Deeper Understanding
Encyclopedia
"Deeper Understanding" is a song by Kate Bush
released as the lead single from the album Director's Cut
. It was originally released in her 1989 album, The Sensual World
. The song's lyrics describe an increasingly intense relationship between a lonely person and a computer. It is her first single release since 2005.
on Disc 2, "A Sky of Honey."
channel on Monday, 25 April, 2011. It is directed by Bush herself and stars Robbie Coltrane
, Frances Barber
, Noel Fielding
, and the voice of her son Albert, who plays the role of the computer program. Music website Consequence of Sound
reviewed the video and briefly explained it:
on Monday 4 April 2011 on The Ken Bruce
Show and was made available for streaming on Kate Bush's official YouTube channel after the radio premiere. "Deeper Understanding" was released as a digital download single on Tuesday 5 April. The song was the Record of the Week on Radio 2 and was played each day Bruce's show and Alex Lester
's programme.
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
released as the lead single from the album Director's Cut
Director's Cut (Kate Bush album)
-Singles:The only single to be released from the album was "Deeper Understanding", originally the sixth track of The Sensual World. Its lyrics describe a relationship between a lonely person and a computer which has replaced human companionship....
. It was originally released in her 1989 album, The Sensual World
The Sensual World
-Personnel:*Haydn Bendall: engineer*Andrew Boland: engineer*Stoyanka Boneva: vocals*Kate Bush: piano, keyboards, vocals, background vocals, producer*Paddy Bush: mandolin, background vocals, valiha, whip, tupan*Clare Connors: violin...
. The song's lyrics describe an increasingly intense relationship between a lonely person and a computer. It is her first single release since 2005.
Background
Kate Bush explained that the song is about how people are replacing human relationships with technology:"This is about people... well, about the modern situation, where more and more people are having less contact with human beings. We spend all day with machines; all night with machines. You know, all day, you're on the phone, all night you're watching telly. Press a button, this happens. [...] And this is the idea of someone who spends all their time with their computer and, like a lot of people, they spend an obsessive amount of time with their computer. People really build up heavy relationships with their computers!"
Song information
The Director's Cut version of the song is almost two minutes longer and features re-recorded vocals and a harmonica solo at the end. "Deeper Understanding" now features the voice of her son, Albert, on the chorus, performing the role of the computer. The chorus vocals have been distorted using a vocoder, in order to make the voice sound mechanized and artificial. This is not the first time Bush worked with her son; he makes a brief spoken word appearance on her previous album AerialAerial (album)
Aerial is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter and musician Kate Bush.-Overview:Aerial is Bush's first double album, and was released after a twelve year absence from the music industry during which Bush devoted her time to family and the rearing of her son, Bertie...
on Disc 2, "A Sky of Honey."
Music video
A short film to accompany the track premiered on Kate Bush's official YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel on Monday, 25 April, 2011. It is directed by Bush herself and stars Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane
Robbie Coltrane, OBE is a Scottish actor, comedian and author. He is known both for his role as Dr...
, Frances Barber
Frances Barber
Frances Barber is an Olivier Award-nominated English actress with a long and distinguished stage career. She has also appeared in numerous television productions...
, Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding
Noel Fielding is a British artist, comedian and actor. He is known for his roles as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh, which he co-writes with comedy partner Julian Barratt, and as team captain on the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.-Stand-up comedy:Noel Fielding performed regularly as a...
, and the voice of her son Albert, who plays the role of the computer program. Music website Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
reviewed the video and briefly explained it:
The video adapts the song's core plot – a person becoming addicted to a program called Voice Console deeply, emotionally attaching themselves to it to the point of separation with friends and family. Robbie Coltrane, best known for his work in Harry PotterHarry Potter (film series)The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
as Hagrid, plays the computer junkie who leaves behind his wife and two sons to escape with the program. In the video, Voice Console is a pair of feminine lips on a screen (Bush's son Albert) with an eerie inhuman blackness behind them [...]. The program spouts hallucinogenic wave forms that cast Coltrane into a state of euphoria. When the family finally steps in to disable the sinister program, Coltrane turns on them and in his withdrawal things get very dark and strange.
Release
The song premiered on BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
on Monday 4 April 2011 on The Ken Bruce
Ken Bruce
Kenneth Robertson Bruce is a British broadcaster known for his programme on BBC Radio 2, which is broadcast on weekdays from 9:30am until 12 noon.-Early life and career:...
Show and was made available for streaming on Kate Bush's official YouTube channel after the radio premiere. "Deeper Understanding" was released as a digital download single on Tuesday 5 April. The song was the Record of the Week on Radio 2 and was played each day Bruce's show and Alex Lester
Alex Lester
Alex Lester is a British broadcaster. He presents the weekday overnight/early-morning programme on BBC Radio 2...
's programme.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| French Singles Chart | 92 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
87 |