MINOR SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!
So you have just finished watching the awesome new season of Stranger Things and seen how the power of Kate Bush can save you from a creepy dream demon intent on murdering you very violently.
Now you probably have ‘Running Up That Hill‘ on repeat just like Max does and are mere seconds from raiding your parent’s cd collection or falling into a Spotify rabbit hole trying to find your next Kate Bush fix. Well fear not – we are here to help.
It turns out all of us here at Lace ‘Em Up are pretty big Kate Bush fans and are more than happy to share some of our own personal favorites for you to check out (especially with the super awesome 80’s music videos for each song) and keep in handy for the next time Vecna tries to add you to his collection.
#1. Babooshka
This is such a fun song that you will not be able to help yourself dancing to. Despite being named after the Russian word for Grandmother, this song is actually about a woman sending her husband notes posing as another woman, signing off as Babooshka, to test him and of course, only makes things worse.
The song tells the story from start to finish with the eccentricity that only Kate Bush can do and with an incredibly catchy chorus to boot, you are going to be humming this to yourself for a while after hearing it.
#2. Wuthering Heights
The song that started it all. Her first track that she released at just the age of 19 and based on the classic gothic romance novel of the same name. Kate Bush manages to add a slightly more happy feel to this very melancholic story whilst offering a different character’s perspective to the story… also it has a very out there music video that set the stage for all that was to come later!
#3. This Woman’s Work
Despite being used in NSPCC ads to raise awareness about child neglect here in the UK, this absolute tear jerker of a song was actually written about becoming a parent and the fears that come with childbirth, but what makes this song so beautiful is that is from the husband’s perspective looking at how amazing his wife is at this very moment.
Nothing more really needs to be said other than it’s a wonderfully stripped-back song with a beautiful music video. It perfect sense as to why since its release in 1988, It has become one of Kate Bush’s most recognizable songs.
#4. Hounds Of Love
Ok, now for a fun upbeat song to bring the mood back up… and nothing says upbeat like the fear of falling in love. Kate Bush compared the feeling to being chased by hounds and gifts us the next 3 minutes of quirky fun.
Bonus Fact: Kate Bush Actually Directed the Music Video for this one.
#5. The Dreaming
Whilst she has produced some wonderful music about different kinds of emotions, Kate Bush has also lent her songwriting abilities to tackle political and other important issues. ‘The Dreaming’s about the destruction of Aboriginal Australians’ traditional lands by British corporations in their quest for weapons-grade Uranium in the 1950s.
Whilst some of the guest artists are now very controversial, at the time, the inclusion of high profile Australian musicians of the early 80’s really helped shed light on this terrible incident
#6. The Man with the Child In His Eyes
Another wonderful song from the early days. Kate Bush originally wrote this song at the unbelievable age of 13 and had the lucky experience of having David Gilmour of Pink Floyd help produce the song.
The song tells of a relationship between a young girl and an older man. She sees him as an all-consuming figure; he’s wise yet retains a certain innocent quality. He’s a very real character to the girl, but nobody else knows if he really exists.
Kate wrote the song because of a quality she saw in most of the men that she knew, how they are all little boys inside, and how wonderful it is that they managed to retain this magic.
#7. Cloudbusting
The ‘Hounds Of Love’ album brings us another cracking song.
Taking inspiration from the 1973 Peter Reich memoir A Book of Dreams, the song is about the very close relationship between psychiatrist and philosopher Wilhelm Reich and his young son, Peter, told from the point of view of the mature Peter. It describes the boy’s memories of his life with Reich on their family farm, called Orgonon, where the two spent time “cloudbusting”, a rain-making process that involved using a machine designed and built by Reich – called a cloudbuster – to point at the sky.
The lyrics further describe the elder Reich’s abrupt arrest and imprisonment, the pain of loss the young Peter felt, and his helplessness at being unable to protect his father.
#8. The Red Shoes
Kate Bush takes inspiration from the past again for this song, this time she wrote a song based on the classic 1948 film ‘The Red Shoes’, Which was adapted from a Hans Christian Anderson story. The song is about a girl who puts on a pair of enchanted ballet slippers and can’t stop dancing until she breaks the spell.
It’s such a fun song that perfectly captures the “be careful what you wish for” message and the spooky video showcasing Kate’s theatricality.
#9. Rocket Man
Yes, you read that right, we’re talking about an Elton John song on a Kate Bush list!
It takes a lot of guts to take such an iconic song and add your own Twist(Check out William Shatner’s spoken version of this song to see what I mean). And yet Kate approaches this one with her own style and changes the tempo and meaning behind the song.
Whilst we all love Elton’s original version ( I mean…who doesn’t?), this version easily is up there with Sinead O’Conner’s ‘Nothing Compares To You’ cover of the Prince, The Family, original. I can’t think of a better way to showcase Kate’s musical abilities than recommending this absolute tune!
#10. Rubberband Girl
Last but by no means least, we highly recommend this funky little number that will have you thinking of classic David Bowie songs like ‘ Let’s Dance!’. There is no hidden message with this one, Kate simply wants you to go with the flow.
The best part about this song is that there are four different versions of ‘Rubberband Girl’: the album version (which was also the single version) and an extended version, both released in September. A year later, a ‘U.S. remix’, credited to American DJ Eric Kupper, appeared as an extra track on the single release of And So Is Love. And in 2011, a re-recording of Rubberband Girl appeared on Bush’s album Director’s Cut. So you have so many different ways to enjoy this wonderful song.
Well we hope you enjoy checking these tunes out because the world always needs more Kate Bush. With how great ‘Running Up That Hill’ is doing in the charts, let’s see what other great tunes of hers we can get back up in the charts!
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