Editing Kate Bush (section)

===1980–1984: ''Never for Ever'' and ''The Dreaming''===
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| quote = "Artists shouldn't be made famous. They have this huge aura of almost god-like quality about them, just because their craft makes a lot of money. And at the same time it is a forced importance... It is man-made so the press can feed off it."
| source = —Kate Bush in a 1980 interview<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.refinery29.com/2013/10/55729/an-ode-to-kate-bush |title=Kate Bush Music Wuthering Heights Hounds of Love |publisher=Refinery29.com |date=20 October 2013 |access-date=28 March 2014 |archive-date=18 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018020617/http://www.refinery29.com/2013/10/55729/an-ode-to-kate-bush |url-status=live }}</ref>
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Released in September 1980, ''[[Never for Ever]]'' was Bush's second foray into production, co-producing with [[Jon Kelly]]. The first two albums had resulted in a definitive sound evident in every track, with orchestral arrangements supporting the live band sound. The range of styles on ''Never for Ever'' is much more diverse, veering from the straightforward rocker "Violin" to the wistful waltz of hit single "[[Army Dreamers]]".

''Never for Ever'' was her first album to feature [[synthesiser]]s and [[drum machine]]s, in particular the [[Fairlight CMI]]. She was introduced to the technology while providing backing vocals on [[Peter Gabriel]]'s eponymous [[Peter Gabriel (1980 album)|third album]] in early 1980.<ref name="Rebel" /> It was her first record to reach the top position in the UK album charts, also making her the first female British artist to achieve that status,<ref name="MightyBush" /> and the first female artist ever to enter the album chart at No. 1.<ref name="officialcharts.com" /> The top-selling single from the album was "[[Babooshka (song)|Babooshka]]", which reached No. 5 in the [[UK singles chart]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ugo.com/channels/music/features/bandsondemand/artist.aspx?artist=katebush&cat=Alternative&full=Kate%20Bush |title=Kate Bush |publisher=UnderGroundOnline |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616011817/http://www.ugo.com/channels/music/features/bandsondemand/artist.aspx?artist=katebush&cat=Alternative&full=Kate%20Bush |archive-date=16 June 2011}}</ref> In November 1980, she released the standalone [[Christmas music|Christmas single]] "[[December Will Be Magic Again]]", which reached No. 29 in the UK charts.<ref>{{cite news |title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19801207/7501/ |access-date=14 June 2022 |publisher=Official Charts Company. |archive-date=3 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203083316/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19801207/7501/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Kate Bush (1982 EMI publicity photo) 01.jpg|thumb|upright|Bush in 1982]]
September 1982 saw the release of ''[[The Dreaming (album)|The Dreaming]]'', the first album Bush produced by herself.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/something-from-kate/2005/10/06/1128562936076.html?page=3 |title=Something from Kate, at last |work=The Age |date=8 October 2005 |location=Australia |access-date=21 November 2010 |archive-date=6 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106043225/http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/something-from-kate/2005/10/06/1128562936076.html?page=3 |url-status=live }}</ref> With her new-found freedom, she experimented with production techniques, creating an album that features a diverse blend of musical styles and is known for its near-exhaustive use of the Fairlight CMI. ''The Dreaming'' received a mixed reception in the UK, and critics were baffled by the dense soundscapes Bush had created to become "less accessible".<ref>''[[Smash Hits]]'' magazine, reviews of ''The Dreaming'' (September 1982)</ref> In a 1993 interview with ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine, Bush stated: "That was my 'She's gone mad' album."<ref name="Rebel" /> The album entered the UK album chart at No. 3,<ref>{{cite web |title=the dreaming {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/the-dreaming/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304173934/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/the-dreaming/ |archive-date=4 March 2018 |access-date=4 March 2018 |website=[[OfficialCharts.com]] |language=en}}</ref> but is to date her lowest-selling album, garnering "only" a silver disc.<ref>{{cite web |title=British album certifications – Kate Bush – The Dreaming |url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/bpi-awards/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924015932/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/Search.aspx |archive-date=24 September 2009 |access-date=3 March 2018 |website=[[British Phonographic Industry]] |type=Enter The Dreaming in the search field and then press Enter.}}</ref> The album became her first to enter the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart, albeit only reaching No. 157.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Kate Bush The Dreaming Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kate-bush/chart-history/tlp/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117164333/https://www.billboard.com/artist/kate-bush/chart-history/tlp/ |archive-date=17 November 2021 |access-date=18 March 2018 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> 

"[[Sat in Your Lap]]" was the first single from the album to be released. It preceded the album by over a year and peaked at No. 11 in the UK.<ref name="OfficialCharts" /> The [[The Dreaming (song)|title track]], featuring [[Rolf Harris]] and [[Percy Edwards]], stalled at No. 48,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/the-dreaming/ |title=the dreaming {{!}} full Official Chart History {{!}} Official Charts Company |website=[[OfficialCharts.com]] |language=en |access-date=18 March 2018 |archive-date=18 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318120822/http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/the-dreaming/ |url-status=live }}</ref> while the third single, "[[There Goes a Tenner]]", stalled at No. 93,<ref>UK singles chart peak for "There Goes a Tenner": {{cite web |url=http://i.imgur.com/G29Jpul.jpg |title=UK Mix forums > Chart Histories page 78 |publisher=ukmix.org |access-date=27 August 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092819/http://i.imgur.com/G29Jpul.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref> despite promotion from EMI and Bush. The track "[[Suspended in Gaffa]]" was released as a single in Europe, but not in the UK.

Continuing in her storytelling tradition, Bush looked far outside her own personal experience for sources of inspiration. She drew on old crime films for "There Goes a Tenner", a documentary about the [[Vietnam War]] for "Pull Out the Pin", and the plight of [[Indigenous Australians]] for "The Dreaming". "Houdini" is about [[Harry Houdini|the magician]]'s death, and "Get Out of My House" was inspired by [[Stephen King]]'s novel ''[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Dreamtime Is Over |author=Simper, Paul |magazine=[[Melody Maker]] |date=16 October 1982}}</ref>