanting to perform live again was to have contact with that audience. Votes: 11

Originally, when I wrote the song 'The Sensual World' I had used text from the end of 'Ulysses.' When I asked for permission to use the text, I was refused, which was disappointing. Votes: 10

I had friends but I was spending a great deal of my time alone and for me that was vital because there's an awful lot you learn about yourself when you're alone. Votes: 10

I had an incredibly full life with my imagination: I used to have all sorts of trolls and things; I had a wonderful world around my toys and invented people. I don't mean I had imaginary friends; I just had this big imagination thing going on. I didn't need any imaginary friends, because I had so much other stuff going on. Votes: 9

Writing, film, sculpture, music: it's all make-believe, really. Votes: 9

For me, having a child is a really great responsibility because you've got something there that is depending on you for information and love until a certain age when it goes to school. Votes: 8

If you believe in what you do and you really want to be in music, just stick at it. It's always a learning process. Enjoy it because I think making music is a privilege, really. In an ideal world, it should also always be fun. As much as possible, make it fun. Votes: 7

I suppose the worst case scenario is that people will get to the point where they can't actually afford to make what they want to make creatively. The industry is collapsing. Votes: 7

My parents weren't keen on the giving up of school at the beginning to go into singing and dancing, but once they saw I was serious about it, they gave support. I was quite stubborn about my decision, and in the end, they realised it was for the best. Votes: 7

Thanks to everyone who's encouraged and supported my work over the years. Votes: 6

As we become this one global culture, in some ways it's things like the weather and nature that still hold our culture as unique to where we are. Votes: 6

My friends sometimes used to ignore me completely, and that would really upset me badly. Votes: 6

I used to enjoy bad television, like really bad quiz programmes or sitcoms. Votes: 5

When your mother dies, you're not a little girl any more. Votes: 5

I guess what all artists want is for their work to touch someone or for it to be thought provoking. Votes: 4

It's not my ambition to be a big star. Votes: 4

I do have the odd dream where I'm on stage and I've completely forgotten what I'm meant to be performing - so they are more nightmares than dreams. Votes: 3

My life and my work are very interlocked. That's partly why I like to keep my private life private. Votes: 2

The freedom you feel when you're actually in control of your own music is fantastic. Votes: 2

Quite understandably, people think that if there's a six-year gap or whatever, that it's taken me six years to make the album. It's not really like that at all. Votes: 2

School was a very cruel environment, and I was a loner. But I learnt to get hurt, and I learnt to cope with it. Votes: 2

I love being a mother. I think it's the best thing I've ever done, and I personally feel that it's had a very positive effect on my work. I think it's an encouraging force for creativity, it feeds creativity - it did for me, certainly. Votes: 1

The more I got into presenting things to the world, the further it was taking me away from what I was, which was someone who just used to sit quietly at a piano and sing and play. It became very important to me not to lose sight of that. Votes: 1

I was aware of a lot of my friends being into things I wasn't into. Like sarcasm. It had never been a part of my family - they still don't use sarcasm. Votes: 1

Bang goes another kanga on the bonnet of the van Votes: 0

I've read a couple of things that I was sort of close to having a nervous breakdown. But I don't think I was. I was very, very tired. It was a really difficult time. Votes: 0

Don't ever think that you can't change the past. Votes: 0

They say that the Devil is a charming man. And just like you I bet he can dance. Votes: 0

Mozart didn't have Pro Tools, but he did a pretty good job. Votes: 0

I wasnt an easy, happy-go-lucky girl because I used to think about everything so much, and I think I probably still do. Votes: 0

Chips of plutonium are twinkling in every lung, Votes: 0

In a popular medium, you're going to get loads of stuff that is trite, but there'll also be some really special moments. Votes: 0

I am just a quiet reclusive person who has managed to hang around for a while. Votes: 0

I suppose I do think I go out of my way to be a very normal person, and I just find it frustrating that people think that I'm some kind of weirdo reclusive that never comes out into the world. Votes: 0

I think quotes are very dangerous things. Votes: 0

I don't listen to my old stuff very often at all. Votes: 0

It's not that I don't like American pop; I'm a huge admirer of it, but I think my roots came from a very English and Irish base. Is it all sort of totally non-American sounding, do you think? Votes: 0

There is a figure that is adored, but I'd question very strongly that it's me. Votes: 0

There's always ideas buzzing around, but it's whether they actually end up materialising into a song. Votes: 0

But I don't have a very good track record with royalty. My dress fell off in front of Prince Charles at the Prince's Trust, so I'm just living up to my reputation. Votes: 0

Sometimes when I'm going to the supermarket to get the coffee and cat litter, I get freaked out and see all these people staring, and you turn around and there's, like, 40 people all looking at you... and when you go around the corner, they're all following you! You start freaking out like a trapped animal. Votes: 0

The great thing about vinyl is that if you wanted to get a decent-sounding cut, you could really only have 20 minutes max on each side. Votes: 0

I'm the shyest megalomaniac you're ever likely to meet. Votes: 0

That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always trying to fly, really - to do something that's just not possible. But you try to do as much as you can within those physical boundaries. Votes: 0

I think it's almost a law of nature that there are only certain things that hit an emotive space, and that's what was always special for me about music: it made me feel something. Votes: 0

If I could make albums quicker, I'd be on a roll wouldn't I? Everything just seems to take so much time. I don't know why. Time... evaporates. Votes: 0

I think snow is so evocative and has such a powerful atmosphere. Votes: 0

I didn't really feel that there were any filler tracks on 'The Red Shoes,' but if I were to do that album now, I wouldn't make it so long. Votes: 0

I think we all feel geeky at times, don't we? Isn't that all a part of the wonderful tapestry of life? Votes: 0

My father was always playing the piano. He played all kinds of music - Gershwin, all kinds of stuff. Votes: 0

I have a theory that there are still parts of our mental worlds that are still based around the age of between five and eight, and we just kind of pretend to be grown-up. Votes: 0

I wasn't an easy, happy-go-lucky girl because I used to think about everything so much, and I think I probably still do. Votes: 0

People said I couldn't gig, and I proved them wrong. Votes: 0

What I've tended to do is to use my own experiences to get into someone else's mind, like in Wuthering Heights. Votes: 0

I don't know about hiding away, but I really only like to present myself when I'm working on something - it's more my work I like to present to the world rather than myself. Votes: 0

Albums are like diaries. You go through phases, technically and emotionally, and they reflect the state that you're in at the time. Votes: 0

Touring is an incredibly isolated situation. I don't know how people tour for years on end. You find a lot of people who can't stop touring, and it's because they don't know how to come back into life. It's sort of unreal. Votes: 0

I'll always be tough on myself. Votes: 0

I really love Hitchcock; I think he was a complete genius, to me one of the best directors. Such a sense of how to put things together. Votes: 0

I love being with my friends, relaxing and talking. Votes: 0

Obviously I try to make the best music that I can, but after about two years of making an album, you start to worry: 'Is it going to come out all right? Is it all going to sound churned out?' Votes: 0

["A Deal with God"] was the first single off Hounds of Love. I'd put a lot of work into putting that album together and I wanted it to have every chance. Votes: 0

[For Before the Dawn] it was in the hands of a fantastic drummer and percussionist and who drove it into another moment in time. It's such a poignant song and it was transformed into entirely different beast. Votes: 0

[Theresa May] is a very intelligent woman but I don't see much to fear. Votes: 0

[Theresa May] is very sensible and I think that's a good thing at this point in time. Votes: 0

50 Words of Snow just didn't seem to have the complications that quite a lot of albums have. It felt to me like it had this very good flow of energy. Votes: 0

After I've done the salesman bit, I like to be quiet and retreat, because that's whereI write from. I'm a sort of quiet little person. Votes: 0

All the time it's a changing And all the dreamers are waking. Votes: 0

All we're ever looking for is another open door. Votes: 0

Apart from the first set - which used high-level concert lighting - once you stepped into the two narrative pieces, we were working with lower-level theatrical lights. In most cases, people were really respectful of that. Votes: 0

Artists shouldn't be made famous. They have this huge aura of almost god-like quality about them, just because their craft makes a lot of money. And at the same time it is a forced importance...It is man-made so the press can feed off it. Votes: 0

As an artist, you're never happy with anything you do. It's part of the process. Votes: 0

As the people grow colder, I turn to my computer and spend my evenings with it like a friend. Votes: 0

Being nervous actually kept me very tense. Votes: 0

Bright, white coming alive jumping off of the aerial All the time it's a changing, like now... Votes: 0

Clothes are such a strong part of who a human being is. Votes: 0

Clowns are always creepy! Votes: 0

Come up and be a kite, On a diamond flight! Votes: 0

Comedy is a very big part of the English culture, the sense of humor; it's a very dominant trait. Votes: 0

Disappearing act? That's a magic trick, isn't it? I like magic tricks! Votes: 0

Don't fall for a magic wand, we humans got it all, we perform the miracles. Votes: 0

Even just making albums - which was more within the structure that I've worked in for years - you have no idea how people will respond. You don't know if it'll be any good whatsoever. It can be terrifying. Votes: 0

Every old sock meets an old shoe Votes: 0

Everyone of us has a heaven inside. Votes: 0

For "Running Up That Hill" we had worked with a drum machine [in 1985]; the basic rhythms of "Running Up That Hill" happened because the whole track was built on a drum machine. Votes: 0

For the last 12 years, I've felt really privileged to be living such a normal life. It's so a part of who I am. Votes: 0

However, if I ever were in a position to choose who would play me, I think I'd choose Johnny Depp. Votes: 0

I could find faults with all my albums because that's just a part of being an artist - it's hard being a human being, isn't it? Votes: 0

I didn't dare let my mind wander off. Votes: 0

I do think I go out of my way to be a very normal person and I just find it frustrating that people think that I'm some kind of weirdo reclusive that never comes out into the world. Y'know, I'm a very strong person and I think that's why actually I find it really infuriating when I read, 'She had a nervous breakdown' or 'She's not very mentally stable, just a weak, frail little creature'. Votes: 0

I don’t know you, And you don’t know me. It is this that brings us together. Votes: 0

I don't really listen to my old stuff, but on occasion, I would either hear a track on the radio or a friend might play me one, and there was generally a bit of an edgy sound to it, which was mainly due to the digital equipment that we were using, which was state of the art at the time - and I think everyone felt pressured to be working that way. Votes: 0

I don't think it's a very nice idea [making biopic] at all. I don't think my life is that interesting. Votes: 0

I feel like I have to do some promotion to let the people know that the records are out there; but I kind of like the idea that it's my work that does the talking rather than me. Votes: 0

I have intentions as a writer, but people - when they're listening to a track - will take from it what they interpret. Votes: 0

I haven't actually seen a Lady Gaga tour, but I do think she's very good. Votes: 0

I just could not stand the idea of eating meat - I really do think that it has made me calmer.... People's general awareness is getting much better, even down to buying a pint of milk: the fact that the calves are actually killed so that the milk doesn't go to them but to us cannot really be right, and if you have seen a cow in a state of extreme distress because it cannot understand why its calf isn't by, it can make you think a lot. Votes: 0

I just know that something good is going to happen. I don't know when - but just saying it could even make it happen. Votes: 0

I just try to put myself in the sense of being a character, sometimes male. I suppose I just like the idea of trying to be different people coming from all kinds of different angles. Most of it was just from my imagination. Votes: 0

I knew I wanted it to be a piece of theatre rather than just a concert. Votes: 0

I like to work with a combination of analog and Pro Tools. I love the sound of analog tape, but there's so many things you can do with Pro Tools that would be incredibly difficult and very time-consuming with analog. Votes: 0

I love comedy. I like to think that there's a sense of humor in some of my music - obviously not all of it. Votes: 0

I love the whirling of the dervishes. I love the beauty of rare innocence. You don't need no crystal ball, Don't fall for a magic wand. We humans got it all, we perform the miracles. Votes: 0

I love words, I think they're fascinating and incredibly wonderful things and part of the joy of my work is that I not only get to work with music but also with words. Sometimes it's a difficult process but a lot of the time it's really fun. Votes: 0

I saw Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, which I thought was a masterpiece. Not that long ago, I listened to Blackstar by David Bowie and thought that was a masterpiece. Those are two incredibly talented people who've left their mark with us. Votes: 0

I spend a lot of my time looking at blue, The colour of my room and my mood... Votes: 0

I spend a lot of time working and with my family, so I don't have much time around the edges to do much else. I don't really listen to a great deal of music. I love music, but since I spend a lot of time in the studio, we probably watch a movie rather than listen to albums. I get to hear stuff, but not on the grand scale. Votes: 0

I split it up into working on the two narrative pieces that can tell a story. The scariest thing was whether I'd be any good performing live again. It was such a long time since I'd done any live work. It's so different for me than recording. Every night my audiences were what I would dream of. You could just feel their support. Votes: 0

I suppose in some ways doing some of the songs in the show felt a bit like I was doing cover versions. I was covering myself. Not that they didn't feel like my songs, but the way I was approaching them was from a place so outside where they were written. The fact that these songs were in the context of a live show was a new thing. Votes: 0

I suppose my biggest concern would be if the planet is going to be in good enough shape for the next generation to have the privileges that we've had. Votes: 0

I think as a mature artist, you're probably always trying to undo the compromises of one's self [in general]. It's not necessarily to do with youth. Votes: 0

I think comedy and music are both things that we need as human beings. I think that both art forms can touch people. Votes: 0

I think each album does have a different energy, otherwise you'd be doing the same thing again and not experimenting anew... Albums are such autobiographical material, not in the material but as an expression of what you're like at the time. Votes: 0

I think I was just lucky to be brought up in a very musical family. My two older brothers were, and still are, very musical and very creative, and music was a big part of my life from a very young age, so it is quite natural for me to become involved in music in the way that I did. Votes: 0

I think in some parts of our English history we've had huge amounts of almost too much great comedy. You kind of wonder how so much great work could come out of one country. Votes: 0

I think that music is something that surpasses trends, fashions; music is something much deeper... Votes: 0

I think we're all a party to this information all the time. It's every day, in a way we probably weren't a few years ago. We're more informed, which is a good thing because war is always there somewhere on the planet. Votes: 0

I think what is great is that if anything that I do is interesting to somebody else, then I really don't think it matters at all what I had originally intended. Votes: 0

I was so nervous every night that I had to really focus and keep myself in that moment so that I would not forget the words. I was really present for every song. Votes: 0

I will say it is great to have a woman in charge of the country. Votes: 0

I'd become very involved in the production, so the albums were taking longer. So it was never a deliberate decision not to do live shows. A few times, I've thought about doing them again, but it's just kind of never happened. I've just sort of gone the path of becoming a recording artist I guess. Votes: 0

If ever there's been somebody to hold as an icon of sheer determination and willpower, it's that guy [Stephen Hawking ], let alone any of the things he's done scientifically. I'm sure that's his driving force, but he's a miracle and an aspiration. Votes: 0

I'm always hunting and prowling. I'm sure Brian [Bath] was exaggerating! Votes: 0

I'm not vanishing into thin air. Votes: 0

I'm quite a private person and I like my work to do the talking. Votes: 0

Im the shyest megalomaniac youre ever likely to meet. Votes: 0

In some ways, when you re-envision a song like that ["Never Be Mine"], there's a completely different energy to it each night. Votes: 0

Irish folk is probably the biggest influence musically that I've ever had. My mother's Irish. And when I was very young, both my brothers were very into traditional music, English and Irish. They were always playing music, so I was always brought up with it. Votes: 0

It was obvious that computers were going to become more a part of our lives, and they will continue to unless something dramatic happens to change that. Votes: 0

It wasn't that we were afraid of the Church or the Vatican. The record company thought people might find the title offensive. They asked me if I would change ["A Deal with God"]. Votes: 0

It's a real joy to be moved by something, but it doesn't happen often to me. Votes: 0

It's funny when you write a song - it's easy for me now - but there's almost a second stage where you take control of the song. You start writing it, and if you're not careful, it just finishes itself and it might not be what you wanted. It's very strange, it takes over itself. It has its own life. Votes: 0

It's not easy putting creative projects together. In my case, it might take a long time and you try to do the best. Votes: 0

It's not that I don't like American pop; I'm a huge admirer of it, but I think my roots came from a very English and Irish base. Is it all sort of totally non-American sounding. Votes: 0

Its so fascinating to think about how each snowflake is completely individual - there are millions and millions of them, but each one is so unique. Votes: 0

It's very unfortunate that war has always been and probably always will be a part of human beings on this planet. It's a terrible thing. Votes: 0

I've learned you can't take any steps to protect any art. It is so vulnerable. Votes: 0

Just being alive It can really hurt These moments given Are a gift from time. Votes: 0

Maybe if my songs feel personal, that's very nice. I like that. I take that as a great compliment. Votes: 0

Moving stranger, Does it really matter, As long as you're not afraid to feel? Touch me, hold me. How my open arms ache! Try to fall for me. Votes: 0

Music is like comedy in that you can enjoy a very - for want of abetter word - sophisticated classical piece as much as you enjoy something that's very simple pop. Votes: 0

My father was always playing the piano. He played all kinds of music - Gershwin, all kinds of stuff. He was really a hugely encouraging force to me when I was little. Votes: 0

My first Top of the Pops I didn't want to do. I was terrified. I'd never done television before. Seeing the video afterwards was like watching myself die. Votes: 0

My studio is a fantastic combination of old and new, and that's how I've always liked to work. Votes: 0

Nobody really knows, do they? They told Stephen Hawking he only had a year left to live and how many years ago was that? You can't know it all. Votes: 0

Normally I don't compromise at all but it felt important to give that song the chance to be heard. Votes: 0

Numbers are really fascinating things, and they do play a big part in our lives. They are a language of their own. Votes: 0

Quite often, lyrics get misunderstood - and I never mind that. I guess what all artists want is for their work to touch someone or for it to bethought provoking. Votes: 0

School was a very cruel environment and I was a loner. But I learnt to get hurt and I learnt to cope with it. Votes: 0

Some of the best pop music ever has come out of the States. Votes: 0

Sometimes people mishear my lyrics and think a song's about something it isn't. Votes: 0

Sometimes when I look back on myself on those earlier records, there was so much effort going in, so much trying. With this, I was trying to make it much more laid back. Votes: 0

That doesn't matter. If it speaks to them and they get something positive from it, it's great. Votes: 0

The great thing about art on any level is that it can speak to all people if it's achieved properly. Votes: 0

The great thing about vinyl is that if you wanted to get a decent-sounding cut, you could really only have 20 minutes max on each side. So you had a strict boundary, and that was something I'd grown up with as well. Also, you were able to have different moods on each side, which was nice. Votes: 0

The more I think about sex, the better it gets! Votes: 0

The only person with you all your life is you. Your parents die. Things inside you die — illusions, gushes of personality. Only you can sort yourself out. Yourself may not be all you need, but it’s all you’ve got. Votes: 0

The original vocals had an awful lot of work put into them at the time, and I wasn't really sure that I could better them - I don't know if I have bettered them. Votes: 0

The thing with 50 Words of Snow is that it was literally back-to-back from Director's Cut [also released in 2011]. It was more or less that I got to make two albums in one hit. I was already in this space in my mind to be writing and making an album. Votes: 0

The whole positioning and atmosphere of the song ["King of the Mountain"] was to build up this thunderstorm that would take us all onstage off into a story where we were suddenly in the middle of the ocean. Votes: 0

The world is continually changing. I think in some ways it's changing in a very positive way. Votes: 0

There are a lot of very strong connections with music and mathematics. They both can work in patterns and sequences and repetitions. Votes: 0

There is magic within, there is magic without. Follow me and you'll learn just what life's all about. Votes: 0

They were worried we wouldn't get any radio play at all[ for "A Deal with God" ]. That's why it was changed [to "Running Up That Hill"]. Votes: 0

Using telephones, they would be so intrusive and would really disrupt the show. Votes: 0

We deliberately chose a small theatre so that the show was still intimate and the audience would become a part of the show. Votes: 0

We have a female prime minister [Theresa May] here in the UK. I actually really like her and think she's wonderful. I think it's the best thing that's happened to us in a long time. Votes: 0

We let it in, we give it out, and in the end what's it all about? It must be love. Votes: 0

We let the weirdness in. Votes: 0

We used to say "Ah Hell, we're young" But now we see that life is sad And so is love. Votes: 0

What am I singing? A song of seeds The food of love. Eat the music. Votes: 0

What made it special made it dangerous, so I bury it... and forget. Votes: 0

Whatever is going on in your life when you're writing has to somehow seep into your work. Votes: 0

When I was first writing, I used to sit at the piano and play songs - I'd write one or two a night. It was my hobby. At some point, it then became a process that was mainly done within the context of the studio, and writing became part of the recording process. Votes: 0

When I was singing "King of the Mountain," it was a pivotal point in the show. That's the song that took us from this concert setting of individual songs into the theatrical narrative piece. Votes: 0

When I'm a man, I will be an astronaut, and find Peter Pan on the second star on the right. Votes: 0

When I'm writing I've been playing something for a couple of hours and I'm almost in a trance. At two or three in the morning you can actually see bits of inspiration floating about and grab them. Votes: 0

When I'm writing I've been playing something for a couple of hours and I'm almost in a trance. At two or three in the morning you can actually see bits of inspiration floating about and grab them...I think probably the only thing that is around in these songs is that I was really lonely when I wrote a lot of them. But it was really by my own choosing because I was devoting myself to songwriting and dancing and I wasn't really going out and seeing people. Votes: 0

When I've heard a piece of music or seen a painting that moves me, it gives me something. Votes: 0

When you reach for a star, only angels are there. And it's not very far, just a step on a stair. Votes: 0

When you'd buy vinyl, you'd have this lovely-sized object with a lovely picture, and you'd read the lyrics and usually there was something artistic that went with it. Votes: 0

With some of the songs, we brought the pitch down to alto.I'm older, so naturally my voice is lower now. Votes: 0

You have a different audience. Your personal energy is different because some days you're energized, some nights you might be tired so that affects your memory and your emotion. Votes: 0

You have to try and embrace it all and everyone who represents that change because it is happening. Votes: 0

You hope that the ideas will come together. You just don't know. That's part of what I suppose is part of being brave and putting creative work out there. Votes: 0

You'll never know that you had all of me. You'll never know the poetry you've stirred in me. Votes: 0

You're never really happy. I'm certainly not. That's a good thing. It means you're always striving to do better. You hope the next piece will be better. Votes: 0

My desire was never to be famous. It was to try and create something interesting musically if I could. Votes: 0

The more I think about sex, the better it gets. Here we have a purpose in life, good for the blood circulation, good for releasing the tension. Votes: 0

To say that you like music is a bit like saying youlike the whole world. Votes: 0

I don't think a lot of people listen to their old stuff, do they? I spent a long time making it, so I don't really want to spend much time listening to it again. Votes: 0