"Suspended in Gaffa" is a song recorded by English art rock singer Kate Bush. It was the fourth single release from her album The Dreaming. "Suspended in Gaffa" was released as a single in continental Europe and Australia, but not in the UK.
"Suspended in Gaffa" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Kate Bush | ||||
from the album The Dreaming | ||||
B-side | "Ne t'enfuis pas" | |||
Released | 2 November 1982 17 January 1983 (Australia)[1] | |||
Recorded | 1982 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kate Bush | |||
Producer(s) | Kate Bush | |||
Kate Bush singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Suspended in Gaffa" on YouTube |
The song lyrics are about seeing something one really wants (God in this case), then not being able to see or experience it ever again.[3] The "gaffa" of the title and chorus refers to gaffer tape, the strong matte black tape used by technicians in the film and concert industries.[4]
The B-side is the original mix of "Ne t'enfuis pas", which is misspelled on the sleeve as "Ne T'en Fui Pas". In some countries, the B-side was "Dreamtime" (which originally appeared as the B-side to "The Dreaming").
A music video was produced for the song, which features Bush performing an interpretive dance in a barn.
Chart (1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
France (SNEP)[citation needed] | 33 |
Netherlands (MegaCharts)[5] | 50 |
Spain (AFYVE)[citation needed] | 38 |
A cover of "Suspended in Gaffa" appears on Syracuse-based indie rock band Ra Ra Riot's debut album The Rhumb Line.[6]
The song was also covered by garage rock band The Figgs on their 2019 album Shady Grove.[7]
Rec.music.gaffa[8] has been the name for the Kate Bush Usenet newsgroup since 16 August 1985,[9] and is now resident at Google Groups and other Kate-Bush-related websites.[10]
"Kate Boosh" by Brooklyn-based rapper Himanshu "Heems" Suri samples the two-line post-chorus vocal of this song and co-opts it as a chorus. The song appears on Suri's 2012 mixtape Nehru Jackets.
An ornate waltz with crisp, conspiratorial vocals and prominent synclavier and strings, "Suspended In Gaffa" feels like antique treasure.