FEATURE:
Queen of the Mountain
PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Prior
The Legacy and Influence of Kate Bush: A Time for Fresh Revision and Examination
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WITHOUT stepping on the toes…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during her Tour of Life in 1979
of articles I have written before, I wanted to write a feature about Kate Bush ahead of her birthday tomorrow (30th July). Recently, I wrote how there is no modern equivalent to Bush and, whilst that is very true, there are many who have been inspired by her; so many talk about her music, and her impact extends beyond musicians and songwriting. A few years back, I heralded the continuing influence of Bush and how extraordinary her legacy is – not that she has retired or will ever be forgotten. In this feature, I wanted to look at some of the artists/sounds she has impacted, and how her personality, music and essence has made big changes – and why she is still, in some ways, overlooked. If you have not watched the 2014 documentary, The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill, then give it a watch. Ahead of her sixty-second birthday, and over forty-five years since Kate Bush recorded her first songs for the debut album, The Kick Inside, she is being referenced by artists. From modern artists like The Anchoress and Taylor Swift (on her new album, Folklore) and longer-serving acts like St. Vincent and Tori Amos, Bush’s impact has been huge. In fact, and quoting from Bush’s Wikipedia page and one can see her legacy:
“Musicians who have cited Bush as an influence include Beverley Craven,[129] Regina Spektor,[130] Ellie Goulding,[131] Charli XCX,[132] Tegan and Sara,[133] k.d. lang,[134] Paula Cole,[135] Kate Nash,[136] Bat for Lashes,[137] Erasure,[138] Alison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp,[139] Rosalía,[140] Tim Bowness of No-Man,[141] Chris Braide,[142] Kyros,[143] Aisles,[144] Darren Hayes[145], Grimes,[146] and Solange Knowles.[147] Nerina Pallot was inspired to become a songwriter after seeing Bush play "This Woman's Work" on Wogan.[148] Coldplay took inspiration from "Running Up That Hill" to compose their single "Speed of Sound".[149] In 2015, Adele stated that the release of her third studio album was inspired by Bush's 2014 comeback to the stage.[150]
IN THIS PHOTO: Bat for Lashes/PHOTO CREDIT: Observer New Review
In addition to those artists who state that Bush has been a direct influence on their own careers, other artists have been quoted expressing admiration for her work including Tori Amos,[151] Annie Lennox,[152] Björk,[153] Florence Welch,[154] Little Boots,[155] Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins,[156] Dido,[157] Sky Ferreira,[158] St. Vincent,[159] Lily Allen,[160] Anohni of Antony and the Johnsons,[161] Big Boi of OutKast,[162] Stevie Nicks,[163] Steven Wilson,[164] Steve Rothery of Marillion,[165] and André Matos.[166] According to an unauthorized biography, Courtney Love of Hole listened to Bush among other artists as a teenager.[167] Tricky wrote an article about The Kick Inside, saying: "Her music has always sounded like dreamland to me.... I don't believe in God, but if I did, her music would be my bible".[168] Suede front-man Brett Anderson stated about Hounds of Love: "I love the way it's a record of two halves, and the second half is a concept record about fear of drowning. It's an amazing record to listen to really late at night, unsettling and really jarring".[169] John Lydon, better known as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, declared her work to be "beauty beyond belief".[160] Rotten once wrote a song for her, titled "Bird in Hand" (about exploitation of parrots) that Bush rejected.[170] Bush was one of the singers whom Prince thanked in the liner notes of 1991's Diamonds and Pearls.[171] In December 1989, Robert Smith of The Cure chose "The Sensual World" as his favourite single of the year, The Sensual World as his favourite album of the year and included "all of Kate Bush" plus other artists in his list, "the best things about the eighties".[172]
It is almost impossible to calculate how many modern artists have been inspired by Bush and are, in their way, incorporating some of her essence in their music. From Ellie Goulding recently name-checking Bush in an interview with The New York Times, to some flavour of Kate Bush in Jess Cornelius’ new music, through to connections between a heavy band like Aurium, and a very different-sounding artist like Katie Wood vibing from Bush, we can see that so many modern artists are moving to the beat of the icon – her music was even covered during lockdown. When Kate Bush celebrates her birthday tomorrow, there will be an outpouring of love, not just from artists old and new who count her as an inspiration, but from every corner of the world. Although Bush’s latest studio album, 50 Words for Snow, is almost nine years old, I am seeing so many articles and posts on social media extolling her passion, unique music and magic. Last year, I asked how long it will take Kate Bush to become a Dame, and I stand by that – if ever there was anyone who deserves that honour, it is her! Bush is a national treasure but, more than that, she is enormously relevant today, whereas so many established or iconic artists have lost a lot of their magnetism and importance. When Kate Bush took to the stage in 2014 for her residency in Hammersmith between 26th August and 1st October, a whole swathe of celebrities from film, T.V., music and all areas flocked to pay tribute. There is something in the music that has endured through the years and resonated far and wide.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush signing copies of Hounds of Love in 1985 at Tower Records in New York City
What is it about Bush’s music that means she has such a strong legacy and phenomenally wide fanbase? I have investigated her love of cinema and literature, and how Bush often dipped into her favourite films and novels when seeking inspiration. When talking of desire and passion, Bush approaches the subjects in a very varied and fascinating way and, when it comes to her albums, no two sound the same. I think it is the bold originality and constantly evolution that has meant artists through all genres have been spellbound by her music. In this New Yorker article from 2018, journalist Margaret Talbot made some interesting observations when trying to explain her love of Kate Bush:
“Yet, with this listen, I discovered that I really liked the animalistic cacophony of “Get Out of My House”—for all it suggested about how few fucks Bush gave when it came to getting radio play or charming people in any conventionally girlish way, and for its brazen strangeness. And I loved a song called “Suspended in Gaffa.” It starts with a tinny music-hall bounce that swells into a rich, chunky rhythm, accented with a chirping, distorted vocal that sounds trippy and modern. The lyrics, about seeing God or achieving some creative peak, only to have the vision snatched away, were inspired by Bush’s Catholic upbringing. The title is a reference to sticky black gaffer tape—a metaphor for frustrating ensnarement. But it also sounds, marvellously, like a geographical location in which a character from a Paul Bowles novel might be immured.
And then there was the extraordinary “Hounds of Love.” Bush’s voice is deeper and more resonant than on earlier records, the use of the synthesizer is more assured, and the experiments are never awkward, as Bush’s sometimes can be. When “Hounds of Love” came out, in 1985, I was in graduate school, at Harvard, and my mother had just had a stroke that robbed her of most of her speech. I’d soon be leaving school for a year to help take care of her. But, in the meantime, I’d walk home from Widener Library every day in a pen-and-ink drawing of a Cambridge November, the metallic smell of incipient snow permanently in the air, and when I got to my apartment with the sloping floors in Central Square—sometimes before I’d removed my winter coat or said more than hello to my boyfriend—I’d put “Hounds of Love” on the turntable, turn it up very, very loud, and wait for the galloping drum loops and the salty-sweet emotional rush of Bush’s vocals to comfort and exalt me. When it got to the end of the first side, I’d lift the needle up and put it right back at the first track, “Running Up That Hill,” the song with the pounding beat and irresistible synthesizer hook about “making a deal with God” so that men and women might “swap our places” and feel what it was like to be one another”.
In 2016, The Observer wrote a fascinating article that compartmentalised various aspects of Bush’s music and artistry and, when investigating the huge breadth and variety of artist who imbue something of Kate Bush in their own work, we can make an argument to say that she remains overlooked and under-exposed. I will move on soon, but I want to quote a section from that article, as they talked of Bush’s influence on artists who include sexual and gender identity issues in their music:
“These three artists—who grapple with issues of sexual and gender identity—all bear the hallmarks of Bush’s influence.
Mike Hadreas, the brainchild behind Perfume Genius, uses his glammed-up image and music as tools of both attraction and repulsion. The vocal/piano compositions that first brought Perfume Genius notice show that art-school flair works across the chromosomal divide.
Despite his love of opera and theatricality, Wainwright possesses less of an obvious connection to Bush. However, the Montreal-born singer/songwriter has both piano chops and humor to spare—both very much in keeping with Bush’s template.
Anohni, singer and focal point of Antony and the Johnsons has one of those rare voices, like Bush’s, which evokes an emotional response through its timbre alone. Words become secondary to Anohni’s delivery, which softly commands attention”.
Kate Bush’s fearlessness and openness in her music not only resonated with female songwriters at the time and those who have followed; as seen above, her music has made a big impact on the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during filming of The Line, the Cross and the Curve in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
I will not quote from too many other articles – as I am keen to put as many original thoughts in as possible -, but Attitude discussed Bush as a gay icon in 2018.
“Queer people identified with Kate Bush because of that otherness, because of her bravery and defiance, her fearless examination of previously ‘taboo’ themes, and her often high-camp performance style. As Rufus Wainwright told The Guardian in 2006: “She is the older sister that every gay man wants. She connects so well with a gay audience because she is so removed from the real world. She is one of the only artists who makes it appear better to be on the outside than on the inside.”
The magnificent, lushly exotic 'Kashka from Baghdad' from 1978’s Lionheart, is one of the prime examples of Kate’s celebration of the joy of the outsider status. “Kashka from Baghdad,” she sings over sensual piano chords, “lives in sin, they say, with another man – but no one knows who.”
Her frank openness and recognition of a gamut of gender norms and of the reality of sexual fluidity became a recurrent theme in her work; 'Wow', a biting satire of the theatrical business, finds Kate singing “He’ll never make the scene / he’ll never make the Sweeney / be that movie queen / he’s too busy hitting the Vaseline.” If we were in any doubt as to her underlying meaning, her performance in the video removes all doubt as she taps her buttock on the payoff line.
Kate Bush is an LGBT icon for several reasons, not least because she built a successful career, without compromise, on her own terms, with thorough originality, ingenuity, and, crucially, trueness to herself. She did, and continues to do, things her own way, and is undaunted in her distinctiveness and navigation of the peculiarities of life”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Before Madonna was being talked about as an ally to the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community, Kate Bush was a role model herself – albeit it in a different manner. I am only going to really be able to scratch slightly beneath the surface in this feature, as Bush’s legacy and influence extends beyond the imagination and perception of most people – whether subtle or overt, Kate Bush has changed so much through her music, videos and pioneering change. The last article I want to grab from dates back to 2010, and it illuminates how Bush has opened doors for female artists, and why so many artists we know and love today can help trace their roots back to Bush’s music:
“Then a wave of solo female artists followed – from Florence Welch to Fever Ray – all happy to namecheck Bush as an influence. Before Florence and the Futureheads, however, Deborah Withers, guitarist with Bristol's Drunk Granny, began a study of Bush's music, exploring themes that were perhaps obvious to a female fanbase but invisible to some male listeners. We're talking about "the polymorphously perverse Kate, the witchy Kate, the queer Kate, the Kate who moves beyond the mime". Withers develops these ideas in her new book, Adventures in Kate Bush and Theory, published on her own imprint Hammeron Press.
Drawing from feminism and contemporary philosophy, Withers attempts to unlock the secrets of Bush's oeuvre. She argues that Bush liberated female creativity as much as punk did; it's essential reading for 21st-century grrrls. It wasn't just that Bush wrote and produced her own material, breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry, or the way she sang about subjects that women were not supposed to touch.
Bush's music seems to have a womb-like function, providing incubation for artists, at least for a while. Björk has spoken of her teenage years spent under the covers listening to Kate Bush, and Bat for Lashes' Natasha Kahn acknowledges her influence on her first album, although she now feels she has found her own voice. "It's important to have visible and creative examples that you can draw inspiration from," says Withers, "otherwise it's really difficult to express yourself. Women found it a lot more difficult to be cultural producers, but Kate Bush changed that".
Kate Bush has empowered so many people, and her legacy and importance will continue for an awful long time to come. It makes me wonder, as I have mused before, whether there should be an updated and expansive documentary. Maybe it would not take the form of the 2014 BBC effort, but I do think that, in that instance, there was room for improvements – a longer running time than one hour; a broader look at her career, and something that did her full justice. Whether it happened on radio or T.V., I do think that there is so much to explore and celebrate, in addition to paying tribute to someone who, since 1978, has put her unique footprint on the scene. I do feel there is room now to put together a proper, multi-part, career-spanning documentary or piece that drills deep into Kate Bush’s work, and studies her from various different perspectives. One cannot really define Kate Bush by her music alone, as there are so many layers and facets to her being. Perhaps there will be a new documentary when Wuthering Heights, her debut single, turns forty-five in 2023, but that is quite a long way away – my hope is that something comes along sooner! A few days before her birthday, I wanted to paying fitting tribute to an artist whose legacy will continue to grow strong…
FOR many decades to come.