‘The Red Shoes’ is a song written by Kate Bush. It was originally released on her seventh album The Red Shoes. Also released as a single by EMI Records in the UK on 4 April 1994. Lead track of the movie The Line, The Cross and the Curve, which was presented on film festival at the time of the single’s release.
Formats
‘The Red Shoes’ was released in the UK as a 7″ single, a cassette single and two different CD-singles. The 7″ single and cassette single feature the B-side track You Want Alchemy. CD-single 1 added ‘Cloudbusting (Video Mix)’ and This Woman’s Work, and CD-single 2, released one week after the other formats, features Shoedance (see below), together with the single remix of The Big Sky and the 12″ version of Running Up That Hill.
Versions
There are three versions of ‘The Red Shoes’: the album version, which was also used on the single released, and ‘Shoedance’, which is a 10 minute remix by Karl Blagan of ‘The Red Shoes’, featuring excerpts from dialogue from the movie The Line, The Cross & The Curve. Finally, there’s the version from Bush’s album Director’s Cut in 2011.
Music video
The music video for ‘The Red Shoes’ was also used in the movie The Line, The Cross and The Curve.
Cover versions
‘The Red Shoes’ was covered by E-Clypse featuring Emma Price, Goodknight Productions and The Hounds Of Love.
Highest chart positions
UK: 21
Lyrics
Oh she move like the Diva do
I said “I’d love to dance like you.”
She said “just take off my red shoes
Put them on and your dream’ll come true
With no words, with no song
You can dance the dream with your body on
And this curve, is your smile
And this cross, is your heart
And this line, is your path
Oh it’s gonna be the way you always thought it would be
But it’s gonna be no illusion
Oh it’s gonna be the way you always dreamt about it
But it’s gonna be really happening to ya
Really happening to ya
Really happening to ya”
Oh the minute I put them on
I knew I had done something wrong
All her gifts for the dance had gone
It’s the red shoes, they can’t stop dancing, dancing
And this curve, is your smile
And this cross, is your heart
And this line, is your path
“Oh it’s gonna be the way you always thought it would be
But it’s gonna be no illusion
Oh it’s gonna be the way you always dreamt about it
But it’s gonna be really happening to ya”
She gotta dance, she gotta dance
And she can’t stop ’till them shoes come off
These shoes do, a kind of voodoo
They’re gonna make her dance ’till her legs fall off
Feel your hair come tumbling down
Feel your feet start kissing the ground
Feel your arms are opening out
And see your eyes are lifted to God
With no words, with no song
I’m gonna dance the dream
And make the dream come true
I’m gonna dance the dream
And make the dream come true
She gotta dance, she gotta dance
And she can’t stop ’till them shoes come off
These shoes do, a kind of voodoo
They’re gonna make her dance ’till her legs fall off
Call a doctor, call a priest
They’re gonna whip her up like a helicopter
Really happening to ya
Really happening to ya
You gotta dance….
Credits (1993)
Drums, percussion: Stuart Elliott
Bass: Gaumont d’Oliveira
Guitars: Danny McIntosh
Mandola, whistles, musical bow, vocals: Paddy Bush
Vocals: Colin Lloyd Tucker
Valiha: Justin Vali
Keyboards: Kate
Credits (2011)
Drums: Steve Gadd
Bass: John Giblin
Guitars: Dan McIntosh
Mandola, mandolin, whistles, musical bow, backing vocals: Paddy Bush
Backing vocals: Colin Lloyd Tucker
Additional vocals: Albert McIntosh, Jacob Thorn
