Rock and roll music
1978 single by Kate Bush
"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, on the EMI label, in May 1978. The single peaked at No. 6 and spent 11 weeks in the UK singles chart.[3]
Leer másSingles chronology
The Man with the Child in His Eyes
Kate Bush
Label: EMI · Studios: AIR (London, UK) · Productor: Andrew Powell , David Gilmour
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1
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The Man with the Child in His Eyes
Kate Bush •
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /05 /26
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2:41 |
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2
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Moving
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /05 /26
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0:00 |
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Album
The Kick Inside
Fecha Lanzamiento: 17 February 1978 · Fecha Grabación: August 1977 -Discográfica: EMI (UK) Harvest (US & Canada) Sonopresse (France) Portrait (Israel) · Estudio de Grabación: AIR (London)[1] · Productor: Andrew Powell , David Gilmour (co-producer)
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1
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Moving
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side one
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0:00 |
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2
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The Saxophone Song
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side one
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3:51 |
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3
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Strange Phenomena
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side one
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0:00 |
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4
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Kite
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side one
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0:00 |
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5
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The Man with the Child in His Eyes
Kate Bush •
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side one
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2:41 |
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6
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Wuthering Heights
Kate Bush •
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side one
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4:59 |
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1
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James and the Cold Gun
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side two
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3:34 |
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2
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Feel It
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side two
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3:02 |
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3
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Oh to Be in Love
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side two
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3:18 |
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4
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L`Amour Looks Something Like You
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side two
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2:27 |
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5
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Them Heavy People
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /02 /17 Side two
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0:00 |
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6
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Room for the Life
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /01 /20 Side two
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4:03 |
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7
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The Kick Inside
Kate Bush •
w: Kate Bush •
1978 /01 /20 Side two
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3:30 |
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| "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" | ||||
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| Single by Kate Bush | ||||
| from the album The Kick Inside | ||||
| B-side | "Moving" | |||
| Released | 26 May 1978 | |||
| Recorded | June 1975 | |||
| Studio | AIR (London, UK) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:52 (Single mix) 2:40 (LP mix) | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kate Bush | |||
| Producer(s) | Andrew Powell, David Gilmour | |||
| Kate Bush singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" on YouTube | ||||
Review
1978 single by Kate Bush
"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, on the EMI label, in May 1978. The single peaked at No. 6 and spent 11 weeks in the UK singles chart.[3]
Leer másBackground
Bush wrote the song when she was 13 and recorded it at the age of 16. It was recorded at AIR Studios in London, in June 1975 under the guidance of David Gilmour.[4] She has said that recording with a large orchestra at that age terrified her.[5]
Release
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.[6] Bush performed this song in her one appearance on Saturday Night Live, singing on a piano being played by Paul Shaffer.
Composition
The single version slightly differs from the album version. On the single, the song opens with the phrase "he’s here!" and laughter echoing, an effect added after the album was released.[5]
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.[7]
In 2010, former radio and television presenter Steve Blacknell, Bush`s first boyfriend, offered the original hand-written lyrics for the song for sale through music memorabilia website 991.com. The lyrics were written "in hot pink felt tip, complete with Kate Bush`s own little pink circles in place of dots over the "I"`s."[8]
Bush has never stated who she wrote the song about, but Blacknell has stated that a person close to Bush had told him the song was written about him. It had long been assumed it was about Gilmour.[9]
Reception
The song received the Ivor Novello Award for "Outstanding British Lyric" in 1979.[10]
Amy Hanson of AllMusic called it a "simple ballad", adding that "beautiful and slow and just over two and a half minutes long, the song lets pauses fall where needed and a never rushed melody unfolds as it will, culminating in a brief piece that is complex despite its utter simplicity."[11]
Track listing
7" single (EMI 2806) (UK)
- "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" – 2:42
- "Moving" – 3:06
Charts
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] | 22 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[13] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] | 27 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] | 23 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] | 23 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[18] | 85 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[19] | 76 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[20] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
1978 single by Kate Bush
"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, on the EMI label, in May 1978. The single peaked at No. 6 and spent 11 weeks in the UK singles chart.[3]
Background
Bush wrote the song when she was 13 and recorded it at the age of 16. It was recorded at AIR Studios in London, in June 1975 under the guidance of David Gilmour.[4] She has said that recording with a large orchestra at that age terrified her.[5]
Release
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.[6] Bush performed this song in her one appearance on Saturday Night Live, singing on a piano being played by Paul Shaffer.
Composition
The single version slightly differs from the album version. On the single, the song opens with the phrase "he’s here!" and laughter echoing, an effect added after the album was released.[5]
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.[7]
In 2010, former radio and television presenter Steve Blacknell, Bush`s first boyfriend, offered the original hand-written lyrics for the song for sale through music memorabilia website 991.com. The lyrics were written "in hot pink felt tip, complete with Kate Bush`s own little pink circles in place of dots over the "I"`s."[8]
Bush has never stated who she wrote the song about, but Blacknell has stated that a person close to Bush had told him the song was written about him. It had long been assumed it was about Gilmour.[9]
Reception
The song received the Ivor Novello Award for "Outstanding British Lyric" in 1979.[10]
Amy Hanson of AllMusic called it a "simple ballad", adding that "beautiful and slow and just over two and a half minutes long, the song lets pauses fall where needed and a never rushed melody unfolds as it will, culminating in a brief piece that is complex despite its utter simplicity."[11]
Track listing
7" single (EMI 2806) (UK)
- "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" – 2:42
- "Moving" – 3:06
Charts
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] | 22 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[13] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] | 27 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] | 23 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] | 23 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[18] | 85 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[19] | 76 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[20] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||