The Haunting of "Wuthering Heights." Vocal ANALYSIS of Kate Bush's first masterpiece!
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2022
- Kate Bush was 18 when she listened to a BBC adaptation of "Wuthering Heights" and decided to write this song about Catherine Earnshaw. In one take, the masterful Kate Bush made this legendary piece of earcandy. It's haunting, it's creepy, and it just works! I loved every second of it!
Join professional opera singer Elizabeth Zharoff, as she listens to Kate Bush performing "Wuthering Heights" for the first time.
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Written and Performed by Kate Bush
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I definitely recommend watching the original video without interruptions. Here's the link: • Kate Bush - Wuthering ...
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Elizabeth Zharoff is an international opera singer and voice coach, with 3 degrees in voice, opera, and music production. She's performed in 18 languages throughout major venues in Europe, America, and Asia. Currently based somewhere between Los Angeles and Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth spends her days researching voice, singing, teaching, writing music, and recording TONS. She also plays Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons.
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If you want to hear this done wonderfully then listen to Pat Benatar sing this. It’s a 100 times better done by Pat Benatar
Btw; Elizabeth, she's not singing ". . . my wonderful . . ", it's ". . . my Wuthering, Wuthering, Wuthering Heights . . .".
Love your reactions.
Charismatic voice
Tori is influenced by Kate Bush
I think you messed up there
You might have been listening to Tori Amos first before you started with Kate
This song was recorded and released back in 1978, a decade or two before Tori Amos struck the scene
@Captain slow this girl is dumb
@@rachmann516 How truly shallow is this internet influenced crooked nosed liitle no one?
You don't hear Tori Amos influence here. You hear Kate Bush influence when listening to Tori.
This was 1978...Was Tori Amos even born?
@@emmyjo720 Tori was born in 1963, so for sure, but not recording yet.
While there may be similarities, I don’t think tori is that much influenced by Kate. It’s not fair to both of them.
@@davevanbeers6944 I was just replying to what she said in the video. Buy let's be honest. Without Kate we wouldn't know who Tori is. Kate opened doors for female singer/songwriters.
@@adammckee3496 Tori herself has stated as much in many an interview
"I hear lots of Tori Amos influence" - No you don't, you hear Kate Bush influence in Tori who started her recording career well over a decade after after Kate! Kate has some incredible songs that cover (or defy) different genres. From the same album as this song you really should try James And The Cold Gun, The Man With the Child in His Eyes, Moving, Them Heavy People and Strange Phenomena (Perhaps one of the most unusual subject matters for a song!)
I made the same correction...but glad you did too. Tori was influenced by Bush and not vice versa.
The first time I heard Tori Amos, my immediate reaction was "Ah, so channelling Kate Bush then?".
That's no criticism by the way: KB is a very good influence to have.
too right on the Kate bush influence quote but to be fair elizabeth is young
@@MrHws5mp I'd use the word "imitating" instead of "channeling". Bush was relevant before Amos...and still relevant now. Not to be mean but in my book Amos is a poor man's Kate Bush at best.
I thought that too but I'm sure she meant it that way round.
I'm more stunned that you managed to live to 2022 without ever hearing this song before, not even on the radio.
If you believe her
@@ganndeber1621I'm 40 and I heard this song for the first time in 2023. Why do you think she's lying?
She is a professional voice coach, it's her job to hear various kinds of music and this song is unique. I find it very hard to believe she has never heard it before.@@pinds83
It wasn't as big a hit in the US and it's rarely played on the radio in North America today, so it's possible, I guess.... Some of her other "hears for the first time" claims really strain credulity though.....
yh, i´am from 84, and i´ve heard plenty of Kate Bush in the 80s and 90s.. But maybe if she is younger she did´t..
Kate Bush is nothing less than a national treasure, if you're from the UK. She is so unique, so left-field and so successful with it. A student of theatre, film and dance and it shows in all of her creations. She is a chameleon of the music genre. She fits in regardless of current style or fashion. She is incredible. Man with the child in his eyes was written when she was 14. How can you do that?...
She is a genius, I remember first hearing this when it was released and seeing her on TV. I've always been mesmerised by her uniqueness and bravery for being so out there and different to anyone else. She is a national treasure in the UK, it seems so strange that anyone doesn't know this song. This song always gives me chills. I can just imagine Kate in Haworth, the village that the Brontes lived which is a wonderful place to visit here in Northern England.
Actually she was 13!
German here. I adore her! Always have. I was born in the 70s in the GDR and she lit up my grey existence, widened my horizons and gave me feelings of hope, longing and belonging. Hard to explain. I love her with all my heart.
Everyone went to school with the daughter of a GP that had that ruffled aura. Caught the attention of one as a 17 year old and refused to answer the phone for the few weeks she chased me. Wtf was i thinking. I swear we are all brain dead at that age haha
@@halfpintbuckaroo
Far from a genius.
I don't think she says ''Wonderful'', I think she says ''Wuthering, Wuthering, Wuthering Heights'' 💜
Indeed😉
Absolutely correct. It is Wuthering :).
As a kid I always thought she was singing about waffles.. lol.
The song is called Wuthering heights after the book by Emily Brontë...
@@ASW-kk7yz thers a book ?
...kidding
Only Kate Bush could make a song about a girl coming back from the grave to steal her former love's soul and have it sound like the sweetest thing ever.
Heathcliff had it coming
Kate also wrote "Mother Stands for Comfort" which is sung from the point of view of a serial killer.
Kate said in an interview she sang Cathy in a higher register in order to be more ethereal and ghost like.
Her music is magical.
Great breakdown
😊
Correct.
Dave Gilmour did us all a huge favour when he persisted in pushing Kate's music. She is a visionary, and so was he for identifying that fact (alongside the small matter of his own band's music, of course).
I feel kind of jealous that people are hearing the genius of Kate Bush, for the very first time! Her catalogue of work is exceptional, and absolutely unique.
SAME! Just wait till she gets to "Babushka."
I feel more sad for all the time they could have heard the wonder of all her songs. 🙂
You really believe she never heard KB? I call BS.
@@LRZRAY Kate Bush is not a famous artist in US, and when you spend your time learning to sing opera at an international level, yes I do think that it was never on her playlist. Even in Norway where Kate is very well know I have met people that haven't a clue.
@@bknesheim That’s also part of my point. A classical trained singer AND a vocal coach never heard KB. That’s either elitist or ignorant…but most likely just bs to make a “spontaneous” “oh my gosh guys!” video
You should have a lyric sheet for this song. She's not singing 'wonderful', she's singing
'Wuthering, Wuthering, Wuthering Heights'
The quality of her voice is just perfect as the voice of the ghost of Cathy haunting Heathcliff. I listened to this for the first time shortly after reading the novel and I was completely shaken. As far as I was concerned, this *was* the ghost of Cathy.
LOL i am dutch, i thought Kate was singing "waterproof"
Kate Bush can have a bit of an accent at times ;-)
Thank you. Seems headphones would help discern that distinction...
@@hansvandenakker5185 Hahaha! "Waterproof" would actually be a dream come true on the Yorkshire moors!
Da
Kate Bush is a freaking legend, most artists could only dream of having her talent!!
When Elton John got married, the guest list was the who-s-who of showbizz. Michael Jackson and the likes. And they were all DYING to be introduced to Kate Bush, or at least catch a glimpse. She's the celebrities' celebrity. Only a few thousand people saw her perform live.
@@Cloxxki With her 1979 tour and her last concert series at the Hammersmith Appolo in London in 2014, I am pretty sure we are talking 10s of thousands. 10s of lucky thousands. I was one of the fortunate ones in 79 and in 2014. As someone else wrote here, there is a before and an after hearing Kat Bush the first time. Both the concerts were mindblowing and trailblazing.
@@Cloxxki Elton John has, more than once, praised Kate's mastery of the piano. He collaborated with her in 2011 for the song "Snowed In at Wheeler Street" on the LP "50 Words for Snow".
@@CloxxkiI saw her perform live at the London Palladium in 1979. Just her, several dancers and an orchestra. She was amazing. One of my top 3 shows ever. The incomparable Kate Bush ❤
Yeah.. That's true
Imagine being 16 yrs old and walking into your local indie record store and hearing Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel when he went solo, all the great bands of the the 2nd British Invasion whether punk, neo romantic, Ska etc. What a time to be alive. Truly a cultural moment. ❤
Incredible time for music in UK! Must’ve been quite a time to be alive.
I was and it was.
Kate Bush was actually also married to Peter Gabriel. Two magnificent talents .
@@alisonrosen8190 No she wasn't.
@@BryWorYT Yes, thanks, You're right! I found out on this forum soon after posting that, when reading another person's post, that what I'd heard going around back in the 80's, that they'd been married, is incorrect. I'dl thought it was true. Glad I now know the facts! 👍
A teenage girl so affected by a book written in the 1850s (ish) she composes and performs a musical and visual masterpiece retelling the story 120(ish) years after the book was written. I mean it’s just unbelievable. Without Emily Brontë, we would have this. I’ve never been so in awe of anything in my entire life and I’m old enough to remember this being released. Love you, Kate
This song made me read the story. As I read the book I could hear this song in my head.
It's also heavily influenced by the 1939 movie adaptation.
@@samuelradley1625 Why are we listening to this little Talentless girl who is pretending she knows anything other than how to manipulate the yuuutuuube algorithm
@@samuelradley1625 I remember watching the movie and kept thinking that it needed this song in it.
It wasn’t the book. She wrote it when she was 16 after watching the original 1935 black-and-white version of Wuthering Heights on the BBC network. And she actually admitted years later she misunderstood parts of the movie. But the song was still accurate.
As a musician and composer myself,
there's the time in your career BEFORE you discovered Kate Bush and the time AFTER - You will never be the same.
She is one of the greatest solo artists of all-time, a musical genius.
She wrote her 1978 debut album "The Kick Inside" when she was only 16.
It's so far beyond her years, artists can go an entire lifetime and never reach her level of songwriting ability.
I was over the moon when "Stranger Things" featured one of her tracks as the centerpiece of the Season 4 finale.
She is finally getting the recognition she deserves - One of the most hauntingly beautiful voices I have ever heard!
Beautifully said! You're correct because everyone's life IS divided into BDK (before discovering Kate) and ADK (after discovering Kate). One of the strangest, yet wonderful, compliments is hearing John Lydon speaking about her. It's bizarre to hear Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols suddenly talking almost reverentially about Kate.
@@Chuckf66 I remember, vaguely, an anecdote where John Lydon was receiving the God-Like Genius Award in a room full of musicians and recoding industry people and he said that there was only one genius in the room - Kate Bush.
And Kate is just so different from everyone else. She is a genius.
I'm not a musician or a composer, and I agree 100%.
I'm confused. The recognition she deserves? What?
For me you can never beat The Man With The Child In His Eyes. Amazing song, beautifully delivered
Agree...
And she was only 14 when she wrote it... amazing
She sang it on Saturday Night Live in the 1970's. Apparently it was broadcast from London because she was afraid to fly. My first experience with Kate Bush and loved her ever since.
I like the oh england my lion heart babooshka. army dreamers and the one about the murder..the lyrics are stunning
You cannot explain genius. I am 73 and have loved Kate Bush since wuthering heights.
“I hear lots of Tori Amos influences.” I’m sure you mean, this clearly influenced Tori Amos! When this was number 1, Amos was just 14 years old and wasn’t to achieve worldwide attention for more than a decade.
Came here just to say that. Made me gasp and chuckle all at once!
Pretty sure she knows that and maybe you misunderstood
@@damienyoung751 pretty sure I didn't.
@@damienyoung751 cmon man, she clearly said it. she even said she could see this reaching hit status, obviously not realizing it already happened a long time ago.
@@oNtuobAwoHshe's well aware it's an 80s song and as she has stated is a big tori Amos fan and so knows she is much later.. what she was obviously saying is that she can hear what influenced tori amos.. you're misunderstanding her meaning
Kate was the 1st female artist (that I'm aware of) that was considered 'weird'. At the time (along with the Bee Gees) she was the butt of every comedian's joke. But she was not deterred. Prior to her female singers were quite 'straight' and 'pretty'. She deserves far more credit than she gets
Was Arethra not weird? Expected maybe...
Kate Bush got a CBE title for her accomplishments. Enough consideration, I think.
Eartha Kitt was considered weird. And what about Lene Lovitch and Siouxie?
I'd argue Laurie Anderson (Oh Superman!) was the 1st Female Artist considered "Out there".
Wuthering...Wuthering...Wuthering...Heights....
She created the songs,dance movements and stage sets for her work. She wasn't just a singer she was accomplished at all aspects of her performance. Very few people would be on her level she had it all.
When I saw her she had even designed the programme
It's amazing hearing some say "I just recently discovered Kate Bush". It reached No. 1 because of the depth of the English sensitivity to the arts and their education. Kate's contemporaries were Fleetwood Mac and others.. what a supernova of creativity :-D Kate wrote the song when she was 18. She is completely awesome, like David Bowie. What a legend and a great dancer. I was smitten as a teenager.
I think she just landed from Mars or else she's bull shiting us
I had watched the original wuthering heights with Oberon and Olivier a year before anyone ever heard of Kate. I was mesmerized by the performance. Even more so when Kate exploded onto the scene a year later with her interpretative dance and song. She stole my heart and soul right from the get go❤🔥
People that haven't heard Kate Bush haven't really lived.
I've been to England. "Sensitivity to the arts and their education" wasn't my experience lol. That must be the nicer part of London.
All boys were
If you’re impressed that she was 19 when this came out, she wrote this and “ The Man with the Child in His Eyes” when she was 14. Oh, and David Gilmour from Pink Floyd helped discover her, and played on her debut album
I wish "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" were a hit in the US then. I knew her when "Running Up That Hill" charted here in the early '80s, but I didn't know her other songs until I visited London in 1986 and heard that song on my hotel room radio. It stuck with me ever since, and when I flew back home I sought out a cassette of "The Whole Story".
If you know the inspiration behind the song you will be more impressed by how young she was.
ooooh
in a time and village with no influence at all, no internet, barrely tv or radio. considering this, she is one of a kind talent and all people involved. also first women with #1 hit, with this kind of music. the whole time was so different from today (not judging).
was that gilmour playing solo at the end of this ?
You need to remember that Kate Bush is an artist when it comes to theatrical dance and the combination between her vocals and dance make this song such an enduring classic. She knows her shit.
Pleaser don't use words like "shit" when referring to the blessed 'Kate'!
Indeed. I do prefer the more spontaneous interpretive dance she did outdoors in the other take on this you can find on CZcams. I think that, at least at this stage, Kate was more a dancer than a singer. The whole point of the performance is not just the vocals - it is the way the dance, the experimental vocal technique, the shifting harmony and the lyrics work together as a package. It is genuinely moving. Still.
@@whattiler5102 That's a proverb.
And she was what, 17, when this song was released?! Pure Genius. Listen to her entire back catalog and be blown away by every single syllable. All written by her too.
Ian Bairnson improvised the outrow solo in one take, he also played on many of the Alan Parson project recordings, sadly he passed away earlier this year. Big loss to guitar players all around the world.
Kate's performance is based on Merle Oberon's Catherine Earnshaw from the 1939 movie "Wuthering Heights" with Sir Lawrence Olivier as Heathcliff. Kate often used film as inspiration for many of her songs. Realize that Catherine is dead at this point. Kate's movements shown in the video are indicative of a ghost rising up from the grave. To wit, the visitor, who sought refuge at Wuthering Heights during a storm, (at the opening of the movie), encounters Catherine's ghost peering into the window of his bedroom. Watch the 1939 movie, and the whole song, i.e., its lyrics and performance, will make more sense. Catherine was often on the verge of hysteria and emotional breakdown prior to her death (note how Kate Bush bulges her eyes during close-ups, again, paying tribute to Merle Oberon's magnificent performance in conveying Catherine's madness) throughout most of the 1939 rendition. This "hysteria" is wonderfully conveyed in Kate's vocal delivery too. Kate will often tell you that she can sing in tune, but not much more. The 'interpretive" dance moves, with Kate wearing a white dress, especially with the swinging of the hips, are reflective of Catherine and Heathcliff running and playing as children and then as young adults on the moors surrounding Wuthering Heights. You'll note toward the end of the song, that Kate points her finger to infinity when she sings, "it's me Cathy." This is representative of Catherine and Heathcliff's love enduring beyond the grave, despite Catherine's cruelty to Heathcliff (with all those who lived at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange) casting Healthcliff out because of his orphan status; and then Healthcliff's cruel revenge to all those he encounters at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange when he returns a self-made and wealthy man. Kate Bush certainly matured in her vocal delivery from the album "Never for Ever" and beyond.
The most precise and detailed explanation of Kate's interpretation. True genius as she is.
I did not know this stuff. Thank you for explaining. Might see this movie of Wuthering Heights of 1939. The book has some sentimental history with me, even before the song of Kate Bush came out.
Why are we listening to this little Talentless girl who is pretending she knows anything other than how to manipulate the yuuutuuube algorithm
I read that her inspiration for the song was based off her watching the last 10 minutes of Wuthering Heights. I watched the film from 1939 in order to have a deeper appreciation of this song.
I remember when we read Wuthering Heights in honors English class in high school in the mid 80s, and we got to listen to this song in class. I was already a KB fan, but it was still such a treat. When I saw this video on Night Flight, it blew my little Gen X mind…back in the day.
The Man with the Child in his Eyes is a must listen, she wrote that at the age of 13, more conventional but just as beautiful imo.
I agree. Not one of her best known but one of her best in my view.
And such a contrast to the theatrical use of her voice in Wuthering Heights.
And so deeply emotional! It brings me to tears sometimes.
I completely agree. I still love and hear new things in that song even though I’ve heard it again and again.
I remember reading an interview with Kate (many years ago) where she was railing against the production of her first albums and the lack of control she had. By the time the Hounds of Love album came out, she was firmly in control of her product and there was a re-release of both Wuthering Heights and Man with the Child in his Eyes with some re-working of the arrangement. I think it was an edition of Keyboard magazine,long since discarded, so i can’t check.
It's me, it's Kathy, I've come home now. I'm so cold, let me into your window, oh. Ooh, it gets dark, it gets lonely, on the other side from you. What a crushing song. Fools mock her. Genius is usually derided by those who are incapable of grasping it. Ooh, let me grab it, let me grab your soul away. Any time Kate, any time.
Wuthering Heights is one of those few songs that sounds like it was always out there, but it took a genius like Kate Bush to discover it.
Kate has a 4 octave voice, and she said on her debut album she wanted to explore her upper register. The album is full of incredible vocal gymnastics as she swoops between her low and high ranges. Most of Kate's songs are character driven (she does very few autobiographical lyrics) and she becomes the characters of her story when she performs. As you observed, she sings this song from the perspective of a ghost who comes back from the grave to haunt her one true love (Heathcliff) and Kate chose to sing it very high to add to its ghostly eeriness. Kate is an iconic artistic genius, and has been a pioneer for women in the music industry for over 4 decades. Kate often records in one-takes. To compare this to her mature voice, I highly recommend that you check out "A Coral Room" (from her 2005 album Aerial) or "Among Angels" (form her 2011 album 50 Words For Snow). Both are predominately just Kate and her piano, and were both recorded in one take (and both absolutely beautiful). She even starts out on the wrong note in "Among Angels." You can hear her stop and say "no," and begin again. Her friends persuaded her to not edit it and keep the mistake in, to add to the emotion.
I second a listen to A Coral Room. It’s easily one of her most beautiful songs.
Aerial is the one album I would choose to have if I was stranded on a deserted island
Aerial is such a great album and a double one at that!
Your comment is lovely.
@@ab.collage
Good choice
I think I’d pick The Dreaming
As a 19 year old in 1978 I knew this would be a hit from the first few notes, it was so incredibly different from anything I had ever heard.
I was 5 when this was first out...loved it then and still do..
I was 5, 6 near Christmas on the year this song came out. I loved it then and most of her music that followed. I still love her music.
Tough climate with peak Punk.
I agree. I was 17 and this song caught the attention of me and all my friends. And we were metal/prog rock fans! Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, which was out at about the same time as I remember, was similar.
As a few months old in 1978, the year of my birth, I didn't imagine that a few years later I would love this song so much.
I'm 45 today now and nothing has changed. Amazing song
I was 12 when this English Fairy suddenly hit the charts. You can not imagine how incredible this was, it was something we never heared before. Pure magic. When I got like seven years older, she was already doing Running Up That Hill and Cloudbusting, and I bought the compilation album The Whole Story. Then I got into her music, bought the first five albums and loved her ever since. Because there is only one Kate Bush.
David Gilmour saw it right, this is magical.
She not only sings, she writes everything, played piano and later on keyboards and synths, she became a producer. She truly made herself. A little later the world opened for a new group of female vocalists, like Sinead o'Connor, Dalbello, Björk, Tori Amos, etc...
By the way, on The Whole Story she took this song and removed her original voice and sang it again, with more technique, depth, a more mature voice... the original young magic was not there anymore but instead you hear how she intended it to be but knew she wasn't yet able to do it at first. It is deeper, superior and equally haunting.
I was about 11 or 12 when The Kick Inside came out. I won it! It is still my favourite record of all time.
All one take and no bleeding auto tune. I was turned onto Kate Bush in the early 80's with the Running up the Hill album while I was studying music in college. I fell instantly in love with her music and her videos. I love the dance and stories she tells and he very unique voice. I truly wish she had taken off in the states like did in the UK, but she only had a couple hits here. She's the best and deserves being discovered again.
It was reported she said she didn't like flying and wasn't really into performing her music live, preferring to be in the studio. Kate was, and still is, very private and didn't want the exposure (still doesn't) Here in the UK Kate is never in the newspapers and never attends award ceremonies etc. The only time we get any news about her is when she has new music coming out, which is almost as rare as hens teeth now. People didn't know she has a son until he was 18 months old !
With Peter Gabriel's 'Don't give up' you get one of the best and unique male and female voices together in a duet and it's also an amazing song.
They were married.
@@ali87107 What??? Never knew that. Instant cry song for me.
That song is how I was introduced to Kate and have been a fan ever since..
@@ali87107 I don't believe they were married. Peter has had two wives, Jill Moore and Meabh Flynn.
Tori Amos was married to Kate bush??😮
Kate Bush is an absolute genius.....Amazing
You really need to watch the official video for this song where Kate is outside in a field in a red dress. Mesmerisingly beautiful.
Totally agree ,the greatest music video ever made.
Catherine loved Heathcliff yet she was cruel to him and this drove her to hysteria and torment. At the age of 14 I roughly knew the story and when I first came across Wuthering Heights I was mesmerised and captured by Kate's interpretation
I spellbound and in awe of her originality, I could sense this must have been all of her creation because it was so original and unique, she acted and beautifully told the story of a tormented ghost. Pure majestic art all compiled at the age of 19, Wow,!!! I can't think of any female artist since, with the self made artistry to have made a similar stunning impact.
This is 1978. Tori Amos is still in high school, and hasn't released anything that Kate would have heard in England.
While Ian Bairnson played the guitar at the end, certain feels like David Gilmour inspired.
Not entirely surprising that that feel is there - Gilmour made the initial introduction to the record company and co-produced the album Wuthering Heights is on.
Yes I often think that
Kate Bush was influenced by classical music but also the progressive music at the time, especially Pink Floyd. Gilmour saw a young prodigy in Kate and wanted to get the ball rolling for her.
@iain Bratt I think the guitar sounds tubelar bells..ish but I guess that is a bit later than Wuthering Heights
@@mrg-macg4357 Tubular Bells was 1973, Wuthering Heights 1978
As a teenage lad in the late 70's / early 80's I'm not afraid to admit I had a massive crush for Kate Bush at the time (like many lads of my age). Even now when I hear her music, it always takes me back to a much simpler time.
I was late high school. We were all in love with her, even though she was so advanced and theatrical, it was intimidating...I mean she was hanging with Dave Gilmour...
What an artist Kate Bush is ... I was blown away 50 or so years ago. She finished a London concert with a performance of this, then picked up flowers on the stage before 'going wild with emotion with the audience's ... Like a child, really, with all the emotion .. Made me cry then ... & does still when I revisit a video of that !! Beautifully reviewed btw !!
Imagine getting home from school as a teenager, seeing this for the first time on Top of the Pops, and having to wait til the next morning to be able to discuss it with your friends!! Talked about it all day!! This and Bohemian Rhapsody - extraordinary landmarks!!
Also the faces on the boys when, if this record came on, all the girls would be singing along!!
After she blew up because of Stranger Things, I was very surprised to hear that not that many people in the US had heard of her, because here in Europe everyone (especially over 30) knows who she is and sings along 🙂 This song is my karaoke go to 😁 Ofcourse the choreography is mandatory when singing Wuthering Heights!
Before the internet, it was interesting being an American Kate Bush fan, and running into another American Kate Bush fan. A rare and special experience.
running up that hill and others amazing song
and this voice
@@lotusmaglite Yep. I’m from the US and was introduced to Kate early in her career and it was a shame not to find many Kate fans here then.
@Mirjam Von D - Plenty of US fans from the very beginning! Get over your Euro biases...
@@paolo-n2000 hahaha, I agree. I bought her album in the late 1970s after seeing her on Australian TV
The first many of us Brits heard this was when she performed it live on TOTPs 1978 as a 19 Yr old. This came out in the midst of punk and disco. It cannot be said enough that this performance and song was way out there and different to anything at the time. So glad she has had a resurgence of interest. Talented is an understatement
Wuthering Heights and Bohemian Rhapsody, two of the most far-out songs of the times, but original masterpieces
Only in England could this be written , performed , and be a hit.
I approve. From Germany with love 🥰
This is iconic. I remember when it was released, it was unlike anything that had gone before it, including the video. It changed music. Fabulous song and performance.
Kate Bush is playing the part the character she’s singing about, she’s an actress, dancer, singer, songwriter, director choreographer, there is no other Female artist like her & she is massively underrated.
13:03 That, "big whoosh," of air you're describing in her vocal technique is the literal definition of the verb, "wuther," i.e. the sound of the constantly blowing wind on the moors where Heathcliff's house is. It also, not coincidentally, fits well with the whirling movement she makes while singing the repeated word, "wuthering," since the word refers especially to the sound of the wind in a storm. She's illustrating the relentless dull roar of wind with her body.
Kate Bush is a genius.
P.S. 3:20 Were you maybe thinking of a spinet?
I do hope Elizabeth read your comment 🙂 👍
Oh my f#cking goodness I'VE NEVER noticed it before and you just showed it to me. Kate really does think about every little detail... what a f#cking genius. Pardon my French I'm just really amazed...
A much better analysis.
it's sad to be ridiculous and not realize it perhaps one day she will cut for ever her page !
Yes, she is mickeymousing here.
I would suggest Kate Bush is one of those rarest of things - a genuine musical genius.
Not the 'typical' musician who might be falsely labelled as such for their undeniable talent combined with years of dedication to their art, but rather someone touched with 'a divine spark' for what of a better phrase.
Not to say that she didn't work hard at her music, but the best of what she does comes from that place the rest of us don't have.
For what it's worth, Kate studied mime, movement, and interpretive dance with the great Lindsey Kemp.
André Matos, the same singer of "Fairy Tale - Shaman", did his version in the early 90's with the band Angra on the album Angels Cry. (Angra - Wuthering Heights)
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That's awesome... I see Dan Vasc also did a cover of the Angra version...
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I remember my parents mocking this when it was on TV. Both her voice and her performance. At the time it was pretty transgressive I think. The idea of the female auteur, doing her own thing, on her own terms, really riled up a lot of people. And she was so different to anything else that most people got to hear. Maybe not much has changed, but her success was glorious and groundbreaking ♥
I think a lot has changed. Nobody bats an eye at women doing their own thing these days. The difference is in the quality of the music and creativity. Most things are streamlined to be financially successful rather than creatively ambitious.
Revolutionary music will always turn a lot of people off. She was clearly a prodigy and extremely sure of herself at a young age.
Don't remember any such resistance to the song or the singer by any of the adults around me.
@@Acadia26 People did mock her craziness a bit but liked her at the same time.
I'm 62, i remember this on TOTP, it was so diferent, people just liked it, a lot of the stuff on TOTP was getting boring, a breath of fresh air, and she looked good, her album was fanstastic, and i liked her running up that hill single too.
Kate Bush also spanned a technical revolution, that she is uncredited for.
A headset.
Commonly known as the "Madonna-mic", was first conceived for Kate Bush for her first tour in 1978, so she could sing, and dance at the same time.
That prototype was a wireless guitar transmitter, that were just introduced, a shure sm57 capsule, and a wire coat hanger. Visible on the rare live videos from that era.
Madonna-mic? Should be called a Kate Bush-mic.
Her songwriting, and vocal capabilites are of course phenomenal as well. An true inspiration.
It is astounding in retrospect that Kate produced such a unique product at such a young age. She was also resolute in maintaining artistic control, not just of the music but of the whole package; the dance was as much an integral part of the performance as her voice or the melody.
I'm happy to have been around to enjoy this first time around and still have the vinyl single of Wuthering Heights I bought way back in the 70s. Her poster also decorated my locker as a trainee in the Royal Air Force (for those with long memories, the blue leotard poster!).
Love how ppl now 'discovering' one of the greatest artists the UK has ever had. She is utterly amazing. Talent off the scale.
American ppl discovering, you mean... We Europeans have enjoyed and admired her for many decades. And yes, we're SO happy for Kate!!
She was never all that big here in the States, just because she was a little different, too soft for rock radio and too strange for MOR. I was a fan ever since her appearance on Sat. Night Live in 1978.
LOL I get people now like, "Have you ever listened to Kate Bush??" And I'm like, "You mean the artist I recommended to you like 35 years ago? Yeah, welcome to the club. Better late than never."
@@lotusmaglite Like, I doubt a person that's, like, the age you, like, should be to recommend Kate 35 years ago would, like, express her/himself as you do.. Because I'm, like, that age (52 to be precise) and find your choice of words very youthful ;) That being said, I of course agree with the substance.
I just hope she gets in the Rock Hall before he musical descendant, Tori Amos does. But Kate's been nominated twice now, with little voter response. I see a " musical excellence award" in her future.
I'm an old fart. I first heard Kate Bush in 1978, when Wuthering Heights was in the charts. I didn't like it at first. I thought the vocals were weird, but it grew on me and I've been a huge fan ever since. She is a genius and people will be listening to her long after lesser artists are long forgotten.
Keep up the good work Elizabeth. I really enjoy your videos.
Same.
I remember I heard it on the radio in April 1978. Throw away everything I had in my hand and rushed to the radio within 15 seconds. Never heard anything like it.
Also an old fart made in 63
1978- Great time for music. Such variety.
I'm jealous that you're hearing it for the first time. An absolute masterpiece.
Kate Bush is fantastic, wonderful, legendary. Her Voice is so unique! Born 1970 I am a kid from the 80s and I love her music since this time. I feel thankful and honored to grow up in this in so many ways very special time! This decade was so extraordinary! 🫶🫶🫶
Kate's song " This woman's work " still gives me goosebumps, after all these years. Please, please do a video of this song next.
Me too.
Yes it is really really good.
110% agree.
When they played that in It's Always Sunny it grounded the fuck out of that episode. Totally folded the characters and pulled you away from the whole vibe of the show it was used so well.
This woman’s work brings me to tears more often then not:)
Just try to put yourself in the minds of a UK public that had only known women to sing rather trite pop songs which were all written for them. There were some who were exposed to US singer songwriting artists like Carol King and Joni Michell but uk female singer song writers were as rare as elephant eggs. And then comes Kate………………………Woah! All the norms were blown away in an instant. The songs were different, the subject matter was different and more cerebral, the delivery was different and when she finally hit the road the presentation was different, this was an artist who really changed the industry.
I know it's very stereotypical for me to point this out, but Joni is Canadian. 😆
Yep. Thats exactly what it was like.
The stuff of legends. Such a beautiful song, melody, and performance. Incredible! Never tired of it. Her soul shines through.
I'm not a singer nor can I play an instrument, just a big fan of music. That being said, I have always been amazed at how Kate Bush has such control of her voice like no other vocalist I have heard, male or female. A once in a lifetime talant.
I was a teen in the UK when this was released. It immediately caught everyone's attention. To this day, one of the most unique English speaking songs in tone and structure I have heard.
Sparks - This Town Aint Big Enough For The Both of Us would be my next pick for fairly unique British acts.
Babushka caught my teen eye and ear.
@@retrorevival1 Sparks is an American group
@@EvieDoesCZcams sure, but having them live here in London during the 70's, their biggest success here too, I will always count them as one of us, they were often called "the best British band to come out of america"
@@retrorevival1 Sparks are American though. But totally British in attitude tho b
To get a true sense of how strange & unique Kate bush was, you had to have seen her perform wuthering heights on television in 1978 as a 10 year old! It was like nothing anyone had ever seen or heard before. Like she’d descended from another planet. No one sang or danced like that. It was utterly astounding & mesmerising.
Oh, I think she was a bit more than 10 years old at the time😂😂😂😂
You need to get your facts straight there girl.
@@TheAnnestubeI think @juru245 meant She was ten when she saw it
while I think I travelled with Kate on a 88 bus in south london to westminster (or someone looking very much like her and I didnt speak !) , it was more I think the first time I heard the song on Capital Radio on a dark, cold , winter night while attempting to read for A level mocks in bed about 945 pm , Blown away then turned the radio to radio 4 and got the start of Hitch Hikers guide to the galaxy. quite simply times that could not be repeated.
There were two music videos made. The other more famous version has Kate Bush dancing outside wearing a vibrant red dress. There is an international Wuthering Heights day where many fans turn up in a red dresses as part of numerous flash mobs and dance along to the song on speakers. I absolutely just LOVE the bass playing in this song.
She's a unique talent! Singer,dancer,poetess,her style is magical and compelling
A couple of things - I don’t think you meant Tori Amos influenced Kate (clearly vice versa), it just came out that way. Also - considering this melody that is all over the place with challenging intervals - this is decades before autotune, kids! And in ONE TAKE. Whether you find the song great or not, there is no denying her immense talent.
Her skills in arranging, playing, engineering, producing… just amazing. She had a Fairlight “sampling computer” of her own - those things were prohibitively expensive and non-intuitive to program. Genius.
To be fair, her family were well off, so buying musical instruments and paying for music lessons gave her a head start. Also, because she wrote her own material from the start, the royalty cheques came rolling in straight away. But she always took an intelligent interest in music production and the recording process, and ended up building her own studio.
@War in the East 2: Tutorials " but the two are quite different. There is no possibility T A influenced Kate Bush."
It's more because Kate recorded this in 1978 when Tori was just 15. Tori did not become widely known until the 90's.
Both are absolutely excellent artists that are well worth a listen.
Is that the machine that Pink Floyd created? If that's the case it may have been given by Gilmour.
@@brandon2559 Gilmour used a Fairlight but it was invented by a couple of Australian engineers. There were only about 300 ever made. The first digital sampling computer (well, that went into production).
@@cwize Interesting. I remember reading a story online about Pink Floyd being unhappy with the low quality digital effects of the time so they created some more advanced tech. I recall it saying something about the movie industry acquiring this tech from them.
I think Kate Bush remains such an important influence not just because of her amazing voice and music, but also because she stayed so true to her singular vision.
Now I feel very old! Can't imagine anyone who hasn't experienced the early Kate Bush.
It was a proper "alien has landed" moment even back then! Love those first few albums!
Kate Bush is so magical and expressive! You get a complete stage performance with her presentations.
I know I must be twice your age, but it honestly never occurred to me that anyone, especially a professional singer, have not heard of this song. I just assumed it was ubiquitous. I was a kid when this song came out I was instantly drawn to it, as were tens of millions of other people around the world. It was so different at the time. No one of ever heard anything like it, and quite possibly not sense. It still stands on its own all these years later and I’m glad you’ve had the opportunity to enjoy it.
Impossible that anyone listening to music has not heard the classics before teenage. Speaks to the future of TikTok kids.
@@kbtred51
I think it has a lot to do with the way music is consumed these days. In the days of radio,as your primary source, you were exposed to the top ten as well as older recordings. With streaming services, you just select your songs so you aren’t exposed to anything you don’t specifically select.
It’s the best - I adored the book
As someone a similar age to her I can't believe it either. She never left the radio and that Noel Fielding dance is almost as iconic as the song
I cannot tell you what a big deal this was in the UK when released. Kate lived in Welling, Kent and was very much a 'local girl.' A fabulous, unique, talent and I agree with others, Man With The Child In His Eyes is worth a listen. Stunning woman, stunning song, still, after all these years.
I was there and concur, but would add that the dancing is pure Pans People 😉
it was only #4 decades ago. got to #1 this year.
Kate Bush was/is in a class of her own. She is a trained dancer, and her songs were as much about the performance as her amazing vocal talent. Such is her popularity, she recently performed her first concert in 37 years, and it sold out in hours..... If you want another demonstration of Kate Bush's truly incredible vocals, try "This Woman's Work"........
Absolutely amazing
Written when she was 18 years old and top of the charts when she was 19!!
Everytime I hear "Wuthering Heights" , I remember the first time I heard it 1978. I was 15 yrs old and we were prepairing lunch with my dad. When we heard her voice and the song on the radio, we looked at each other stunned and we both were like "WHAT?!? " . 😍😳❤ Having read the book couple of years earlier, the song really impressed me. I bet many people still remember the effect of this song and Kate Bush.
The first time I heard Kate Bush was when I was 12 and it immediately grabbed my attention. I thought: what the f#ck is this? Insane! Followed by: I love it!!
I was 10 when my father played this for me. I've been in love with the album ever since.
@@BenZoet - So cool! 😊 I was 8 when my then 22-year-old Brother played her 'The Kick Inside' album to the rest of our family, not long after its release, and I remember being rather weirded out by her voice, but also in a _good_ way 😄 She's been my #1 female artist for decades 😊
It gives me goosebumps reading this comment
I was 7 and it was Babooshka. One of the very first songs I remember.
Thank god I didn't see the video back then because I'd have gone nuts ^^
"Man with a child in his eyes" and "Breathing" broke me as a youngster. Truly haunting.
"This woman's work" brings me to tears every time.
@@WMFY and me, that & ‘Under the Ivy’.
Excellent choice, though there are also the Eccentric 'Babooshka' or 'Rubberband Girl', 'Hounds Of Love', 'Cloudbusting' or 'Running Up That Hill' which are all incredibly iconic and even haunting tracksin some instances just like 'Wuthering Heights'! She also wrote many many more eclectic yet iconic tracks too such as the most wonderful and oh so beautiful 'The Man With The Child In His Eyes' which was truly outstanding too! She really is a song writing genius in her own right!
@@markdermody9698 rubberband girl is severely underrated
Agreed 'Breathing' knocked me for six the first time I heard it then proceeded to do it again every time after - I could not stop playing it for about a month.
I remember this song when it first came out. It was just so different from anything else that was around or that had ever been or that has been since. I was mesmerised by it and fell in love with her singing instantly. It was actually quite divisive as people tended to either love it or hate it, but those with good taste and an open mind loved it. She has made relatively few records and each of them is so different from the others, but her songs are always intelligent and thought provoking. What's not to love? It would be interesting what you make of And Dream of Sheep.
I remember that in Italy Kate Bush was considered an incredible talent.....she was very young....a fantastic musician
The song is from the perspective of a ghost. You picked up a lot of clues about it. Your comparison with moaning Mirthle was spot on.
Also this "the haunted" dont got it !
Around the same time she sang "The Man With The Child in his Eyes". I still rate this song highly.
My favorite kb song. Such a classic
I absolutely adore that song by the wonderful, the magnificent and so talented Kate Bush, a marvel and one of my all-time fave song ever (I would say in my personal top ten :-) Think that she was hardly eighteen when she released this...insane!
So beautiful, expressive, charimatic and hypnotic! And what a unique fascinating voice!
Une merveille absolue! Je vous aime Kate, merci pour votre immense talent! ❤🌹
Wonderful analysis TCV, thanks so much! 🙏👏
Classic song and an iconic artist who is equally as strong today. You can laugh and mock Kate Bush but she is one of the few artists who has withstood time. Even when she releases an album TODAY it goes platinum. This in itself speaks volumes.
André Mattos with his band Angra recorded an excellent version of this song! I love Kate Bush too!! ❤️
Já cheguei aki pensando em comentar isso.
Tu foi mais rápido, ó grande gafanhoto.
@@joaomarcelino2836 Vale a pena ela conferir essa versão algum dia! É tão boa quanto a original!
A Elizabeth já sabe, desde a primeira reacção à Kate Bush. 🤘🤘😉😉
@@luisnunes3863 wow.
Show.
Vou procurar nos vídeos dela.
@@joaomarcelino2836 Não, espera aí, nós dissemos-lhe, a única reacção ao André é a Fairy Tale...
Kate Bush was way ahead of her time , I loved her music in the late 70s and still do today. Two more for you to listen to are Wow and The Man With a Child in His Eyes both are stunning x
Music is never way ahead of its time, music is timeless! No matter the era brother
My favorite was The Dreaming. So much depth of feeling and great arrangement. That album is like a dark atmospheric movie, so good.
They are wonderful x
No, if Kate was 'ahead of her time' then there would be similar artists approaching her quality (but there aren't) so, the 70s/80s remains 'her time'
@@TONE11111 no-one this time will make a song similar to Kate to be honest.
Cool to see you discovering the genius of Kate.
"This Woman's Work" will no doubt wipe the floor with you. That song brings me to tears every time I hear it.
Her best song.
I second this motion for the next Great Kate song!
Its a magnificent piece, it really is. Soooo expressive.
The Man With the child in his eyes by Kate is stunning
You really need to read Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontė. A truly seminal novel. The song fits the story perfectly. It has more connection with folk music than what we think of as pop. A visit to Haworth in Yorkshire, the Brontė’s home would be very informative, the way the winds blow across the moors, Kate captures all of that too. As has been mentioned here before she’s a national treasure that captures not just words but landscapes in her writing.
Witchy and haunting because Cathy (the character she is playing) is actually haunting her lover Heatcliff in the song's lyrics as well as in Emily Brontë's book "Wuthering Heights" from which this story comes from.
I think you meant Kate Bush influenced Tori Amos. She influenced so many other artists. Thank you for your videos and vocal awareness. I haven’t listened to this in so long. It is still magical
Do more Kate Bush! As a vocalist yourself, you definitely need to explore her catalogue.
Definitely, 100%! I fully agree with you on this, Bill!
I always loved Kate Bush I was 15 when I first heard this song, I had a poster of Her on My bed room wall She is a Beautiful song very private Woman they say cheers Mick Australia
Kate Bush hits a place in me that no other singer does. Her voice pacifies the soul and stirs up a well of emotion so completely that I’m exhausted after listening to any of her albums. I have to prepare myself for an emotional roller coaster before I listen to her. Her words, her song subjects, her tones, her vocal movement, her breathing, all amazing and totally believable.
Cheesy as the 80’s were, she morphed and matured into a unique talent, and moved along the decades as effortlessly as her rhythm.
Great to see you ‘discovering’ and dissecting this video. I can see how much youthful fun she was having exercising and exploring her capabilities. I hope when I shuffle along the mortal coil, I’m listening to this song😉👍🏻
Artist is an overused term lately, but Kate Bush is a true artist.
I only knew her from his duet with Peter Gabriel, "Don't Give Up", but that's a completely different style, it's amazing how he can sing!
Beautiful song & video! KB sang the backing vocals on Games without Frontiers.
It became hit material bcuz of the brilliant chorus which you won’t let unfold.
Relaxed and just listening, I can feel Kate's voice in my head. She definitely has an amazing talent
Wuthering Heights is one of the most unusual songs ever made. And Kate Bush was the first person ever to hit #1 of the British charts with a debut single written on her own.
And as an female Artist!
I think Kate Bush is a genre of unusual XD. I don't recall any song of hers that isn't lol.
If you guys think this is unusual, you should look up Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, or Tom Waits.
@@rickwilliams967 Oh, all of them are unique. But the uniqueness of their music doesn't make KB any less unique (or unusual for that matter) ;-)
@@rickwilliams967 I know those. Anyway, this is unusual.
Kate holds such a special place in my heart. I remember my friend introducing me to her music. He’s since passed away and her music always reminds me of him. She’s such a beautiful artist.
God bless you and your friend glad she has touched you with her magic ..
Kate Bush amazingly reaches very deep into the twilight zone of our childhood psyche with her songs. Don't let THEM misuse your beautiful soul, Elizabeth.
It's so wild. When you hear her interviews she's concise, adamant yet demure and never forceful. But during performances, she goes absolutely loon! I love that.
Look at her eyes. They get so wild because she is possessed. She makes music that transforms everyone, including Kate Bush.
Her music is the Jekyll/Hyde elixir!