Kate Bush: And Dream of Sheep (Live)
theOpinionatedOne If you've seen my profile page recently, you've seen the name Kate Bush mentioned on there. To all the young people who probably have no idea who she is...she's beyond words. I HIGHLY encourage everyone to check her out! EVERYONE! (Metalheads, that means you too!)In 1985, she released her fifth studio album and most widely acclaimed work to date, the sensational Hounds of Love. I've named it my personal favorite album of the 80s. In order to explain the song, I have to explain the album. It's split in two halves. Side-A of the record (remember records...cause I sure don't) features 5 unrelated songs, of which 4 served as the album's singles; Side-A is called Hounds of Love. Side-B features 7 connected songs which form a mini-concept piece called The Ninth Wave. "And Dream of Sheep" is the first of these songs. The gist of The Ninth Wave is the thoughts and dreams of someone who is adrift in the sea at night. As I interpret it, they drift in and out of consciousness several times before morning comes during the last song.
"And Dream of Sheep" is like the moment when your life flashes before your eyes. There's no explanation of how this person got where they are, so I interpret it as being a shipwreck or something like that. The song packs so much emotion into such a short amount of time (2:45 on the original), it's unbelievable how deep it hits you. The song ranges from optimism as the narrator hopes for rescue, to resolve as (s)he sings "let me be weak/let me sleep/And Dream of Sheep" and memories of the life (s)he's lived before giving into unconsciousness. At this point, the song fades into the next in the suite called "Under Ice" which is the dream...and it's not about sheep.
This single is taken from Kate Bush's 2016 live album Before the Dawn, which is an AUDIO-ONLY compilation of the best live performances from her 2014 residency show of the same name which took place at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. The music video for "And Dream of Sheep" is a recording of Bush floating in a water tank while she sings the song (very literal to the meaning). This video was projected above the stage during her performances of the song throughout the residency. The album is $18.99 on iTunes and available in 3×CD and 4×LP formats for physical purchase to anyone interested.
This is the link to the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_256xd9N27o