Cloudbusting -- Kate Bush In Her Own Words

Hounds Of Love

The second song is called `` Hounds of Love,'' and is really about someone who is afraid of being caught by the hounds that are chasing him. I wonder if everyone is perhaps ruled by fear, and afraid of getting into relationships on some level or another. They can involve pain, confusion and responsibilities, and I think a lot of people are particularly scared of responsibility. Maybe the being involved isn't as horrific as your imagination can build it up to being - perhaps these baying hounds are really friendly. (1985, KBC 18)

The ideas for `` Hounds Of Love", the title track, are very much to do with love itself and people being afraid of it, the idea of wanting to run away from love, not to let love catch them, and trap them, in case th hounds might want to tear them to pieces and it's very much using the imagery of love as something coming to get you and you've got to run away from it or you won't survive. (1985, Open Interview)

But ``the hounds of love'' itself, does it come from a book? Or was it something you made up?

No, the hounds of love are an image, really: someone who's afraid of being captured by love; and the imagery is of love taking the form of hounds that are hunting them, so they run away because they're afraid of being caught by the hounds and ripped to shreds.

Are you afraid of being caught by love?

Yes, I think so. I think everyone is. I think when you are in love with someone, you do not want to lose that. It is something that affects you in so many areas. And I think it can be frightening, yes.

It's not a feeling of being trapped, though, kate, is it?

I think it can be for some people, yes. I think...It doesn't mean that for me, but I think for some people any relationship can be a form of being trapped, which they're afraid of. (1985, Homeground)

"Hounds of Love'' is about someone who's scarred of falling in love with someone, of being trapped, and sees it as a simile of a pack of hounds that are chasing them. And instead of being happy about it, terrified, so they're running for their life really. [Laughs]

Is that something - is that personal for you, or... Is that something you've observed about other people ?

I think that everyone is scared of relationship on some level or other, but actually the song in many ways was inspired by an old English black and white movie called Night of the Demon, which is just one of those great movies that managed to get through a whole phase of other movies that were incredibly corny and not effective, and has a real atmosphere about it. (1985, Good Rockin Tonight)

" Hounds of love'' Well, again this was written at home, this was an early song. And it was inspired in some ways by this old black and white movie that is a real favorite of ours, called night of the demon. It's all about this demon that appears in the trees. And the line at the top of the song ``it's in the trees, it's coming'' is actually taken from the film. Maurice denham [??? Spelling] is the guy that sang it. (1991, Classic Albums)

When I was writing the song I sorta started coming across this line about hounds and I thought ``hounds of love'' and the whole idea of being chasing by this love that actually gonna... when it get you it just going to rip you to pieces, [Raises voice] you know, and have your guts all over the floor! So this very sort of... being hunted by love, I liked the imagery, I thought it was really good. (1991, Classic Albums)

Often you do not hesitate in crossing the limits of hysteria. ``running up that hill,'' and even more, `` hounds of love,'' are two good examples.

In ``Hounds of Love'' there's an energy of despair, yes. It's about someone terrified, who is searching for a way to escape something. My voice, and the entire production, are directed towards the expression of that terror. (1985, Guitares et Claviers)

"Hounds of Love'' is the third single, and trying to follow the `` Cloudbusting'' video was extremely difficult. I still wanted to follow the approach of making ``a short film", and this time we wanted to suggest a piece of ``Hitchcock": a short thriller.

Paddy inspired me into a 39 Steps theme, and for the two-three weeks over Christmas my life became this third video. It was particularly hard organising meetings over Christmas; everyone was busy partying. At one meeting someone turned up in fancy dress. The advantage was that I got a brilliant crew who were free to do the shoot because it was Christmas-time, generally a very quiet period. If you get to see the video, let us know if you spot Hitchcock's appearance?

Even with the work over Christmas we were still in a situation where the twelve-inch and the b-side had to be rushed. Sometimes things benefit from the pressure, but with only a few hours to do the b-side before the cut (which had been arranged weeks before), we plumped for a totally unaccompanied traditional song.

The twelve-inch of `` Hounds of Love'' has been the most demanding so far. It's a short song, with very little tuned instrumentation, so we decided to go for an alternative lead vocal over the existing track, with a few changes here and there - it seemed an interesting solution. Del and I re-did the vocal, the b-side and the mixes in two days (that's some kind of record for me!) (1986, KBC 19)

She grimaces a little selfconsciously at the mention of the video. That was my first real direction, she says, and then continues confidently. I find in incredibly exciting, and in some ways a bit frustrating that it's disciplined to the song that has been chosen as the single because quite often a song is a song in its own right, and sometimes songs] have much better storylines for videos. They're more visually oriented. So when you're working with a song that is not particularly visually oriented, it's incredibly frustrating. Especially if you know there is another song on the album that would be more visual. (1990, Option)

In the song `` hounds of love,'' what do you mean by the line ``I'll be two steps on the water", other than a way of throwing off the scent of hounds, or whatever, by running through water. But why ``two'' steps?

Because two steps is a progression. One step could possibly mean you go forward and then you come back again. I think ``two steps'' suggests that you intend to go forward.

But why not ``three steps''

It could have been three steps - it could have been ten, but ``two steps'' sounds better, I thought, when I wrote the song.

Okay. (1985, love-hounds)

When I first heard the title of your new album hounds of love, a long time before the album was actually released, it seemed to me like a reference to fans. It sort of conjured up the image of the beatles constantly being hounded by their adoring fans, who would attack them, because each fan wanted a little piece of their idols. So the title hounds of love seems to hint at a love/hate relationship with fans. The love/hate relationship also seems to be symbolized on the picture sleeve to `` running up that hill,'' where you are aiming a bow that could be cupid's bow, but is also a deadly weapon. Did you have these things in mind?

No. I'd like to say straight away it's absolutely nothing to do with a love/hate relationship with fans and, in fact, that, as far as I am concerned, is something that doesn't exist. I have no resentment or dislike for any of the people that like my music, at all. If anything, it's a great honor for me that such nice people are attracted by the music. And that song has nothing to do with fans - it's about love - it's about someone who's afraid of being captured by love, and it's seeing love as a pack of hounds that's coming to get them. As something they're frightened of - not willing to accept.

Well, I would sort of maintain that any love relationship is a love/hate relationship, in that -

Yes.

- There are always problems that come along with...

I would totally agree, but it's got nothing to do with my fans!

Okay (1985, love-hounds)

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