Gemini Rising

1980's Sounds - Kate Bush

Written for:

FORUM

The Soundtrack of Your Life  (18+) Every February, you're invited to chronicle the music that has influenced your life! #1970896 by Jeff

#12 - 1980's Sounds - Kate Bush

Kate Bush blew my mind. I first heard Kate Bush on MTV. It was her video, "Running up that Hill." I thought the video had amazing artistry for the time and her voice was something I'd never heard before. It was higher, more vibrant, yet in control.

Why did she want to make a deal with God and swap places? I puzzled about that for quite a time. Introspective lyrics - solid word play - left me curious about her music and expression.

Ultimately, I never figured out what Running up that Hill was about until years later - I had to think of it in terms of empathy and then the resonance went deeper.

Needless to say, I bought the cassette and listened to it often, trying to figure Kate Bush out. This was right before I entered the Army. When I was in training, I didn't listen to music. Who had the time to listen to music? I was busy doing push ups! I think I remember George Thorogood's song "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," playing a lot in training.

But Kate was there. Waiting for me.

In DEC 86 I was sent to Germany and assigned to the 583rd ORD Company in Handorf, Germany. The major city was Munster. There were 10,000 British soldiers and 200 American. And every 6 months we'd go on a field exercise with our British units.

I blew them away with my love of Kate Bush. (I didn't know you Americans listened to Kate Bush!) They blew away by having real rations and eggs and not MREs!

In 1989, I picked up Kate's "The Sensual World." I absolutely LOVE 2 songs from that album - "The Sensual World" and "Love and Anger." Those two songs really tapped into my emotions at the time (I had a couple of dates and was tapping into my femininity) and because of that have resonated throughout the years. Kate's put out a lot of music in her career and I haven't gotten all her albums. I think the last album I picked up was "The Red Shoes." I love these albums for their creativity and expression.

Recently, Kate's song, "Running up that Hill," hit the music charts again because of the show "Stranger Things." I'll be honest, I haven't had time to watch that show (maybe when I retire!) BUT it says a lot that Kate's song has hit the music charts 40 years after it's debut. That's amazing music. Kate's earned her spot in my Soundtrack.

RUNNING UP THAT HILL
Kate Bush