Re: This 'n' That

[chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (chris williams)]

In article <3d6ogf$8j0@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> you write:
>In article <9412200148.AA13766@bugs.TQS.COM>,
>Steve Berlin <steve.b@TQS.COM> wrote:
>
>(lots of stuff snipped for length)
>>That being said, Y should I love U is utter garbage.  In terms of
>>lyrics, it's actually quite clever (especially that little part at
>>the end), but musically, it's mid-80's MOR at it's worst.  But what
>>REALLY kills the song is:  Where is Kate?  Why does this Lionel
>>Richie soundalike get all the good parts?  If it were a duet with
>>The Self Obsessed Wanker Formerly Known As Prince, it MIGHT have worked,
>>since TSOWFKAP would have put some REAL soul into the song.  If it
>>were Kate just singing herself, it would have DEFINATELY worked.
>>But it's not, so it doesn't.
>
>Oy, Steve!  I guess I'm just a sucker for that mid-80's MOR sound, but I *love*
>Y Should I Love U? and it's one of my favorite songs on the last album.  But 
>there you go...there are as many different kinds of Kate fans as there are 
>people, eh? :-)

   It's not a generic "mid-80's MOR" sound, but a specific tribute to
one of Kate's favorite bands, Steely Dan. The chorus is (to my ears)
a lift from Steely Dan's song "Peg." She's said many nice things about
this song, and I think she got Lenny Henry to specifically try for that
Donald Fagen/Michael McDonald vocal tone. I guess I enjoy hearing a
comedian imitate Steely Dan singing Prince-ish lyrics in a Kate Bush
song. The unlikeliness of it all is quite amusing.

>4)  Don't Give Up - was this ever released as a single in the U.S.?
>
>I'm not sure, but I heard it a lot and there was a video that got played
>constantly for a while.

   Actually there were two videos, and both of them are included on the
Peter Gabrial video collection "CV." The first, directed by the
completely brillant team of Godley and Creme. It features a single
shot of Peter and Kate hugging each other. The camera zooms in on their
faces and then pulls back. The transitions from Kate's face to Peter's
are done by rotating the platform they are standing on. Well, Peter
is standing on the platform; Kate is standing on a well-hidden box
on the platform. It is amazingly simple and wonderful. The record
weasles, with the collective attention span of a hummingbird on
methedrene, didn't get it and ordered a second video from Matt Maherne
(or a diciple of his) that looks like outtakes from Fleetwod Mac's
"Gypsy."

   When Peter hosted 120 Minutes, he played this video and commented
about having to stand around hugging Kate for hours; "Sometimes one
has to suffer for one's art." Said with a very satisfied smirk.


                          Chris Williams of
                             Chris'n'Vickie of Chicago
                               chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (his)
                                 vickie@njin.rutgers.edu      (hers)

(Not home yet. Soon.)