SUSPENDED IN GAFFA

The third single from The Dreaming was released in November 1982 in continental Europe; in the UK There Goes a Tenner was released instead. 'Suspended in Gaffa' has never been among my Kate Bush favourites, in fact it's one of those few songs that leave me rather intact. I have no idea what's it about (Wikipedia: "about seeing something one really wants, then not being able to ever experience it again"), and I don't like it musically either. Sort of bumpy what comes to melodies.

On the B side is her French-language song 'Ne t'enfuis pas' (=don't run away) which was used on some other singles too. Sonically more clinical and programmed, this feels closer to Kate Bush in the latter half of the 80's, reminding a bit of e.g. 'Experiment IV', although much less dramatic, or songs like 'Deeper Understanding' and 'Between a Man and a Woman' from the album The Sensual World (1989). The Fairlight and bass sound nice anyway. Not Kate Bush at her best of course, but an interesting non-album piece. Somehow it also reminds me of Talk Talk's It's My Life album.

For the boring album song however I don't want to give this single more than two stars.

Wow! What a spread for the current individual ratings for this release! "Suspended in Gaffa" was the fourth and final single for Kate Bush's magnum opus, The Dreaming (1982). It was actually the first ever viewing of this song's music video, if I'm not mistaken, that put me on this back catalog journey into her work. This song is signature Baroque-Pop quirk, with light harpsicording, all played over an upbeat lilt. I love the chorus. I love her vocals. One I often think of, but perhaps not as thrilling to someone less familiar with her. Her vocals are wild, feral even, at the end of the song, with the final chorus. This music video shows a stableboy Kate dancing about in a somewhat sun-lit barn. Looks... smelly haha. Before the second chorus she is briefly shown floating through an outer space of stars.

Our B-side is one of the first non-album tracks that I had heard from Kate, "Ne t'enfuis pas". I just listened to the song she did with Peter Gabriel, "Don't Give Up", and honestly that puts this into a different perspective in my mind. As individuals like Gabriel, Japan's David Sylvian and Talking Heads' David Byrne were throwing out Post-Progressive ideations in its apparent infancy around this time (perhaps my perspective of timing is off), this feels like a fully realized post-Prog song. Beautiful track, sung of course in French (not the first time for Ms. Bush), with reverberating percussion and a beautiful, booming fretless bass. Lovely lovely stuff.

[Could have sworn I already rated this, but perhaps I'm just thinking of when I most recently listened through this and its B-side; again, I believe that being the reason I'm now going through her deeper back catalog.]