FEATURE:
Versions of This Woman’s Work
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989
Covering Kate Bush
_________
THIS is a subject…
IN THIS PHOTO: Tori Amos is among the many artists who has covered Kate Bush’s work through the years
that I was wary of covering. Like The Beatles, I always think that Kate Bush did her songs best. That no matter what, you cannot get close to the original. I think that this is largely true. If you think about the cover versions of Kate Bush songs, very few come close to the original. I cannot list and explore every cover version of her song as there have been quite a few. A lot of minor artists that are hard to find or have not done much. However, it is obvious that artists have been fascinated and arrested by her music and wanted to show their affection. It can be quite a challenging task approaching Kate Bush’s music, as it is so distinct. If you try and imitate Kate Bush’s voice, there are few who sound like her. So it is a case of going in a different direction. Charting the first Kate Bush cover version is difficult. It does seem that the earliest cover versions were perhaps not too serious. As Tom Doyle writes in his book, Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush, a cover of Wuthering Heights was an early interpretation. A comedy Reggae version of Wuthering Heights was released in 1979 by Jan Wurzel on the album, Hybrid Kids – A Collection of Classic Mutants. The person responsible was Morgan Fisher, who compiled a mock four-track compilation that he recorded in his bedroom. I guess it is affection at play. It seemed closer to satire than a genuine attempt to honour Kate Bush. I think about satirists such as Faith Brown and Pamela Stephenson. An honour in its own way, and Kate Bush found it amusing. However, it seemed there was a degree of mockery in the earliest years. Never having heard an artist like her, an instinct to lampoon and treat as a novelty more than a serious artist. The first Kate Bush cover was by Julie Covington. Her smooth Folk Rock interpretation of The Kick Inside was included on her self-titled album in 1978. That was the same year as Kate Bush’s debut album, The Kick Inside, was released. I do like the fact that there was this early and serious cover.
It was that trick of trying to capture the power and potency of the original without having to mimic her voice. There were some unsuccessful attempts. As Tom Doyle notes, a 1980 cover of Wuthering Heights by Pat Benatar – adopting a faux English accent – was a definite miss. Included on her album, Crimes of Passion, it was a misstep that showed how hard it was to cover Kate Bush. In Julie Convington’s case, she was a friend of Bush’s brother, John (Jay). She loved Kate Bush’s music and did her justice. It was the artists who added their own distinct take on a Kate Bush song that were most successful. Dusty Springfield covered The Man with the Child in His Eyes in 1979 in London. Quite faithful, it was a slowed-down version and arranged for piano, synths and brass. Although a great version, when reaching for a falsetto near the end, Springfield struggled slightly. That obstacle of trying to sound like Kate Bush but artists maybe not having that range of ability. Natalie Cole and Pat Kane also covered The Man with the Child in His Eyes. I would love to hear a playlist or album with Kate Bush covers from throughout the years. A range of artists today tackling a Kate Bush song. Tina Arena’s 2007 version of The Man with the Child in His Eyes was only a half success. The Futureheads released their version of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love in early-2005. They performed it at Glastonbury that year. Even though I do not like their version – the tone, energy and sound drains the original of its passion, beauty and meaning -, it is very popular and was a successful single. Bush spoke to Tom Doyle in 2005 and remarked how she loved their cover. Doing their own thing with her. Pleased artists are covering her songs. In spite of my reservations, Kate Bush approaching The Futureheads’ Hounds of Love should be the only thing that matters!
Ezra Furman tweeted in 2018 how people should listen to Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love (song) every day then there is something wrong with your mental health. She performed it at gigs that year and provided a spirited and passionate take. A lot of Hounds of Love attention in terms of covers. Sergeant Thunderhoof provided a heavy and long take on Cloudbusting. In contrast, The Staves’ version was a lot lighter and more harmonious. Solange Knowles has named Kate Bush as one of her key influences. She performed a version of Cloudbusting at Coachella in 2014. It was a pretty loyal version but showed that huge artists from all over the musical map were keen to step up and show their love for Kate Bush British artist Nerina Pallot has covered Moments of Pleasure from 1993’s The Red Shoes. This Woman’s Work has been covered a few songs. A track from the perspective of an expectant father, it is curious how many male artists have covered the song. Luke Sital-Singh, Greg Laswell and Sam Ryder have all covered the track. Most famously, Maxwell provided one of the best Kate Bush covers with his 2002 single version. He performed it originally at a 1997 MTV Unplugged set. It is no shock that Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) has been covered more time than other Kate Bush songs. Placebo, The Chromatics, Meg Myers, The Wombats, First Aid Kit and Car Seat Headrest are a few of the many who have covered this track. In 2022, at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York, Halsey covered Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). A huge fan of Kate Bush, she has since spoke about her music and influence. Her recent album, The Great Impersonator, was Halsey writing songs in the style of other artists. Her tribute to her. I Never Loved You was a track influenced by Kate Bush. I will end by discussing a few very recent Kate Bush covers.
Most cover versions have been for more obvious and commercial tracks. However, Nada Surf have covered Love and Anger. That track was from Kate Bush’s 1989 album, The Sensual World. Scroobius Pip produced a Trip-Hop version of Feel It (from The Kick Inside). Tracey Thorn performed Under the Ivy. A B-side for Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), it was an opportunity for people to connect with a song they may not know existed. Jane Birkin covered another Hounds of Love song in the form of Mother Stands for Comfort. In 1998, Tom Doyle interviewed Tori Amos and mentioned how pretty much every review for her 1992 album Little Earthquakes mentioned Kate Bush. Amos wanted her music to stand out and not be a pastiche. That was never the case. However, she was listening to Kate Bush when she was younger and singing along to her songs. People mentioning how she reminded them of Kate Bush. The Stranger Things phenomenon of 2022 – where Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) featured in a powerful scene – has meant a raft of new covers of that song (including a terrible one from Rita Ora). Tori Amos include that track (or bits of it) in some of her sets. In 2005, it was sprinkled into a set, bookending her own song, God (from 1994’s Under the Pink). Amos performed the track again in 2022. In 2014, Tori Amos performed And Dream of Sheep. Many artists not straying too far from Hounds of Love. However, the names and covers I have mentioned is only a small representation!
Since 2022, there have been covers of Kate Bush tracks from smaller artists and established acts alike. Rosie Frater-Taylor covered Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) in 2024. CMAT covered Wuthering Heights the same year. Also last year, BRIT winners The Last Dinner Party released Prelude To Ecstasy: Acoustics and Covers. An expansion of their incredible debut album, one of the covers included – alongside Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game – was Army Dreamers. A rare nod to Kate Bush’s 1980 album, Never for Ever. Many artists not visiting that wonderful album. I have not even mentioned The Puppini Sisters’ take on Wuthering Heights, Chris Anderson (ft. Erin Bentlage)’s version of Joanni (from 2005’s Aerial) or Ada Unn’s version of L’amour Looks Something Like You (from The Kick Inside). Everyone will have their own Kate Bush cover attempt. I have been a bit down by suggesting other artists cannot get close to Kate Bush. Whilst I stand by that, it is impressive how many different artists have approached Kate Bush’s music. I have seen a rise in this over the past couple of years. People showing their respect for an artist who remains untouched and distinct. Something fairly rare in a modern music scene. Especially in the mainstream. Perhaps that is the allure. Kate Bush providing something modern artists do not. The width and breadth of her music brilliance. From Maxwell to The Staves to The Futureheads and Dusty Springfield, so many music greats have covered…
A Kate Bush song.