Album: The Whole Story (1986)

Charted: 23

License This Song 

• We were working secretly for the military
  Our experiment in sound was nearly ready to begin
  We only know in theory what we are doing
  Music made for pleasure, music made to thrill
  
  It was music we were making here until
  They told us all they wanted
  Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
  So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
  It's a mistake in the making
  
  From the painful cries of mothers to a terrifying scream
  We recorded it and put it into our machine
  
  They told us all they wanted
  Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
  So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
  It's a mistake in the making
  
  It could feel like falling in love
  It could feel so bad
  It could feel so good
  It could sing you to sleep
  
  But that dream is your enemy
  We won't be there to be blamed
  We won't be there to snitch
  I just pray that someone there can hit the switch
  
  They told us all they wanted
  Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance
  So we go ahead and the meters are over in the red
  It's a mistake in the making
  
  And the public are warned to stay off Writer/s: KATE BUSH
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 5

• Rod from Gainesville, FlREMINDS me of the use of horrible musci to torment Noriega into surrendering when he was holed up under catholic church protection, or the use of loud music to induce sleep deprivation. LET me also hear pledge my eternal devotion to our Kate!
• Mikey from London, EnglandThis song is based on secret Government experiments during the 40's and 50's to develop a weapon that would play a sound that could kill someone from a far distance. According to rumours, the sound they discovered that could manage this was the sound of a woman's screams when she was just told that her baby had died.
• Leah from Brooklyn, NyNo longer science fiction, it's beginning to appear that the US Navy's experimental ocean broadcasts of special sonar to detect enemy submarines is killing whales and dolphins by the hundreds. The sea mammals are washing ashore, dying of hemmoraged brains. Of course, the Navy denies their sonar is responsible and refuses to stop the development and use. Sounds can already kill, and I've no doubt the military won't stop at sea mammals, with something so prospectively 'useful.' Do a web search using the words 'sonar' 'navy' and 'mammals' for more info.
• Andrew from Salem, MaThe video for this song stars well known British actors Peter Vaughan, Richard Vernon, Dawn French and Hugh Laurie, a traditon Kate began with Donald Sutherland for the 'Cloudbusting' video and continued with 'This Woman's Work, featuring Tim McInnerny.
• Andy from Hunterdon, NjThis "might" be a reference to Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" (written some 30+ years earlier). In that novel, the evil government engages a brilliant (but cowardly and immoral) theoretical scientist to develop technology that is then used to create a top-secret weapon nicknamed "The Xylophone". The "Xylophone" uses soundwaves to kill living things stationed at a far distance from the weapon.

More Songfacts:

Ice Ice BabyVanilla Ice

The first rapper with a #1 hit was Vanilla Ice with "Ice Ice Baby" in 1990.

We Will Rock YouQueen

Brian May wrote Queen's "We Will Rock You" so the crowds could participate in the song. They didn't have instruments, but they could clap their hands and stomp their feet.

We Are The WorldUSA for Africa

The actor Dan Aykroyd sang on "We Are The World." LaToya Jackson did too, so we know they weren't all that picky.

Come DancingThe Kinks

"Come Dancing" by The Kinks was inspired by the older sister of Ray Davies, who would make guys take her out dancing and spend their money on her, only to send them home frustrated with just a peck on the cheek.

The Wind Cries MaryJimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix wrote "The Wind Cries Mary" not about marijuana, but about his girlfriend at the time, Kathy Mary Etchingham.

Giving You The Best That I GotAnita Baker

Before the game when he hit a famous shot to win a playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Jordan was listening to Anita Baker's "Giving You The Best That I Got."

Editor's Picks

Verdine White of Earth, Wind & FireSongwriter Interviews

The longtime bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire discusses how his band came to do a holiday album, and offers insight into some of the greatest dance/soul tunes of all-time.

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.