Bush had composed many songs throughout her teens[7] (she was at this time 19 years old); the majority of the tracks used for Lionheart were compositions from before her debut.

Literary references include J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan in "In Search of Peter Pan" (a song which also quotes "When You Wish Upon a Star" from the Disney film Pinocchio), as well as a nod towards Arsenic and Old Lace in the song "Coffee Homeground", which despite being similar in plot to the play, was inspired by a taxi driver who drove Bush once.

[8] "Kashka from Baghdad", inspired by American detective series, is about the inhabitants of a town wondering about a couple living in an old house.

Palmer went on to play bass, or to engineer and record on every subsequent Kate Bush album up to and including 50 Words for Snow (2011).

In total it spent 36 weeks on the chart and was certified Platinum by the BPI for sales of over 300,000, making it one of Bush's better-selling albums.

Around this time, Bush embarked on her first tour, which featured a number of songs from Lionheart – one of these ("Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake") was included on the On Stage EP in September 1979.

[13] As Bush gained a cult following over the coming years however, Lionheart was belatedly released in 1984 following the entry into the charts of her fourth album The Dreaming.

NME's Ian Penman wrote: "'Mature' lyrics sung in that twee irritating schoolgirl-siren voice [...] Actually most of the time she's nearer a vague British lineage – Barbara Dickson to Lynsey de Paul – than a Joni/Janis wonderland".

"[20] The American magazine Trouser Press rated it well, in particular the songs "Symphony in Blue", "In the Warm Room" and "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbrake".

[25] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Mike DeGagne feels that the album lacks substance, while noting that Bush was capable of much better work.