Re: Wuthering Heights

[Angel Bracamontes <NSAB2@NURSEPO.MEDCTR.UCLA.EDU>]

plavka@mu.sans.vuw.ac.nz (David Chan) wrote:
>
> I would be interested to know the thoughts and comments on the Kate Bush 
> 1979 Hit, Wuthering Heights.
> 
This is possibly my favorite Kate song. It was the number one song in
England for all of 1978, and was later recorded by Pat Benatar on her
Crimes of Passion album (about 1980), and re-recorded by Kate herself
(vocals only though the drums are also more pronounced) for The Whole
Story. Yes, her vocals are more mature here (and there are a lot more
of them), but I'm still partial to the childlike sound of the original
as it fits into the context of the song (Cathy is a child when she
returns to Heathcliff's window). 

I read a quote somewhere that Kate believed author Emily Bronte's
ghost to be responsible for the success of the song, which is Kate's
first and most successful single to date. She chose to release it
before any of the other songs on The Kick Inside despite the "better"
judgment of the record company executives (who wanted to release
James And The Cold Gun), and it spent four weeks at number 1.

Kate's ghost theory notwithstanding, I believe it's the unearthly
quality of her voice that set this song apart from the beat-laden
music of the late 70s (it replaced ABBA at the top spot...Knowing Me,
Knowing You I think). Certainly, it owes as much to the ethereal
subject matter as it does to Kate's quirky, twisting melody. 

You'll find a lot of this information and more in "The Garden" under
"chronology" and starting around March 1977 when she wrote it "under
a full moon." If you somehow found your way here without passing The
Garden, it's in The Ultimate Band List under Bush, Kate.

                       Useless enough for ya?
                       Robb