B-side "Moving" Genre Progressive pop | Format 7" vinyl | |
Released 26 May 1978 (1978-05-26) Recorded June 1975 (1975-06), AIR Studios, London Length 2:42 (Single mix)
2:40 (LP mix) | ||
"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 1978.
Contents
Overview
Bush wrote the song when she was 13 and recorded it at the age of 16. It was recorded at AIR Studios, London, in June 1975 under the guidance of David Gilmour. She has said that recording with a large orchestra at that age terrified her. 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. Bush performed this song in her one appearance on Saturday Night Live, singing on a piano being played by Paul Shaffer.
The single version slightly differs from the album version. On the single, the song opens with the phrase “he’s here!” echoing, an effect added after the album was released.
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.
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."
The song received the Ivor Novello Award for "Outstanding British Lyric" in 1979.
Track listing
- "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" (2:42)
- "Moving" (3:06)
Cover versions
Scottish duo Hue and Cry released the song in their Violently EP in 1989. Dark Orange added "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" as a B-side to their "Sounds of Silence" single in 1992. It was also recorded by Natalie Cole for her 2006 album Leavin'. Australian singer and songwriter Tina Arena recorded the song in 2007 for her album Songs of Love & Loss. Lara Fabian covered this song on an acoustic album Every Woman In Me (2009) where she covers English-speaking women that inspired her during her musical career in many ways. Norwegian singer Liv Kristine (former vocalist for the band Theatre of Tragedy and current vocalist for the band Leaves' Eyes) recorded the song in 2012 for her solo album Libertine. Charlotte Church recorded a cover of the song in 2005. Marina Prior covered the song for her 2012 album Both Sides Now.