The Red Shoes

Inspired by the 1948 film The Red Shoes, which itself came from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, it reached number two in the UK, went platinum and reached number 28 in the US, her highest placing on the Billboard 200 at that point. Eric Clapton plays on And So Is Love. It came with a short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve, released in 1993, and a planned tour was abandoned. Songs from it were reworked on Director's Cut in 2011.

Bush made it after a run of losses. Her mother Hannah died in 1992, her guitarist Alan Murphy had died, and her long relationship with Del Palmer had ended, though the two kept working together. The album has more guest appearances than her earlier records. Prince played and sang on Why Should I Love You?, with the comedian Lenny Henry adding vocals, and Trio Bulgarka sang on that song, The Song of Solomon and You're the One. Gary Brooker and Jeff Beck also took part in the sessions. She aimed for a live band feel with less studio trickery, in the hope of touring. It was recorded digitally, a choice she later regretted, which is why she redid seven of the songs on analogue tape for Director's Cut and issued a 2011 remaster from an analogue backup tape.

Film and reception

The film, written and directed by Bush and starring herself and Miranda Richardson, uses six songs: Rubberband Girl, And So Is Love, The Red Shoes, Moments of Pleasure, Eat the Music and Lily. It was nominated for Long Form Music Video at the 1996 Grammy Awards. Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal, reviewing the album in 2019, noted that Bush herself called the film a load of bollocks in 2005. He named Moments of Pleasure one of her most affecting ballads, with a Michael Kamen string arrangement, and pointed out that Big Stripey Lie was the first time she played guitar on an album.

Chris Roberts of Melody Maker called the album an utter masterpiece, and Music Week made it album of the week in November 1993. NME's Terry Staunton judged it her most personal album and also her most accessible. Dombal was cooler, calling it an outlier. Bush performed Lily and Top of the City live for the first time in 2014, at Before the Dawn.