FEATURE:
Get Him to Swap Our Places
PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
The Emotional Impact and Importance of Kate Bush’s Music
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I didn’t want to repeat myself and talk about…
IN THIS PHOTO: A promotional image for the smash Channel 4 series, It’s a Sin/PHOTO CREDIT: Channel 4
Kate Bush’s music and how it has been used in T.V. shows and film. She does not often give permission for her music to be used, so it is always striking when you hear it on the screen. I was going to write why more of her songs are not used and why we do not hear less-heard Bush songs scoring various shows and films – it always seems to be the more obvious tracks. I love Hounds of Love as an album but, following news last year that Andy Samberg got permission to use Cloudbusting in a film he was in, I wonder whether it goes back to my feature about radio playlists and the fact most stations focus heavily on albums like Hounds of Love (Cloudbusting appears on that album). I would love to see rarer songs and tracks from other albums appear on the screen. The fact Bush does not provide permission to use her music much might limit that in the future. I can understand why producers and filmmakers are drawn to her music. This all ties in with a recent story about how Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was used in the new T.V. series, It’s a Sin. This article explains more:
“One of the most searingly affecting uses of Kate’s music on a television series in recent memory was on the phenomenally successful Channel 4 drama series, “It’s a Sin“. The acclaimed five-part miniseries, written by Russell T Davies, is set from 1981 to 1991 in London and depicts the lives of a group of gay men and their friends who lived during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United Kingdom. The drama was the most-watched in Channel 4’s history. In a feature in today’s Guardian newspaper, Davies and director Peter Hoar discuss the 80s music used in the soundtrack, and how Kate personally gave permission for the use of Running Up That Hill for the episode:
Peter Hoar: I knew I was being cheeky putting Kate Bush in. Russell had written [songs] in and everyone knew that as they were in the script and were going to be paid for. Others such as Kate Bush hadn’t. But this song felt right. We initially had it over the scene with them all sat around the table. I’m glad it’s not there now as the song is saying the same thing as that scene. They’re sat there just thinking: we don’t know what to do. Jill is taking responsibility, but what can they say? That song is about women and men swapping places, and certainly the idea of taking someone’s place is pertinent. It could have been any of them. Ritchie hasn’t been perfect, but he’s done nothing wrong. He’s behaved in a way that he had every right to. It just so happens that in this particular instance there was something else going on and he fell foul of it. He regrets it, as you can see, but he’s proud in lots of ways.
Russell T Davies: We took the song off at one point, do you remember? Someone said they weren’t sure about it and Peter very kindly took it off. The whole scene fell apart.
Peter Hoar: And then, of course, the wonderful Kate Bush gave Russell permission to use it directly.
Russell T Davies: You do have to ask permission and she doesn’t often give it”.
The fact is that Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) has made such an impact on so many people. I know the song has been covered extensively…and it seems that the messages and beauty of the song reaches far and wide. Without knowing it, Kate Bush writes these mini-symphonies that resonates with people in different communities and walks of life!
Hounds of Love is a particularly striking example of an album that has had a huge impact on so many people. It is not just how her vocals and how expressive she is. Think about the scope of that album and the fact that the second side, The Ninth Wave, is this evocative and stunning suite. The first half of the album has these wonderfully rich love songs that are filled with fantastic sounds and language that could only emanate from Kate Bush. She has a way of penning songs that speak to everyone and have this rare power. I might explore this more in future features; I feel Bush, as a writer and performer, can hit people harder than any other artist. Her love songs are diverse and incredibly moving. Move away from that, and Bush’s pioneering and endlessly eclectic work has enriched and inspired so many people. It is when you hear a song like Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) on the screen scoring such an important scene that it can take on a new life and meaning. I think songs like this have a flexibility and resonance that mean it can accompany so many different shows and scenes and elicit different emotions. Although it was her music videos that caught my eye, it is the way the songs make one feel that stays with me. I have been listening back to Hounds of Love and getting a new appreciation for the sheer sense of confidence and cinema that runs through it.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush snapped on 23rd October, 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Sunday Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
It is a sumptuous and hugely accomplished album. If one listens through Bush’s back catalogue, you will find so many songs on each album that opens up the heart and mind! I would be interested to see whether any other Kate Bush songs feature in films ort T.V. shows in the future. Of course, she would have to approve and be a fan of the production; I know there is a new generation of writers and creators who are being affected by Bush’s music and know that various songs are perfect for a particular scene. Maybe Bush herself wrote with visuals in mind. I think a lot of screenwriters are creating scenes with Bush’s music in their thoughts. I wonder whether Russell T Davies went into writing It’s a Sin knowing that he wanted to include Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) somewhere. I guess many artists have the ability to write songs that influence so many different people. Kate Bush’s songs seem to go deeper than most and have this enormous emotional strength. I shall leave it there, but I was interested reading about It’s a Sin and Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). From T.V. shows and films through to small bedrooms and whole communities, Kate Bush’s music has spoken to so many people! Whether you hear a Kate Bush song for the first time or have heard it countless times, it is this incredible sound that is…
