Kate Bush Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kent

Catherine Bush was born on 30 July 1958 in the town of Bexleyheath. Bexleyheath is in the county of Kent.

Answer: David Gilmour

David Gilmour played guitar with Pink Floyd. He was also resident in Kent (Kate's birthplace), where young Kate's growing prowess came to his attention. Her talent prompted him to recommend her to the EMI recording company when she was 16. She had her first single success at age 19 with "Wuthering Heights". The rest is history.

Answer: Wuthering Heights

Before "Wuthering Heights", female singers such as Carole King and Joni Mitchell had failed to chart a number one single in the UK under their own name (although some of their songs had been number ones when performed by different artists). For example, Matthews Southern Comfort had a number one single with "Woodstock" in 1970, but it was never a hit for Joni Mitchell.

Other female singers, such as Cilla Black and Lulu, had number one songs, but those had been written by other people.

Answer: Never Forever

All of Kate's original studio albums (not including greatest hits compilations) went platinum except for "The Dreaming", which achieved silver disc sales, and "Never Forever", which achieved gold disc sales.

Answer: The Sensual World

The Trio Bulgarka sang backing vocals on "Deeper Understanding", "Never Be Mine" and "Rocket's Tail", all from the album "The Sensual World". They also contributed backing vocals on the 1993 album "The Red Shoes".

Answer: Lenny Henry

"The Red Shoes" had mixed critical reaction from the music press in Britain, although it should be remembered that Kate was still grieving for the loss of her mother at the time of writing and recording the album. The sense of loss can be palpably felt in the lyric of "Moments of Pleasure", where she mentions this loss.

The video to the song shows Kate dancing, and then momentarily, dancers representing the people whom she has lost from her life (including her mother), spin through her arms and are then gone. Powerful, emotional stuff.

Answer: 12 years

"The Red Shoes" was released in Britain in November 1993 and "Aerial" was released in November 2005, almost 12 years to the day later. In the intervening period, Kate dropped completely out of the writing and recording scene in order to devote time to raising her family.

Answer: Thumping / Tower

This is a line from her patriotic ode "Oh, England, My Lionheart", taken from the "Lionheart" album. Written in an Elizabethan style, it contains references to British icons such as Spitfire Aircraft, Shakespeare, the River Thames and even to Lord Nelson's funeral barge! The Tower mentioned in the lyric is The Tower of London whose grounds are populated by ravens. Legend has it that if the ravens ever desert the Tower, then Britain will fall to an invader.

Answer: Pi

This song is a lyrical oddity. In its later stages, Kate sings the numerical sequence of Pi to the 137th decimal place, although for a reason which she has refused to explain, she omits the 79th to 100th (inclusive) numbers.

Answer: 1979

Kate didn't enjoy touring, not only because she found it physically exhausting, but because it took her away from songwriting and recording, which was her true artistic love. After touring in 1979 to promote her debut album "The Kick Inside", she publicly announced that she would not tour again.