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After 20 Years, Kate Bush Gets Permission to Use James Joyce Text in Song

Singer has rerecorded 'The Sensual World' with Joyce's words as originally planned

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April 5, 2011 8:50 AM ET
After 20 Years, Kate Bush Gets Permission to Use James Joyce Text in Song
Ellen Poppinga - K & K/Redferns/Getty

Kate Bush has been granted permission to use text from James Joyce's book Ulysses in a song over 20 years after requesting it. The singer had intended to use the words of Joyce's character Molly Bloom for the song "The Sensual World" from the 1989 album of the same name, but the writer's estate shot her down, forcing her to pen her own lyrics. The estate has apparently had a change of heart, and recently gave the singer permission to record the song as it was originally conceived.

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The new version of "The Sensual World," now titled "Flower of the Mountain," will appear on Bush's forthcoming album Director's Cut. The record is a collection of reworked and rerecorded versions of songs from her albums The Sensual World and Red Shoes. The disc, Bush's first release since Aerial in 2005, is set to hit stores on May 16th.

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