The Man with the Child in His Eyes
Encyclopedia
"The Man with the Child in His Eyes" is a song by Kate Bush
. It is the fifth track on her debut album The Kick Inside
and was released as her second single in 1978.
. The song was Bush's second chart single in the United Kingdom where it reached number six in the summer of 1978. In the United States the single was released in December of the same year. It became her first single to reach the Billboard Pop Singles chart
, peaking at number 85 early in 1979. Bush performed this song in her one appearance on Saturday Night Live
, singing on a piano being played by Paul Shaffer
.
The single version slightly differs from the album version. On the single, the song opens with the phrase “he’s here!” echoing, an effect added after the album was released..
According to the sheet music published in Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, the song is set in the time signature
of common time, with a moderate tempo of 88 beats per minute. It is written in the key of E minor
with Bush's vocal range
spanning from B3 to C5.
In 2010, former radio and television presenter Steve Blacknell
offered Kate Bush's original hand-written lyrics for the song for sale through music memorabilia website 991.com
added "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" as a B-side to their "Sounds of Silence" single in 1992. It was also recorded by Natalie Cole
for her 2006 album Leavin'. Australia
n singer and songwriter Tina Arena
recorded the song in 2007 for her album Songs of Love & Loss
. Lara Fabian
covered this song on an acoustic album Every Woman In Me (2009) where she covers English-speaking women that inspired her during her musical career in many ways.
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...
. It is the fifth track on her debut album The Kick Inside
The Kick Inside
-Personnel:*Kate Bush: Piano, Composer, Keyboards, Vocals, Background Vocals*Ian Bairnson: Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocals, Bottle*Paddy Bush: Harmonica, Mandolin, Vocals*Barry DeSouza: drums*Stuart Elliott: Drums...
and was released as her second single in 1978.
Overview
Bush wrote the song when she was 13 and recorded it at the age of 16. It was recorded at AIR Studios, London in June 1975 under the guidance of David GilmourDavid Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
. The song was Bush's second chart single in the United Kingdom where it reached number six in the summer of 1978. In the United States the single was released in December of the same year. It became her first single to reach the Billboard Pop Singles chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at number 85 early in 1979. Bush performed this song in her one appearance on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, singing on a piano being played by Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
.
The single version slightly differs from the album version. On the single, the song opens with the phrase “he’s here!” echoing, an effect added after the album was released..
According to the sheet music published in Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, the song is set in the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of common time, with a moderate tempo of 88 beats per minute. It is written in the key of E minor
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
with Bush's vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
spanning from B3 to C5.
In 2010, former radio and television presenter Steve Blacknell
Pirate Radio Four
Pirate Radio Four was a magazine show broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1985-6. Part of the station's drive to attract younger listeners, it was broadcast during the mornings in the school summer holidays and was aimed at children of about 8–14 years old...
offered Kate Bush's original hand-written lyrics for the song for sale through music memorabilia website 991.com
Chart performance
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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 ... |
6 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 22 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
27 |
| Dutch Single Top 100 | 23 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
3 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 36 |
| US Billboard Pop Singles Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
85 |
Track listing
7" single (EMI 2806) (UK)- "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" (2:42)
- "MovingMoving (Kate Bush song)"Moving" is a song written and recorded by Kate Bush. It is the lead-off track on her first studio album The Kick Inside and is a tribute to Bush's mime instructor, Lindsay Kemp....
" (3:06)
Cover versions
Scottish duo Hue & Cry released the song in their Violently EP in 1989. Dark OrangeDark Orange
Dark Orange is an Ethereal wave band from Hamburg, Germany and is probably best known for their gothic rendition of Paul Simon's "Sounds of Silence"....
added "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" as a B-side to their "Sounds of Silence" single in 1992. It was also recorded by Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
for her 2006 album Leavin'. Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n singer and songwriter Tina Arena
Tina Arena
Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist...
recorded the song in 2007 for her album Songs of Love & Loss
Songs of Love & Loss
Songs of Love & Loss is the sixth studio album, and first cover album, by Australian singer and songwriter Tina Arena, released on December 1, 2007. The album was Arena's first full length English language record in six years and her first album with EMI since her debut Strong as Steel in 1990...
. Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian
Lara Fabian is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English....
covered this song on an acoustic album Every Woman In Me (2009) where she covers English-speaking women that inspired her during her musical career in many ways.