The iconic 1980 Kate Bush photoshoot for the single art of “Babooshka” was captured by her older brother and frequent artistic collaborator, John Carder Bush. Taken in June 1980 to promote the leading single from her third studio album Never for Ever, this visual session perfectly mirrors the song’s themes of deception, dual identity, and marital alienation.
Released in June 1980 as the second single from her third studio album, Never for Ever, “Babooshka” became one of Kate Bush’s biggest global hits, reaching No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and top-10 positions across Europe and Australia.
While “babushka” is the Russian word for “grandmother,” Bush later admitted she didn’t realize the meaning at the time. She chose it purely for its rhythmic, evocative sound to serve as the pseudonym chosen by the jealous wife sending secret love letters to her own husband.
“Babooshka” features one of the earliest prominent uses of the Fairlight CMI synthesizer’s digital sampling capabilities. The dramatic, shattering glass sounds during the song’s climax were recorded by dropping crockery and glass in the studio, then sampled and sequenced onto the keyboard. The single was backed with “Ran Tan Waltz,” a tragicomic track about a man complaining about his drunken, neglectful wife, contrasting the dark romance of the main track.
Never for Ever debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart shortly after the single’s release, making Bush the first British solo female artist to top the UK album chart and the first female artist to enter the chart straight at No. 1.
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