The Song:
Recently, while watching a Jane Birkin documentary (an English singer and actress and future ‘Letter from England’) I was reminded again of the greatness of a Kate Bush song. Jane was describing her favourite portrait, a simple pen and ink drawing by Serge Gainsbourg. In the process of attempting to capture her, ink dripped onto the image of her face…Suddenly, there she was! This accident had added something…
Here is the start of ‘An Architect’s Dream’:
‘Watching the painter painting
And all the time the light is changing
And he keeps painting
That bit there, it was an accident
But he’s so pleased
It’s the best mistake he could make
And it’s my favourite piece
It’s just great’
And, yes, it’s my favourite part (of the song). It’s just great!
The Video:
Occasionally, a fan of Kate Bush’s music edits and uploads a video that adds a further magic touch. As here…
‘The Open Road’, one of the first colourised films ever made, was a pioneering film of a road trip across England from the South-West tip ‘Land’s End’ to ‘John o’Groats’ in the far north of Scotland. Shot by Claude Friese-Greene in 1926 it is considered ‘the first comprehensive colour tourism film’ of Britain.
These haunting images of an England long gone (yet somehow preserved here forever) are the song’s perfect accompaniment. Both beautifully articulate the attempt to capture the fleeing moment – while the light changes and the sky threatens rain.
