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Breathing (Kate Bush song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Breathing
| cover = Kate Bush - Breathing.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Kate Bush
| album = Never for Ever
| B-side = The Empty Bullring
| released = 14 April 1980
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Progressive rock
| length = 4:52 (Video edit)
5:30 (Album version)
| label = EMI 5058
| writer = Kate Bush
| producer = Kate Bush, Jon Kelly
| prev_title = Strange Phenomena
| prev_year = 1979
| next_title = Babooshka
| next_year = 1980
| misc =
}}
"'Breathing'" is a song by Kate Bush, from her 1980 album 'Never for Ever', with backing vocals by Roy Harper.
The single was issued on 14 April 1980 as the album's lead single and reached number 16 in the UK charts, remaining in the charts for seven weeks. It was the first single by Bush to feature a non-LP track on its B-side, "The Empty Bullring".
Content
"Breathing" is about a foetus, very much aware of what is going on outside the womb and frightened by nuclear fallout, which implies that the song is set either during a nuclear war scare or a post-apocalyptic birth. The lyrics also refer to the unborn baby absorbing nicotine from the mother's smoking. In an interview that year Bush described the song as her "little symphony", adding that she considered it her best work to date.Lorne Murdoch (1985). "Kate Bush". 'Record Collector (December 1985, No. 76)': p.21 Bush stated that the information within the song mostly came from a documentary she had seen about the effects of nuclear war, while the tone of the song was inspired by Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' (side three in particular).'Melody Maker', 10 October 1980 The song was recorded over three days in early 1980.
The track includes spoken words describing the flash from a nuclear bomb.
The music video features Bush in a womb portraying a foetus. Bush performed the song live in the benefit concert in aid of The Prince's Trust in July 1982. In 1985, Bush donated the song as her contribution to the multi-artist compilation 'Greenpeace The Album'.
Charts
See also
*List of anti-war songs
References
Category:Kate Bush songs
Category:Songs about nuclear war and weapons
Category:1980 singles
Category:Songs written by Kate Bush
Category:1980 songs
Category:Roy Harper (singer) songs
Category:EMI Records singles
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