Songfacts®:

• This song is about a dancer who tries on a cursed pair of red shoes, which make her dance "Until her legs fall off." The song was inspired by a character in the Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger film of the same title, which itself was inspired by the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen.
• In the video, actress Miranda Richardson plays the mysterious woman who gives Kate the shoes. The clip was included in Bush's short musical film The Line, The Cross, & The Curve, which featured other visuals inspired by tracks on the album. The short debuted at the London Film Festival in 1993 and yielded a direct-to-video release shortly after. Due to late promotion, it took awhile to reach the US and in 1996 the film earned a Grammy nomination for Best Long Form Music Video. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Simon - Southampton, England
• The Red Shoes is Bush's seventh studio album and her last release before a 12-year hiatus. The singer was going through many personal struggles, including the death of her mother and the end of her romantic relationship with her longtime bassist/sound engineer Del Palmer. She also regretted her decision to record the album digitally and said the process gave the songs a colder "hard-edged sound" she didn't like. She remedied the mistake on her 2011 Director's Cut album, where she re-recorded several of the tunes using analog equipment.