Bloom finally falls to Bush

No stranger to foliage:
the Bush gets the Bloom

The IPKat is grateful to Jim Roche (Athlone Institute of Technology, Ireland) for drawing his attention to an article, "After 22 years it's yes, yes, yes to Kate Bush and Molly Bloom", posted yesterday on Irishtimes.com -- and it focuses on an apparent volte-face by the estate of famously impenetrable Irish writer James Joyce. According to this piece, by Brian Boyd,

"In a move described as “remarkable” by Joycean scholars [though Joyce might have had a better word or three for it], the singer Kate Bush has said she has been given permission to use Molly Bloom’s famous soliloquy from Ulysses in a song to be released next month.

The Joyce estate ... are notoriously protective of the writer’s work and have brought numerous lawsuits against scholars and artists attempting to quote from the writer’s work.

Kate Bush, whose mother is from Co Waterford, originally approached the Joyce estate in 1989 seeking permission to use extracts from Molly Bloom’s soliloquy in a song called The Sensual World. When denied permission the singer wrote her own lyrics to the song but has spent the last 22 years trying to get the Joyce estate to change their mind.

[She said] “... when I came to work on this current project I thought I would ask for permission again and this time they said yes. The song has now been retitled Flower of the Mountain and I am delighted that I have had the chance to fulfil my original concept.” ...

Bush’s album will contain Flower Of The Mountain and sees the singer revisit two previous albums and record new versions of the songs. It will be released on May 13th.

It is believed to be the first time Joyce’s work has been used in a popular music song. Perhaps one of the reasons the estate has given permission for Bloom’s words to be used is because the copyright on Joyce’s literary work expires in 2012 [How cynical, says Merpel, I would never have entertained such a thought ...]".

The IPKat notes this development with interest.  He can't help wondering whether, if James Joyce were alive today, he would put his writing talents towards (i) drafting convoluted amendments to the US Lanham Act, (ii) writing patents or (iii) constructing decisions of the OHIM Board of Appeal on the comparison of marginally similar marks for marginally similar goods.  Any other suggestions?

Molly Bloom's soliloquy: text here, YouTube here
Beating about the Bush here
More Bush lyrics here
Lyrics to Ulysses here
Flower of the Mountain here