"50 Words for Snow" is the tenth studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, released on November 21, 2011. It was the second album released on her own label, Fish People, and Bush's first all-new material since Aerial (2005). The album was promoted by the single "Wild Man," with a further single, "Snowflake," following in October 2024, along with a short film in support of War Child.
50 Words for Snow was released on November 21, 2011, as Bush's second album of that year, following Director's Cut. The album consists of seven songs, "set against a background of falling snow," with a total runtime of 65 minutes. The songs "Lake Tahoe" and "Misty" are the two longest tracks in Bush's catalog, each exceeding ten minutes. In November 2018, Bush released remastered box sets of her studio albums, including 50 Words for Snow.
A radio edit of the first single, "Wild Man," was played on BBC Radio 2's Ken Bruce Show on October 10. The single, featuring both the radio edit and the album version, was released on October 11. Andy Fairweather Low guest stars on this song, which tells the story of a group of people exploring the Himalayas who, upon finding evidence of the elusive Yeti, choose to cover up all traces of its footprints out of compassion. Priya Elan of New Musical Express praised the single, saying, "For those of us who have been secretly longing for a return to the unflinchingly bizarre and Bush's ability to conjure up strange new worlds, 'Wild Man' is a deep joy."
"Everyone will know that events in Tibet have taken a terrible turn. I want to express my sadness at such a gentle and spiritual culture suffering so greatly. I am so shocked by the desperate measures being taken by people whose only way to call out for help is by taking these horrific actions. I would feel ashamed if I didn’t express my feelings. I just hope the world is listening."
—Bush expressing her concerns about Tibet in 2011, prior to the album's release
In an interview with the American radio station KCRW, Bush explained that the idea for the album's title track came from the notion that Eskimos have 50 words for snow, which led her to use fantastical words and phrases such as "spangladasha," "blown from Polar fur," and "Robber's Veil." The album's songs are built around Bush's quietly jazzy piano and Steve Gadd's drums, with Bush praising his "brilliant drumming." The album features both sung and spoken word vocals, described by Classic Rock's Stephen Dalton as "a supple and experimental affair, with a contemporary chamber pop sound grounded in crisp piano, minimal percussion, and light-touch electronics...billowing jazz-rock soundscapes, interwoven with fragmentary narratives delivered in a range of voices from shrill to Laurie Anderson-style cooing." Bassist Danny Thompson also appears on the album.
The album's opening track, "Snowflake," was written specifically to feature the high choir-boy voice of Bush's son, Albert, who sings the role of a falling snowflake in a song about the hope that a noisy world will soon be hushed by snowfall. A radio edit of "Snowflake" was released as a single on October 25, 2024, alongside Bush's short animated film Little Shrew, which the song soundtracks.
"Lake Tahoe" features choral singers Stefan Roberts and Michael Wood joining Bush in a song about a rarely seen ghost: a woman in a Victorian gown who appears to call to her dog, Snowflake. Bush explained that she wanted to explore using high male voices in contrast to her own, deeper voice. "Misty" tells the story of a snowman lover who melts away after a night of passion. After "Wild Man," Elton John and Bush trade vocals on "Snowed In at Wheeler Street," while actor Stephen Fry recites the "50 Words for Snow." The album concludes with the quiet love song "Among Angels."
Two stop-motion animation videos were created to promote the album. One accompanies a section of "Misty" (titled "Mistraldespair"), and the other accompanies part of "Wild Man." Mistraldespair was directed by Bush and animated by Tommy Thompson and Gary Pureton, while the "Wild Man" segment was created by Finn and Patrick at Brandt Animation. On January 24, 2012, a third piece, Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe, premiered on Bush's website and YouTube. The 5:01-minute piece is a black-and-white shadow puppet animation, directed by Bush and photographed by British cinematographer Roger Pratt. The shadow puppets were designed by Robert Allsopp. NPR's Dan Raby called it "...beautiful in its simplicity – emphasizing small subtle movements over big extravagance... The stark contrast between the black figures and the white world makes each set piece seem mystical."
The album's closing track, "Among Angels," was included in the setlist of Bush's Before the Dawn concerts in 2014. In 2015, a remixed version of "Wild Man" was included on The Art of Peace − Songs for Tibet II, a compilation album celebrating the 80th birthday of the Dalai Lama.
