‘All We Ever Look For’ is a song written by Kate Bush. The Fairlight is used on this track to great effect, with many sound samples being played back. At one point, a group of Hare Krishna followers is singing the ‘Maha Mantra’, with Kate using a tiny part of a line from this mantra: “(Hare) Krishna, Hare Krishna, (Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare)”, presumably to represent the chorus immediately following the sound clips: “a God”, followed by birdsong (“A Drug”) and then finally applause (“A Hug”). The song was released on the album Never For Ever.

Cover versions

‘All We Ever Look For’ was covered by Big City Orchestre, Göteborgs Symfoniker, Yuri Kono and Matches.

Kate about ‘All We Ever Look For’

‘All We Ever Look For’ is about how we seek something but in the wrong way or at wrong times so it is never found.

Kate Bush Club newsletter, September 1980

One of my new songs, ‘All We Ever Look For’, it’s not about me. It’s about family relationships generally. Our parents got beaten physically. We get beaten psychologically. The last line – “All we ever look for – but we never did score”.’ Well, that’s the way it is – you do get faced sometimes with futile situations. But the answer’s not to kill yourself. You have to accept it, youhaveto cope with it.

Derek Jewell, ‘How To Write Songs And Influence People’. Sunday Times (UK), 5 October 1980

Lyrics

Just look at your father
And you’ll see how you took after him.
Me, I’m just another
Like my brothers
Of my mother’s genes

All they ever want for you
Are the things they didn’t do
All they ever wanted – a little clue
All they ever wanted – the truth
All they ever wanted – a little bit of you
All they ever wanted,
But they never did get

The whims that we’re weeping for
Our parents would be beaten for
Leave the breast
And then the rest
And then regret you ever left

All we’re ever looking for
Is another open door.
All we ever look for – another womb
All we ever look for – our own tomb
All we ever look for – ooh, la lune
All we ever look for – a little bit of you, too
All we ever look for
But we never do score

All we ever look for – a god
All we ever look for – ooh, a drug
All we ever look for – a great big hug
All we ever look for – a little bit of you
All we ever look for – a little bit of you, too
All we ever look for
But we never do score

Credits

Koto: Paddy Bush
Acoustic guitar: Alan Murphy, Brian Bath
Yamaha CS80: Kate Bush
Timpani: Morris Pert
Fairlight: Duncan Mackay
Backing vocals: Preston Heyman, Paddy Bush, Andrew Bryant, Gary Hurst