This Woman's Work

"This Woman's Work" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was initially featured on the soundtrack of the American film '' She's Having a Baby'' (1988). The song was released as the second single from her album '' The Sensual World'' in 1989 and peaked at No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

"This Woman's Work" is about being forced to confront an unexpected and frightening crisis during childbirth. Written for the film '' She's Having a Baby'', director John Hughes used the song during the film's dramatic climax when Jake (Kevin Bacon) learns that the lives of his wife, Kristy (Elizabeth McGovern), and their unborn child are in danger. As the song plays, a montage sequence of flashbacks shows the couple in happier times, intercut with shots of him waiting for news of Kristy and their baby's condition. Bush wrote the song specifically for the sequence, writing from a man's (Jake's) viewpoint and matching the words to the visuals which had already been filmed.

Tarquin Gotch, who was music supervisor of ''She's Having a Baby'', says that the temp track for the scene was This Mortal Coil's cover of " Song to the Siren" by Tim Buckley, but they were unable to obtain the rights to use the song.

The version of the song featured on ''The Sensual World'' was re-edited and re-recorded from the original version featured on the film's soundtrack. The version released as a single was listed as "Single Mix".

"This Woman's Work" is one of several songs that were re-recorded on her 2011 album '' Director's Cut''. The new version features a spare performance of Bush singing and playing piano.

Composition

According to the sheet music published in Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is set in the time signature of common time, with a slow tempo of 66 beats per minute. It is written in the key of A-flat major with Bush's vocal range spanning from A₃ to E₅.

Music video

The music video for "This Woman's Work", directed by Bush herself, starts with Bush, spotlighted in an otherwise black room, playing the introductory notes on a piano. In the next scene, a troubled man (played by Tim McInnerny) is pacing in the waiting room of a hospital. It is then revealed through flashbacks that his wife (played by Bush) has collapsed while they are having dinner. The story blurs into a continuous scene where he carries her to the car, a desperate race to the hospital, and his wife is wheeled away on a stretcher as he races in behind her. While waiting, the husband is wracked with fear and imagines his wife in happier times, kissing him in the rain, and even imagines the nurse coming to tell him she has died. The nurse then pulls him out of his reverie, reassuringly putting her hand on his shoulder, smiling and nodding, and telling him about his wife's situation, though we cannot hear what she is saying. The video's final scene returns to Bush as she silently covers the piano keyboard.

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Chris Roberts of ''Melody Maker'' praised "This Woman's Work" as "a luscious, spiritually elevating ballad" which is "ecstatic with wintry tragedy" and "sort of 'The Man with the Child in His Eyes' as interpreted by Leonora Carrington". David Giles of ''Music Week'' stated, "Bush is at her most potent when she's in her reflective, late-evening mood, and her fragile, delicate voice combines with sparse piano and Michael Kamen's spot-on orchestral arrangement to create what almost amounts to a lullaby."

Track listings

A version of the B-side "Be Kind to My Mistakes" had previously been featured in the film ''Castaway'' in 1986. The other B-side, "I'm Still Waiting", features on the 12" and CD single versions only.

Personnel

* Kate Bush – vocals, piano, keyboards
* Michael Kamen – orchestral arrangements

Chart performance

"This Woman's Work" was released on 20 November 1989 and reached a peak position of number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2022, "This Woman's Work" was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of over 400,000 units.

Weekly charts

Certifications

Maxwell's versions

In 1997, American R&B musician Maxwell covered the song for the release of his album ''MTV Unplugged''. The artist later re-recorded the song in the studio for his album '' Now'' (2001). This version of the song was released as the album's third single in 2001 and peaked on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number 58 in 2002 and number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. This version also appeared in the 2000 film '' Love & Basketball''.

The song was featured on week 7 of season 5 of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' (22 July 2009). It was used as the music for a contemporary dance choreographed by Tyce Diorio and performed by contestants Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi. It was featured on week 10 of season 21 of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (25 November 2023), where it was used as the music for a contemporary dance performed by contestants Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' wrote, "Maxwell's ''Unplugged'' cover of the lilting Kate Bush chestnut is a perfect showcase for his voice—precisely because he only takes full advantage of its depth during a few impassioned moments, teasing us with his potential. The rest of the number is done in falsetto alongside minimalist treble pluckings, a style that expresses convincingly the longing implicit in the lyrics and the melody itself."

Music video

The music video for Maxwell's cover of "This Woman's Work", which was directed by Sanji, begins with pictures of Maxwell and his lover in black-and-white photography. One image reveals that his lover has died. In the next scene, Maxwell sees the ghost of his lover in the street, and proceeding toward her, he falls through the street into a watery grave, seemingly drowning in his sorrow. Maxwell then begins to swim across the street, pulling himself up by holding onto the sidewalk; he looks up to a cloud that reveals his lover's face. The next scene shows Maxwell sitting in a diner, reminiscing about the loss of his love. Sitting next to Maxwell are two women who—shown through flashbacks—have experienced heartache and loss of another kind. The music video ends with Maxwell walking outside the diner, seemingly still underwater, as he sings, "make it go away."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Hope for Isla and Jude cover versions

In 2014, musicians Darren Hayes, Pete Murray, Marlisa Punzalan, Nathaniel Willemse and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers collaborated to record "This Woman's Work" as Hope for Isla and Jude produced by Alberto Quintero, and Sébastien Izambard a
Koala Studios
in Barcelona and Sony Music Studios in Sydney. The song was recorded to bring hope to Isla and Jude, two young Australian siblings suffering from the rare and fatal disease Sanfilippo Syndrome. Proceeds from the songs went to Sanfilippo Children's Foundation, a not-for-profit charity that dedicates its resources to progressing clinical research into the effective treatment of Mucopolysaccharidosis III, also known as MPSIII or Sanfilippo Syndrome. The song peaked at number 79 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Charts

References

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1988 songs
1989 singles
1980s ballads
2001 singles
2014 singles
Kate Bush songs
Maxwell (musician) songs
Columbia Records singles
EMI Records singles
Film theme songs
Music videos directed by Sanji (director)
Songs about parenthood
Songs written by Kate Bush
Sony Music Australia singles