The Painter's Link

Album: Aerial (2005)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a track from English singer-songwriter Kate Bush's 2005 album, Aerial. The song features the vocals of Australian musician, artist and TV personality Rolf Harris.
  • Harris also plays the didgeridoo on this track, as the Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport singer previously did on Bush's 1982 single "The Dreaming." The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by the Aboriginal people of northern Australia at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. The instrument is traditionally made from Eucalyptus trees, which have had their interiors hollowed out by termites or died of other causes.
  • Harris recalled recording this song with Bush to The NME: "On Aerial I did a song about painting called 'The Painter's Link.' She was the hardest taskmistress ever. I did about eight different takes. She kept saying, 'You're a bit flat, can you do it again?'"
    This did not stop Harris collaborating with Bush again as in 2010 they recorded together a version of the traditional Irish song "She Moves Through The Fair."
  • Bush and Harris were backed on this track by the LMO Orchestra and the orchestral arrangement was by American film composer Michael Kamen.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.