FEATURE:
Pagan Poets
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during 1979’s The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Sipa Press/Rex Features
Kate Bush and Björk
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THIS is designed to be timely…
PHOTO CREDIT: Vidar Logi
as the pioneer and sensational genius Björk releases her new album, Fossora, on Friday (30th). Shaping up to be one of her greatest albums, there are a lot of new interviews with the Icelandic legend. There is a great interview with Pitchfork; one with The Atlantic; another with Consequence of Sound. There are many more coming along. I am writing this on Friday 23rd, so I know that stuff will appear online that I have not included. Fossora is going to be one of the best albums of the year. I mention Björk, not just because she is releasing a new album, but because there are lines to Kate Bush. Many artists are influenced by her but, more than most, I feel Bush has been instrumental when it comes to influencing Björk as a producer, writer and songwriter. Vocally, Björk seems to have been inspired by The Dreaming (1982) and, to an extent, The Kick Inside (1978). The experimentation and layers on Kate Bush’s The Dreaming can be heard on some of Björk’s finest albums. In terms of the barriers broken and the unconventional nature of the music, I see comparisons between these two artists. Whilst some may feel Tori Amos is probably closest in nature to Kate Bush, I do think that Björk is the most similar. Both started in the industry when they were extremely young. Each release these stunning albums that are all different but utterly immersive and engrossing. Even now, in 2022, Björk still seems to nod to Kate Bush. Whether consciously or not, I can hear some of Bush’s essence and guidance weaving in and out of Björk’s sensational and beautiful music.
Björk lists The Dreaming as one of her favourite albums, and I get visions of Björk listening to Kate Bush’s earliest work like The Kick Inside when she was a child. Even though 1993’s Debut was not Björk’s actual debut album, right from the start, you can feel the presence and guidance of Kate Bush. Vocal sweeps and swoons on Human Behaviour make me think of Suspended in Gaffa (The Dreaming) mixed with Wuthering Heights (The Kick Inside) almost. Pagan Poetry and songs like this could have been included on Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave. The Sensual World (1989), I think, is in Björk’s mind when she is at her most sensuous and stunning. Whilst Björk is a truly individual artist who has no peers, it is humbling and interesting that she has mentioned Kate Bush in many interviews through the years. Recently, as Far Out Magazine write, Björk name-checked Kate Bush (when speaking with The Guardian) in regard to sexism in the music industry:
“If you wish to point to two women who have done more for the progression of music in the last 40 years, you probably can’t do any better than Kate Bush and Björk. Although both have unique qualities that make them distinct, both are critically acclaimed, commercially successful boundary pushers who have led the charge in progressive pop music for decades.
On one side is Bush, the classically trained former dance student turned intellectual pop star. Bush is the first woman to ever score a solo number one hit in the UK with a song she wrote and sang herself. This year, Bush nabbed another historic first: the longest gap between number ones, with ‘Wuthering Heights’ hitting the top of the charts in 1978 and ‘Running Up That Hill’ doing the same in 2022, a solid 44 years between number one singles.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: John Stoddart
On the other side is Björk, the incredibly futuristic genre-blender who has taken on everything from traditional Icelandic rhythms to grime beats to orchestral arrangements, sometimes within the same song.
In an interview with The Guardian, Björk opened up about how Bush’s reception was inherently misogynistic. “It was kind of sexist. People thought that Kate Bush was insane. People were embarrassed about admitting that they actually liked her and I think that is something, actually, one good thing about feminism nowadays is that she is not a threat at all”.
Björk doubled down on her fandom of Bush in an interview around the time of her album Debut. She called Bush “one of my heroes” and referred to her as “one of the biggest pioneering producers. Everybody just says, ‘Oh, she’s just a singer. She’s just a chick’. But they forget all the other work she’s done, that woman. She’s very, very, very gorgeous”
Although they have yet to collaborate in any real way, the influence that Kate Bush has had on Björk continues to filter into her music. Pick out any Björk song from the last 30 years, and it won’t take long to detect the strong presence of Bush”.
In 2001, the Kate Bush News website reported how the subject of Kate Bush arose in an interview. Björk was asked whether she wanted to work with Bush. Stating that she (Bush) is an artist who writes and produces her own music, the suggestion was that these two strong and almost self-sufficient artists might not blend. I have been thinking more and more about these two sensational artists getting together. Björk’s Fossora is her tenth studio album. Bush has released ten studio albums. If you include Björk’s eponymous 1977 album, she actually started releasing albums before Kate Bush! I do think that the two could work together. Even if Bush writes and produces a track, it would be a dream blend between these two staggeringly talented and important artists. I have written about how it’d be great to have a tribute album where artists perform their versions of Kate Bush songs. Björk appearing on it would be a no-brainer! Seeing as she is a fan of The Dreaming, I could see her rearranging and producing a terrific version of songs like Suspended in Gaffa, Get Out of My House, or Night of the Swallow. Go and pre-order Fossora, as it is going to be a typically mind-blowing Björk album! She is a true pioneer and an inspiration to so many other artists. Kate Bush is never too far from her mind. Having mentioned her in a recent interview, I do hope that they work together in the future. The influence Bush has had on Björk is clear and remarkable. Björk nods to Bush as this remarkable producer and someone who had to deal with so many sexist comments and obstacles from the press.
Not to say that Björk has become successful because of artists like Kate Bush, but it is amazing that one of the world’s greatest and most original artists put out her first professional album before Kate Bush, and yet sees her as someone who inspired her career and best work! It is testament to the fact that, decades after her debut album, Kate Bush is still being discussed and is hugely relevant. It is hard to say exactly how many rising artists now have been influenced by her. There are going to be countless others coming through and hitting a sound and vibe that can be linked to Kate Bush. I don’t think that we can discount any sort of collaboration between Björk and Bush. As I said, a tribute album where Björk tackles a Kate Bush song would be fabulous and really intriguing. Released on Friday, Björk will give us the sublime Fossora. What she has released from the album so far ranks up there with her very best work. An artist that never compromises and continues to surprise, evolve and stay right at the top of her game, it makes me think of Kate Bush and how her career mapped out. As the world wonders whether Bush will ever release another album, there is no doubting the fact that Björk has so much more music left in her. There have been ongoing and tiring rumours that Big Boi has worked with Bush or has music featuring her. I am not sure that we will ever hear that and, to be honest, it doesn’t excite me that much, Björk and Kate Bush on the other hand is a different thing! Let us hope that a collaboration between these two iconic artists happens…
SOME day in the future.