"There Goes a Tenner" is a song by the English singer Kate Bush. It was released as a single on 1 November 1982, the third to be taken from her album The Dreaming. It was released as a 7-inch single in the UK and Ireland only. The single peaked at No. 93 and spent two weeks in the UK singles chart.[3]

Background

"There Goes a Tenner" attracted no interest from radio stations and television stations. The single did not sell well and became Bush`s first single to miss the top 75 in the UK. It was originally intended to be Bush`s first twelve-inch single, but its disappointing sales performance caused plans for the 12-inch to be cancelled.

The song`s lyrics concern a bungled bank robbery as told by a fearful and paranoid perpetrator. As Bush stated;

"It`s about amateur robbers who have only done small things, and this is quite a big robbery that they`ve been planning for months, and when it actually starts happening, they start freaking out. They`re really scared, and they`re so aware of the fact that something could go wrong that they`re paranoid and want to go home."[4]

Towards the end of the song, the lyrics and tone take on a dream-like state, which is reflected in the video. A review in Record Mirror commented that despite the comic tone of the song, the end left a rather unnerving effect.[5] Bush sang it in what has been described as "a curious accent that seemed to veer from an aristocrat to an East End villain" (see mockney).[6]

The B-side, "Ne t`enfuis pas" ("Don`t Run Away") is spelt incorrectly on the actual single as "Ne T`en Fui Pas", which has no meaning in French.

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Neil Tennant of Smash Hits described "There Goes a Tenner" as "very weird". He noted that Bush "sings a fractured tune partly in a cockney accent" and added the song has "a haunting atmosphere that lingers after the record has finished".[7] Richard Hook of NME called it "a peculiar choice" for a single "from a baffling LP" and commented, "Rococo embellishments flit around this odd story like fireflies in a belfry, the tale told in the usual Berlitz range of voices."[8]

Personnel

• Kate Bush – piano, Fairlight CMI, Yamaha CS-80, vocals
• Del Palmer – bass guitar
• Stuart Elliott – drums
• Dave Lawson – Synclavier

Chart performance