View source for Breathing (Kate Bush song)

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2012}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Breathing
| cover      = Kate Bush - Breathing.png
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Kate Bush]]
| album      = [[Never for Ever]]
| B-side     = The Empty Bullring
| released   = 14 April 1980
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Progressive rock]]
| length     = 4:52 <small>(Video edit)</small><br>5:30 <small>(Album version)</small>
| label      = [[EMI]] <small>5058</small>
| writer     = [[Kate Bush]]
| producer   = Kate Bush, [[Jon Kelly]]
| prev_title = [[Strange Phenomena (song)|Strange Phenomena]]
| prev_year  = 1979
| next_title = [[Babooshka (song)|Babooshka]]
| next_year  = 1980
| misc       = {{External music video|type=single|header=Music video|1={{YouTube|VzlofSthVwc|"Breathing"}}}}
}}
"'''Breathing'''" is a song by [[Kate Bush]], from her 1980 album ''[[Never for Ever]]'', with backing vocals by [[Roy Harper (singer)|Roy Harper]].
The single debuted on BBC Radio 1 on 11 April 1980<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gaffa.org/garden/chrono.html#79 | title=Gaffaweb - Kate Bush - THE GARDEN - A Chronology of Kate Bush's Career }}</ref> and was issued three days later as the album's lead single, peaking at number 16 in the [[UK Singles Chart|UK charts]] and remaining in the charts for seven weeks.<ref name=occ>{{cite web|title=Kate Bush - Full Official Chart History|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/27937/kate-bush/|website=Official Charts Company|access-date=20 January 2016}}</ref> It was the first single by Bush to feature a non-LP track on its B-side, "The Empty Bullring".
==Content==
"Breathing" is about a foetus, very much aware of what is going on outside the womb and frightened by nuclear fallout.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Terich |first=Jeff |date=2022-08-05 |title=Kate Bush - "Breathing" : Confronting fear of nuclear war |url=https://www.treblezine.com/kate-bush-breathing-fear-nuclear-war/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Treble |language=en-US}}</ref> The lyrics also refer to the unborn baby absorbing nicotine from the [[Smoking and pregnancy|mother's smoking]]. In an interview that year Bush described the song as her "little symphony", adding that she considered it her best work to date.<ref>Lorne Murdoch (1985). "Kate Bush". ''[[Record Collector]] (December 1985, No. 76)'': p.21</ref> Bush stated that the information within the song mostly came from a documentary she had seen about the effects of nuclear war, while the tone of the song was inspired by [[Pink Floyd]]'s ''[[The Wall]]'' (side three in particular).<ref>''[[Melody Maker]]'', 10 October 1980</ref>
[[Larry Fast]], who played a [[Sequential (company)|Prophet]] synthesiser on the song,<ref name=linernotes>{{cite AV media notes|title=Never for Ever|others=[[Kate Bush]]|year=1980|publisher=[[EMI Records]]|type=CD booklet}}</ref> first encountered Bush while the two were conducting overdubs for a [[Peter Gabriel]] recording session. Bush invited Fast to [[Abbey Road Studios]] for the purpose of creating electronic orchestration that emulated his work with Gabriel. Fast recalled that he recorded his parts over the course of a few days and largely deferred to Bush for the synth arrangement. "She had particular things she wanted done and I have to say they were absolutely right for her music."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Prasad |first=Anil |date=2004 |title=Larry Fast - Evolutionary Snapshots |url=https://www.innerviews.org/inner/fast-1 |access-date=8 October 2024|website=Innerviews: Music Without Borders |language=en}}</ref>
The track includes spoken words describing the flash from a nuclear bomb.
The [[music video]] features Bush in a womb portraying a foetus.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9n2VSe_lja4|title = Kate Bush - Breathing|via = YouTube|date = 1 March 2007}}</ref> Bush performed the song live in a benefit concert for [[Comic Relief]] in April 1986. In 1985, Bush donated the song as her contribution to the multi-artist compilation ''[[Greenpeace – The Album]]''.
==Personnel==
Credits are adapted from the ''Never for Ever'' liner notes.<ref name=linernotes/>
* [[Kate Bush]] – lead and backing vocals, piano
* [[Roy Harper (singer)|Roy Harper]] – backing vocals
* [[Alan Murphy]] – electric guitar
* Brian Bath – electric guitar
* [[John Giblin]] – [[fretless bass]]
* [[Larry Fast]] – Prophet synthesiser
* [[Stuart Elliott (drummer)|Stuart Elliott]] – drums
* [[Morris Pert]] – percussion
==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1980)
! scope="col"| Peak<br>position
|-
{{single chart|UK|16|date=19800518|rowheader=true|access-date=26 January 2022}}
|-
! scope="row"| Netherlands ([[Dutch Top 40|Tipparade]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/tipparade/1980/week-21|title=Tipparade-lijst van week 21, 1980|publisher=Dutch Top 40|language=nl|access-date=26 January 2022}}</ref>
| 14
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|44|artist=Kate Bush|song=Breathing|rowheader=true|access-date=26 January 2022}}
|-
|}
==See also==
*[[List of anti-war songs]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Kate Bush songs}}
{{Roy Harper}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Kate Bush songs]]
[[Category:Songs about nuclear war and weapons]]
[[Category:1980 singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Kate Bush]]
[[Category:1980 songs]]
[[Category:Roy Harper (singer) songs]]
[[Category:EMI Records singles]]
[[Category:War scare]]