Observers of pop culture will have noticed the recent inclusion of Running up that hillKate Bush’s 1985 song, as an element of the plot of the much-followed series Stranger things. For this reason, Kate Bush’s classic has been (again) catapulted into the music scene, experiencing a real resurgence in popularity and placing itself at the top of the worldwide charts of singles sold in digital version.
Kate Bush herself responded with a rare message on social networks, declaring not only her enthusiasm for Stranger thingsbut also his gratitude for the show’s ability to give “a new life” to his famous song.
As the popularity of Running up that hill, there has been much talk of generation Z who would have “discovered” the work of Kate Bush and immediately fell in love with it. At a superficial glance it might seem that her fame in 2022 surpasses that of the 1980s, a creative and prolific period that many would like to classify (unpleasantly) as the pinnacle of her musical career. Yet while Kate Bush’s instant hold of music on current listeners is undeniable, there is certainly something odd in suggesting that in the decades preceding her success was only modest.
Discovery and rediscovery
Kate Bush was popular throughout the 1980s and beyond, especially in the UK, and her music has been well received by a growing number of avid fans ever since. Since her debut in the late 1970s, Kate Bush has released more than 25 top 40 singles in the UK, including Babooshka (number 5 in 1980), Hounds of love (number 18 in 1986), Rubberband girl (number 12 in 1993), The red shoes (number 21 in 1994) e King of the mountain (number 4 in 2005).
The impact of Stranger things on the admirers of her music she does nothing but emphasize the cycles of discovery, rediscovery and new appreciation that have characterized Kate Bush’s music and performances since her first appearance on the scene, when she was a decidedly avant-garde artist in 1978. The his single Wuthering heightswhich became very well known, reached the top spot in the UK singles chart.
One therefore wonders what the still current fascination of Kate Bush is due to. Besides the fact that the characteristics of individual music listeners change all the time, there are certainly aspects of Kate Bush’s music, performances and perhaps even personality that make her so fascinating.
Experimental and innovative
In the late seventies and eighties, Kate Bush’s music was undoubtedly experimental and innovative. Her ostentatious and open disdain for the dominant musical trends of the time gave her songs a certain timeless quality that came at the right moment. Her music is capable of escaping rigid categories of genre and classification and this is perhaps the aspect that allows it to change according to the situations, tuning in to the changing tastes of the public and thus entering the horizon, in continuous evolution, of cultural relevance.
In addition to the particular sonic qualities of her music, the visual appeal of Kate Bush’s live performances must be considered. Her music videos, famously characterized by sinuous choreography and fluttering dresses, return a dreamy atmosphere. Although typical of the late seventies and early eighties, with the use of soft focus lenses, her performances are wonderfully strange and suggestively haunting. For example, in the well-known choreography of the video by Wuthering heights Bush sports an eye-catching, fluttering red dress, and dances gracefully in a natural landscape, incorporating hypnotic movements, surrounded by a light mist.
The recurring combination of unconventional sounds and images is probably what made Kate Bush a recognizable icon: identifiable by her almost intoxicating personality, but also not conditioned by the limitations of time and space.
There is no doubt that Kate Bush’s lyrics speak to a variety of identities and desires. Bush has been recognized as an influential figure by contemporary artists such as Lady Gaga, Tori Amos and Florence + The Machine.
It is inevitable that the rediscovery of his music also entails a certain nostalgia, especially for those whose memories are linked to his songs of different moments. Yet, there also seems to be something more particular at stake. Kate Bush’s music has a certain nostalgic vibe, although new fans and listeners cannot associate it with any period from the past.
There is an intimate sense of nostalgia in her work that is intertwined with a desire to feel sensations, to experience and to find oneself, and which makes her performances so captivating. It is perhaps this distinctive trait that keeps Kate Bush’s appeal alive through the generations, with her music of hers that she continues to speak to a multitude of hearts despite the passage of time.
(Translation by Federico Ferrone)