This first appeared on Kate Bush's debut album, The Kick Inside in 1978, but was only released as a single in Japan under the title "Rolling The Ball" (it reached #3 on the Japanese charts). The following year, it was the lead track from Bush's Live On Stage EP, a collection of live recordings from a benefit concert at Hammersmith Odeon, London. That version peaked at #10 in the UK.
This song refers to Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff (1877-1949), a Greek-Armenian mystic and spiritual teacher who used stylized dance to help people to unleash the powers within themselves and develop their full capabilities.
When Bush sings, "I love the whirling of the Dervishes," she refers to the ancient meditative dance in the Sufi tradition, which is a form of Islamic mysticism. During their sacred Sema ceremonies, the Dervishes - members of the Mevlevi Order of Islam - rapidly twirl until they reach a peaceful, spiritual state called Sufism.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.