Song dreadful about Gove initially (5)
I believe the answer is:
dirge
'song' is the definition.
(dirge is a kind of song)
'dreadful about gove initially' is the wordplay.
'dreadful' becomes 'dire' (synonyms).
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'initially' indicates taking the first letters.
The first letter of 'gove' is 'g'.
'dire' enclosing 'g' is 'DIRGE'.
(Other definitions for dirge that I've seen before include "Funereal hymn" , "Song or hymn of mourning" , "Slow, sad song" , "Mournful chant" , "Lamentation" .)