KATE BUSH - THE MAN WITH THE CHILD IN HIS EYES

Released: May 26, 1978

Charts:  UK: #6  US: #85 

With “The Man with the Child in His Eyes,” Kate Bush delivered one of the most precociously accomplished songs ever released by a teenage songwriter—an intimate, poetic ballad that would become a defining moment on her 1978 debut album “The Kick Inside”. Though it appeared on her first LP, the track had been recorded three years earlier at the urging and expense of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, who recognized Bush’s talent long before the rest of the world did. Bush was just 16 when she recorded the song, and only 13 when she wrote it—an astonishing fact considering the emotional sophistication at its core.

The song explores a young girl’s bond with an older man, a figure she perceives as both wise and boyishly innocent. Bush later explained that the idea came from observing how men, no matter their age, “are all little boys inside,” preserving a kind of magic that she found both touching and alluring. The track’s delicate piano lines and orchestral swells echo this theme of vulnerability, creating an atmosphere that feels private—as if the listener is overhearing a whispered confession.

Decades after the song’s release, its real-life inspiration emerged: Steve Blacknell, Bush’s first boyfriend. Blacknell recalled being overwhelmed the first time he heard Bush play her songs at the family piano, calling the moment “the day I realised I was in love with a genius.” But as Bush’s career gathered momentum, the relationship drifted. Still, those close to Bush confirmed to Blacknell that he was indeed the man immortalized in the song’s title.

The record struck a powerful chord with listeners, climbing to No. 6 in the UK and earning Bush the 1979 Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding British Lyric. Its mystique was further enhanced by a minimalist music video directed by Keef, in which Bush sits cross-legged on the floor, bathed in a soft pink glow—an approach that stemmed from a spontaneous suggestion by her brother Jay. The simplicity suited the song’s intimacy; as Bush later said, it was meant to feel like a girl quietly sharing her inner thoughts with no one but herself.