Released on 10 November 1978, just nine months after her acclaimed debut The Kick Inside, Kate Bush’s second album, Lionheart, arrived during an extraordinary period in the young singer-songwriter’s career. Following the international success of “Wuthering Heights“, Bush faced the considerable challenge of building upon a debut that had established her as one of Britain’s most intriguing new musical talents.
Produced once again by Andrew Powell, Lionheart continued Bush’s fascination with theatrical storytelling, literary influences and elaborate musical arrangements. Across its ten tracks, she explores subjects ranging from childhood and nostalgia to sexuality, performance and the darker consequences of obsession. Songs such as “Wow” and “Hammer Horror” demonstrate her ability to transform unusual narratives into compelling pop music, while quieter compositions reveal a more reflective and intimate side of her songwriting.
Yet Lionheart has a different balance from its predecessor. Its quieter pieces linger over uncertainty and longing, while its more extroverted songs take pleasure in the artifice of performance. The contrast makes for a record that is absorbing in places but less assured as a whole.
Rather than treating it simply as a lesser companion to The Kick Inside, this review considers how the songs were made, what their stories reveal and whether their contrasting moods work together across the album.
The Making of Lionheart (1978)
From Breakthrough Success to a Second Album
The success of The Kick Inside transformed Kate Bush’s career almost overnight. With “Wuthering Heights” reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart and her debut album attracting considerable attention, the nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter suddenly found herself navigating the demands of an increasingly busy recording career. The expectation of a swift follow-up left relatively little time for the extended creative development that would become characteristic of her later work.
Recording at Super Bear Studios
Recording sessions for Lionheart took place during the summer of 1978 at Super Bear Studios in the south of France. Bush reunited with producer Andrew Powell, whose orchestral arrangements and polished production had helped shape the sound of her debut. Several musicians who had contributed to The Kick Inside also returned, maintaining a degree of continuity between the two albums.
The recording environment offered a change of scenery, but the schedule remained demanding. Rather than beginning with an entirely new collection of compositions, Bush drew upon material written during her teenage years alongside more recent songs. This mixture of older and newer work contributes to the album’s contrasting musical approaches, although it would be misleading to attribute every difference in quality or style to the circumstances of its creation.
Bush’s songwriting imagination remained central to the project. Her fascination with literature, cinema and theatrical performance informed songs that explored everything from wartime nostalgia to the anxieties of life on stage. “Hammer Horror” draws upon theatrical superstition and the imagery of Gothic horror, while “Wow” examines the entertainment industry with a mixture of sympathy, satire and dramatic exaggeration.
Despite the continuity in personnel and production, Lionheart was created at a very different moment in Bush’s life. Where The Kick Inside had emerged from years of songwriting and preparation, its successor arrived amid the immediate pressures of commercial success. That distinction is important when considering the finished album: it captures an artist with an already recognisable musical identity, but without the same freedom to develop and refine every idea at her own pace.
The result was a record made with many of the same collaborators as her debut but under markedly different conditions. Those circumstances help explain the contrast between the albums without reducing Lionheart to a product of its recording schedule.
Lionheart: Sound and Production
Musically, Lionheart retains much of the elegant, carefully arranged sound that characterised The Kick Inside. Piano remains central to Kate Bush’s songwriting, supported by orchestral textures, acoustic instrumentation and occasional bursts of electric guitar. Andrew Powell’s production gives the album a polished, spacious quality, allowing Bush’s unusual melodies and theatrical performances to occupy the foreground.
Where her debut frequently balanced elaborate arrangements with immediate melodic appeal, Lionheart sometimes places greater emphasis on atmosphere and restraint. Its quieter passages can be beautifully expressive, although the production occasionally exposes the limitations of compositions that lack a sufficiently strong melodic foundation. The result is an album whose musical sophistication is evident throughout, even when individual songs struggle to sustain the listener’s attention.
Instrumentation and Musical Arrangements
The arrangements are particularly effective when they respond directly to the emotional character of Bush’s songwriting. “Symphony in Blue” opens the album with flowing piano, warm bass and delicately layered instrumentation, establishing a reflective atmosphere without overwhelming the melody. Its understated elegance provides a gentle introduction to a record that frequently favours introspection over immediate theatrical spectacle.
“Oh England My Lionheart” adopts a more overtly orchestral approach. Its stately accompaniment and carefully controlled dynamics evoke the romanticism of traditional English songwriting, complementing the song’s wistful imagery. Rather than relying on dramatic instrumental changes, the arrangement allows the emotional weight of Bush’s narrative to emerge gradually.
Elsewhere, the music becomes considerably more forceful. “Don’t Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake” introduces a driving rock arrangement, with prominent electric guitar and energetic percussion reflecting the song’s fascination with speed and danger. The performance brings a welcome sense of urgency to the album, although its relatively straightforward rock instrumentation is less distinctive than Bush’s most imaginative compositions.
“Hammer Horror” demonstrates a more convincing integration of theatrical songwriting and rhythmic invention. Its abrupt changes in emphasis, insistent rhythmic patterns and dramatic instrumental accents create a sense of unease that mirrors the song’s supernatural narrative. The arrangement moves between moments of restraint and sudden intensity, making the music feel closely connected to the unfolding story.
These contrasts reveal both the strengths and limitations of Lionheart. Bush’s imagination remains apparent throughout, but the arrangements are most successful when they develop a song’s underlying drama rather than simply providing an attractive musical setting.
Kate Bush’s Vocal Performances
Bush’s voice remains the album’s most expressive instrument. Her remarkable range allows her to move between intimate, almost conversational passages and heightened theatrical delivery, frequently shifting emotional perspective within a single composition.
On “Wow”, this versatility becomes central to the song’s character. Bush stretches the title into an exaggerated expression of admiration, transforming a simple word into something simultaneously glamorous, theatrical and faintly unsettling. The contrast between her more restrained verses and expansive chorus reinforces the song’s commentary on the artificiality and emotional contradictions of show business.
“In Search of Peter Pan” reveals a gentler aspect of her singing. Her delivery carries a fragile, wistful quality that suits the song’s reflections on childhood and the difficulties of growing older. Rather than relying on vocal power, Bush communicates much of the composition’s emotional weight through subtle changes in phrasing and tone.
By contrast, “Hammer Horror” finds her embracing the exaggerated possibilities of theatrical performance. Sharp changes in register and dramatic vocal inflections contribute to the song’s atmosphere of anxiety and obsession, with her voice frequently assuming the role of a character caught within the narrative.
There are moments when these expressive techniques become almost excessive, particularly when the vocal drama is more compelling than the composition beneath it. Nevertheless, Bush’s performances give Lionheart much of its individuality. Even when the songwriting is less memorable, her ability to inhabit unusual characters and communicate conflicting emotions remains consistently fascinating.
The tension between carefully controlled studio arrangements and Bush’s unpredictable delivery is central to the record’s sound. Even its quieter passages retain a sense that the voice might suddenly alter the mood or direction of a song.
Lyrics and Themes: Theatre, Nostalgia and the Outsider
Throughout Lionheart, Kate Bush demonstrates a fascination with characters who exist somewhere between reality and imagination. Actors, outsiders, fictional heroes and figures from an idealised past populate its songs, often revealing deeper anxieties about identity, belonging and the passage of time. Rather than presenting these subjects through straightforward autobiography, Bush frequently adopts different perspectives, allowing her characters to express emotions that might otherwise remain concealed.
This approach continues the narrative songwriting established on The Kick Inside, although Lionheart places particular emphasis on performance and the tension between outward appearances and private experience. Several compositions explore individuals struggling to reconcile their desires with the expectations of the world around them, whether through the artificiality of show business, the secrecy of forbidden relationships or the longing to escape adulthood.
Theatre, Performance and the Outsider
The world of theatrical performance provides some of Lionheart‘s most compelling material. On “Wow”, Bush examines the entertainment industry through a mixture of admiration, irony and disillusionment. Beneath the song’s glamorous surface lies a more troubling portrait of performers whose public success can conceal frustration, vulnerability and unrealised ambition.
Rather than simply celebrating the excitement of show business, Bush draws attention to the distance between an actor’s public persona and private reality. The exaggerated enthusiasm of the chorus becomes increasingly ambiguous, suggesting both genuine admiration and the superficial approval upon which performers depend.
“Hammer Horror” approaches performance from a darker perspective. Its narrative centres on an actor who takes over a role previously occupied by a performer who has died, only to become haunted by the suggestion of his predecessor’s presence. The song transforms theatrical rivalry and professional insecurity into a supernatural drama, blurring the distinction between guilt, imagination and genuine haunting.
What makes the composition particularly effective is its underlying psychological tension. The narrator’s fear is not simply that a ghost may be pursuing him, but that his success has come at another person’s expense. Bush uses the conventions of a ghost story to explore the discomfort of replacing someone whose identity remains inseparable from a particular role.
Elsewhere, “Kashka From Baghdad” presents a quieter but equally revealing portrait of outsiders. The song describes two men whose romantic relationship exists behind closed doors, observed through the curiosity and speculation of those around them. Bush’s storytelling is notable for its sympathetic treatment of the couple, particularly within the social context of the late 1970s.
Rather than portraying their relationship as scandalous, the song creates a contrast between the secrecy imposed upon the characters and the tenderness of their private world. The narrator’s fascination also introduces an element of ambiguity, inviting listeners to consider the difference between genuine understanding and observing other people’s lives from a distance.
Together, these songs reveal Bush’s interest in individuals whose experiences are shaped by public expectations. Whether dealing with professional ambition, guilt or concealed affection, she repeatedly returns to the difficulty of expressing an authentic identity in circumstances that encourage performance or secrecy.
Nostalgia, Childhood and the Loss of Innocence
Another important theme running through Lionheart is the desire to recover something that has been lost, whether a childhood sense of wonder or an imagined version of the past.
“In Search of Peter Pan” draws upon J. M. Barrie’s famous character to explore the anxieties of growing older. Rather than treating childhood as a period of uncomplicated happiness, Bush presents it as a world whose imaginative possibilities become increasingly difficult to preserve. The narrator’s longing for escape reflects a fear that adulthood brings emotional restrictions and expectations that cannot easily be resisted.
The song’s literary references deepen this conflict. Peter Pan represents the possibility of remaining outside ordinary time, while the reality confronting the narrator suggests that such freedom may exist only through fantasy. Bush captures the sadness of recognising that imagination cannot entirely protect an individual from change.
“Oh England My Lionheart” explores a related form of longing through a very different narrative. Written from the perspective of a British airman during the Second World War, the song evokes an England of pastoral landscapes, historical imagery and romanticised national identity.
Bush herself explained the idea behind the composition:
“The song ‘England My Lionheart’, was written from a British pilot’s viewpoint in WW2. He longs for an England that doesn’t exist any more… if it ever did.”
— Kate Bush, discussing “Oh England My Lionheart”
The final qualification is particularly revealing. Bush acknowledges that the England imagined by her narrator may never have existed in the form he remembers. What initially appears to be a patriotic lament therefore becomes something more complicated: an exploration of nostalgia as an emotional construction rather than an entirely reliable recollection of history.
The song’s perspective also gives its imagery an additional poignancy. The narrator’s longing is inseparable from the possibility of death, making his idealised homeland both a source of comfort and a symbol of everything he may never experience again.
Although “In Search of Peter Pan” and “Oh England My Lionheart” approach different subjects, both explore the distance between an imagined world and an increasingly difficult reality. Their characters look backwards or retreat into fantasy, searching for forms of belonging that remain tantalisingly beyond their reach.
Love, Desire and Emotional Vulnerability
Alongside its theatrical and nostalgic narratives, Lionheart contains several more intimate explorations of love and emotional uncertainty.
“Symphony in Blue” introduces these concerns through a series of reflections on colour, desire and personal identity. Bush uses contrasting imagery to explore the relationship between emotional experience and the ways individuals understand themselves. The song moves between romantic longing and philosophical reflection, suggesting that love can be both a source of fulfilment and a reminder of personal vulnerability.
“Fullhouse” examines a more troubled psychological landscape. Its shifting perspectives and fragmented imagery suggest a mind overwhelmed by conflicting thoughts, anxieties and pressures. Rather than offering a conventional narrative, Bush creates an impression of emotional instability, capturing the difficulty of maintaining control when internal fears begin to dominate.
The song’s restless character provides an interesting contrast to the more measured storytelling elsewhere on the album. Its subject is less clearly defined, but the sense of mental conflict contributes to Lionheart‘s wider interest in the tensions between outward composure and private distress.
“Coffee Homeground” introduces a more eccentric variation on these themes. With its darkly comic treatment of suspected poisoning and mistrust, the song transforms an apparently ordinary social encounter into a theatrical expression of paranoia. Its exaggerated humour prevents the material from becoming entirely sinister, although the composition also demonstrates how Bush’s taste for unusual characters can sometimes overshadow emotional depth.
These songs illustrate both the appeal and occasional limitations of Lionheart‘s lyrical approach. Bush’s willingness to inhabit unfamiliar perspectives produces moments of striking originality, but some narratives are more fully developed than others. Where “Wow” and “Kashka From Baghdad” reveal emotional complexity beneath their unusual premises, other compositions depend more heavily on atmosphere, eccentricity or dramatic presentation.
Across these stories, private feeling is rarely expressed directly: it emerges through a performer’s public mask, a child’s fantasy, a concealed relationship or an airman’s imagined homeland. That distance between the person and the role they inhabit gives the lyrics a thread of continuity despite their different settings.
Cohesion and Flow: How Lionheart Works as an Album
Although Lionheart explores a varied collection of subjects, its ten tracks share an underlying fascination with imagination, performance and emotional uncertainty. Kate Bush moves between theatrical pop, reflective balladry and energetic rock arrangements, creating an album that frequently changes direction without entirely abandoning its musical identity. Yet these contrasts expose one of the record’s principal weaknesses: its individual songs are often more compelling than the overall sequence.
An Introspective Opening and Shifting Moods
The opening pairing of “Symphony in Blue” and “In Search of Peter Pan” establishes a gentle, introspective atmosphere. Both compositions explore emotional vulnerability through imaginative imagery, allowing the album to begin with a sense of intimacy rather than immediate spectacle. The transition feels natural, although the relatively restrained arrangements make for a less striking opening than the first moments of The Kick Inside.
“Wow” provides an important change of pace. Arriving as the third track, its theatrical chorus and dramatic vocal performance inject a stronger sense of personality and momentum. The song acts as an early centrepiece, demonstrating how effectively Bush can transform an unusual subject into an engaging musical experience.
The following sequence introduces greater contrasts. “Don’t Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake” brings an energetic rock sensibility, while “Oh England My Lionheart” returns to a more delicate and nostalgic atmosphere. “Fullhouse” then shifts towards psychological tension, its restless character offering a striking contrast to the romanticism of the preceding song.
These changes demonstrate the breadth of Bush’s songwriting, but they do not always produce a convincing emotional progression. Rather than developing a sustained musical atmosphere, the album sometimes resembles a collection of individually imagined scenes, each fascinating in isolation but only loosely connected to those surrounding it.
The Second Half and a Theatrical Finale
The second half continues this pattern. “In the Warm Room” introduces a more intimate and sensual mood, followed by the secrecy and tenderness of “Kashka From Baghdad”. Their placement creates one of the album’s more effective transitions, with both songs exploring private emotional worlds that exist apart from public observation.
However, “Coffee Homeground” interrupts this atmosphere with its exaggerated, darkly comic portrayal of paranoia. Its theatrical character is unmistakably Bush, but the abrupt shift in tone can make the song feel disconnected from the emotional subtlety of the preceding tracks. While its eccentricity contributes to the album’s variety, it also highlights the difficulty of maintaining cohesion across such contrasting material.
The closing “Hammer Horror” restores a stronger sense of drama. Its urgent rhythms, unsettling narrative and heightened vocal performance provide a memorable conclusion, bringing the album’s recurring interest in performance, fear and unstable identity into sharp focus. Ending with one of its most theatrically accomplished compositions gives Lionheart a satisfying final burst of energy, even if the preceding sequence has occasionally struggled to maintain momentum.
What holds the album together is less a carefully developed musical progression than Bush’s approach to storytelling. The recurring presence of outsiders, imagined identities and emotionally vulnerable characters creates thematic connections between songs that otherwise differ considerably in style and atmosphere.
As a complete listening experience, Lionheart is more episodic than seamless. Its transitions can be abrupt, but the recurring concern with imagined lives gives listeners a reason to follow the album from its reflective opening to its unsettling finale.
Standout Tracks and Moments from Lionheart
Although Lionheart lacks some of the consistency of Kate Bush’s debut, its finest compositions demonstrate the strength of her early songwriting. Several tracks combine memorable melodies with unusual narratives and expressive performances, revealing an artist capable of finding drama and emotional complexity in subjects rarely explored within mainstream pop music.
The album’s strongest moments emerge when these elements work together, allowing Bush’s theatrical instincts to enhance rather than overwhelm the underlying composition.
Wow
Among Lionheart‘s most accomplished songs, “Wow” stands as a particularly effective example of Bush’s ability to combine accessible pop songwriting with a more complicated emotional narrative. Its sweeping chorus and memorable central refrain provide an immediate melodic appeal, while the verses reveal a less glamorous portrait of the entertainment industry.
The song’s most striking feature is the contrast between its apparent celebration of performance and the disillusionment beneath the surface. Bush’s exaggerated delivery of the title initially suggests uncomplicated admiration, but the surrounding lyrics introduce questions about ambition, professional disappointment and the uncertain relationship between artistic success and personal fulfilment.
Musically, “Wow” develops this tension through its carefully controlled changes in intensity. The relatively measured verses give way to a more expansive chorus, creating the impression of a performer moving between private reflection and public spectacle. Bush’s vocal performance captures both sides of this contrast, shifting from intimate observation to theatrical exaggeration without losing the song’s underlying melancholy.
What makes “Wow” particularly successful is its ability to communicate these ideas without sacrificing melodic immediacy. Its chorus is among the album’s most memorable, yet repeated listening reveals a more ambiguous and emotionally perceptive composition than its exuberant surface might initially suggest.
Hammer Horror
Where “Wow” examines the artificiality of performance, “Hammer Horror” transforms theatrical anxiety into a supernatural drama. Inspired by the idea of an actor being haunted by the performer whose role he has inherited, the song combines psychological unease with the exaggerated atmosphere of Gothic cinema.
The arrangement is central to its effectiveness. Insistent rhythmic passages and abrupt changes in emphasis create a restless atmosphere, while Bush’s dramatic vocal delivery makes the narrator’s growing fear feel increasingly immediate. The song rarely settles into a comfortable emotional space, reflecting the uncertainty of a character who cannot distinguish professional guilt from the possibility of genuine supernatural interference.
Its chorus provides a particularly effective contrast. The melody becomes more expansive without entirely releasing the tension established in the verses, giving the composition a sense of theatrical scale while preserving its unsettling character.
“Hammer Horror” also demonstrates Bush’s talent for constructing songs around distinctive fictional premises. What could easily have become a novelty piece instead develops into a compelling exploration of guilt, replacement and the psychological consequences of ambition.
As the album’s closing track, it provides one of Lionheart‘s most convincing demonstrations of Bush’s ability to unite storytelling, musical arrangement and vocal performance.
Symphony in Blue
Opening Lionheart with a sense of warmth and introspection, “Symphony in Blue” is one of the album’s most understated achievements. Where many of Kate Bush’s best-known early compositions rely on dramatic narratives or theatrical performances, this song finds its strength in melodic elegance and emotional reflection.
Its flowing piano accompaniment and gently layered instrumentation create an inviting atmosphere, allowing Bush’s vocal performance to move naturally between moments of intimacy and heightened expression. The arrangement possesses a graceful sense of movement, with the melody developing without the need for abrupt changes in intensity or elaborate musical gestures.
Lyrically, “Symphony in Blue” uses colour as a means of exploring contrasting emotional and physical experiences. Blue becomes associated with reflection and melancholy, while other colours introduce ideas of desire, vitality and the complexity of human relationships. Rather than constructing a conventional narrative, Bush allows these associations to form a series of interconnected impressions.
What makes the composition particularly rewarding is the balance between its lyrical ambition and accessible musical character. The philosophical imagery could easily become overly abstract, yet the warmth of the melody and sincerity of Bush’s performance give the song an emotional immediacy.
As the album’s opening track, “Symphony in Blue” also establishes an important aspect of Lionheart‘s identity. It demonstrates that Bush’s songwriting could be compelling without relying entirely on eccentric characters or elaborate theatrical scenarios. Its quiet confidence and melodic beauty make it one of the record’s most enduring moments.
Oh England My Lionheart
Among Lionheart‘s most evocative compositions, “Oh England My Lionheart” demonstrates Bush’s ability to transform an imagined historical perspective into an intimate reflection on memory, belonging and mortality.
Written from the viewpoint of a British airman during the Second World War, the song presents England through a succession of romanticised images. Its narrator recalls a homeland associated with natural beauty, cultural tradition and an almost mythical sense of permanence. Yet the circumstances surrounding his reflections introduce a deeper sadness, suggesting that the England he longs for may be as much a creation of memory as a place that ever truly existed.
Musically, the composition embraces a restrained, almost pastoral elegance. Its stately accompaniment and delicate orchestral textures complement the historical imagery, creating an atmosphere of wistful reflection rather than overt patriotic celebration. Bush’s measured vocal performance reinforces this melancholy, allowing the narrator’s vulnerability to emerge beneath the romantic language.
The song is particularly effective because its emotional power depends upon uncertainty. The listener is invited to share the airman’s longing while recognising the fragility of the idealised world he describes. His imagined England becomes a symbol of comfort, innocence and everything threatened by the reality of war.
Although less immediately accessible than the album’s best-known singles, “Oh England My Lionheart” rewards attentive listening through its carefully sustained atmosphere and emotional ambiguity. Its combination of historical imagination, lyrical sensitivity and understated musical beauty makes it one of Lionheart‘s most distinctive achievements.
Other Memorable Moments
Beyond these four compositions, Lionheart contains several passages that deserve recognition.
“In Search of Peter Pan” offers a touching reflection on childhood and the loss of innocence, while “Kashka From Baghdad” stands out for its sympathetic portrayal of a concealed romantic relationship. Both demonstrate Bush’s ability to approach sensitive subjects through imaginative storytelling.
“Don’t Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake” provides a welcome burst of rock energy, contrasting with the album’s more reflective material. Elsewhere, “Fullhouse” captures a sense of psychological unease through its restless character and shifting emotional perspective.
Not every experiment is equally successful. “Coffee Homeground”, for example, embraces an exaggerated cabaret-like theatricality that is entertaining but comparatively slight alongside the album’s more emotionally developed songs.
Taken together, the four standout tracks show how differently Bush could command a song: through the expansive hook of “Wow”, the nervous propulsion of “Hammer Horror”, the melodic ease of “Symphony in Blue” and the measured sorrow of “Oh England My Lionheart”.
Artistic Innovation and Legacy of Lionheart
Although Lionheart has often been overshadowed by the albums surrounding it, Kate Bush’s second release occupies an interesting position within her discography. Arriving during the extraordinary momentum generated by The Kick Inside, it consolidated many of the qualities that had distinguished her debut while revealing the challenges of developing a follow-up under considerable commercial pressure.
It did not introduce a radically different musical direction. Its originality instead rests on the breadth of its subject matter, from the machinery of show business to private relationships and imagined histories.
Developing an Individual Approach to Songwriting
One of Lionheart‘s most interesting achievements is its willingness to explore subjects rarely associated with conventional late-1970s pop songwriting. While The Kick Inside had already established Bush’s fascination with literature and imaginative storytelling, its successor extended that approach into theatrical satire, historical nostalgia and psychological unease.
Songs such as “Wow” and “Hammer Horror” demonstrate her interest in the relationship between performance and identity. Both explore characters whose experiences are shaped by the roles they inhabit, whether through the artificiality of show business or the disturbing possibility of being haunted by a predecessor.
Elsewhere, “Kashka From Baghdad” reveals Bush’s willingness to approach sexuality and social exclusion through sympathetic storytelling, while “Oh England My Lionheart” examines the emotional contradictions of nostalgia through an imagined historical perspective.
These compositions are not necessarily revolutionary in their musical construction, but their subject matter and narrative approaches distinguish them from much of the mainstream pop landscape of the period. Bush treats unusual characters and complex emotions as natural subjects for accessible songwriting, rather than separating artistic ambition from popular appeal.
Nevertheless, imaginative subject matter does not automatically produce equally compelling music. Some compositions develop their ideas with considerable subtlety, while others rely more heavily on theatrical presentation than memorable melodies or emotional depth.
The distinction matters: the album’s boldest ideas are often lyrical or dramatic rather than technical innovations in recording. Its originality is most apparent in the stories Bush chooses to tell and the perspectives from which she tells them.
Commercial Success and Critical Reputation
Despite the enormous expectations surrounding its release, Lionheart achieved considerable commercial success. The album reached number six on the UK Albums Chart, confirming that Bush’s popularity extended beyond the initial excitement generated by “Wuthering Heights” and The Kick Inside.
Its singles also contributed to her growing reputation. “Hammer Horror”, released ahead of the album, reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart, falling short of the success enjoyed by her earlier releases. “Wow”, released in 1979, performed considerably better, reaching number 14 and becoming one of the album’s most recognisable compositions.
Commercially, Lionheart represented a successful continuation of Bush’s breakthrough, even if it did not reproduce the exceptional achievements of her debut.
Its critical reputation has proved more complicated. The album is often regarded as one of the less accomplished entries in Bush’s catalogue, particularly when compared with the greater stylistic confidence of Never for Ever and the increasingly experimental direction of The Dreaming.
Such comparisons are understandable, but they can obscure the qualities that make Lionheart rewarding in its own right. Its finest compositions display considerable melodic invention, emotional sensitivity and narrative ambition, while its less successful experiments reveal the difficulties of translating imaginative concepts into consistently compelling songs.
Its commercial performance and later reputation therefore tell different stories: audiences embraced a second Bush album, while retrospective criticism has often measured it against the exceptional records on either side.
Towards Greater Creative Independence
The circumstances surrounding Lionheart provide useful context for the direction Bush’s career subsequently took. Having released two albums within a single year, she increasingly sought greater involvement in the recording and production of her music.
Her third album, Never for Ever (1980), marked an important development in this process. Co-produced with Jon Kelly, it introduced a broader range of sonic textures and demonstrated growing confidence in the relationship between musical experimentation and narrative songwriting.
Bush would assume full production responsibility for The Dreaming (1982), creating a far more uncompromising work that explored unconventional rhythms, studio experimentation and increasingly elaborate vocal arrangements.
These later achievements should not be treated as inevitable consequences of Lionheart. Nevertheless, the contrast illustrates how Bush’s growing control over the recording process allowed her to pursue ideas beyond the polished musical framework of her earliest releases.
The move from Powell’s production on Lionheart to Bush’s increasing responsibility on Never for Ever and The Dreaming marks a clear change in how her recordings were made. It also provides a useful boundary for understanding Lionheart: a record rooted in the sound of her debut, just before she began to reshape the studio process on her own terms.
Closing Thoughts: An Imaginative but Uneven Second Album
Lionheart occupies a curious position in Kate Bush’s discography. Released during the extraordinary momentum of her early success, it is an album filled with imaginative songwriting, theatrical performances and moments of considerable beauty, yet one that occasionally struggles to translate its ambitions into a consistently satisfying listening experience.
The record is most persuasive when a distinctive musical idea gives its storytelling a clear shape: the open-hearted sweep of “Wow”, the nervous momentum of “Hammer Horror”, or the quieter melodic assurance of “Symphony in Blue” and “Oh England My Lionheart”. Each succeeds on different terms, which is part of the album’s appeal.
Nevertheless, the album’s finest compositions are not always matched by the material surrounding them. Some songs lack the melodic strength or emotional development of its highlights, while the movement between intimate balladry and exaggerated theatricality occasionally disrupts its momentum. Andrew Powell’s polished production provides a degree of musical continuity, but cannot entirely overcome these inconsistencies.
Yet judging Lionheart solely against The Kick Inside or Bush’s increasingly adventurous later releases risks overlooking its individual qualities. The album possesses a character of its own, balancing romantic introspection with eccentric humour and theatrical imagination. Even its less successful experiments reveal a songwriter willing to explore unfamiliar perspectives rather than rely upon conventional subjects or predictable musical approaches.
Lionheart may not stand among Kate Bush’s greatest achievements, but it remains a rewarding and frequently overlooked entry in her catalogue. The four standout songs give it a lasting identity, even when the surrounding material falters.
Official Tune Tempest Rating
7/10 — A Good Album
Lionheart offers four exceptional highlights, richly characterised vocals and an engaging range of stories. Its less memorable material and abrupt shifts in mood prevent it from sustaining that standard throughout, but there is more than enough here to reward a return visit.
