Written by Kearin Green
At the very beginning of the first lockdown in April 2020, I was scrolling through my Twitter feed when a video caught my attention. It was old and grainy footage which mentioned Kate Bush; a name I had seen floating around for a while, but I had no idea who this mythical creature was. I opened the video, a 1980 live television performance of her hit song Babooksha. I had never seen anything like it. I had seen pop stars from my childhood performing, and my family had shown me videos of iconic singers from their youth, but Kate Bush was on a completely different level. Not because she was doing more than the others, but because she was doing exactly what she wanted- and knew it would make her a massive success.
Two years on, I can still say fondly that Kate Bush is one of my favourite artists. I remain captivated by her artistry, genius and personality. She started out when there was absolutely nobody like her, and if you think about it, there still isn’t. And, of course, I just love her music. It’s absolutely brilliant.
Kate Bush, via katebush.com
Kate is a special artist for me for many reasons. In all honesty, one of these was that not many people around me knew about her, but I still made my love for her and her music quite public to the people around me. The Dreaming was the first vinyl I bought; for my mock English Creative Writing paper in school, I wrote about a robot which broke every time it heard Breathing because it just couldn’t cope (all my English teacher had to comment was ‘too long’); Sunset helped me through some of my roughest periods; the donkey noises she makes at the end of Get Out of My House made me cry; and, just to make you cringe, my favourite song on Hounds of Love isn’t even Running Up that Hill, It’s Cloudbursting.
When I used to play Running Up That Hill with friends, there was always at least one person who would say “oh I think my mum likes this song” which would make me feel 200 years old, but in a sophisticated way. In June 2022, before I could even blink my obnoxious little eyes, this 37-year-old mega alternative-pop classic was number one in the US charts. My reaction: what the actual fuck?
I can’t deny that I felt slightly exposed when this all happened. But when I saw that Kate Bush was number one in every chart, of course, I was excited! I’ve felt connected to Running Up That Hill for quite a while now: I used to turn the song up in my car when I was driving home from my shitty gap year job and belt out to Kate’s harmonies as loudly as I could. The song is special.
I wouldn’t call myself a loyal Stranger Things fan. Have I watched every season because it’s fun? Yeah, I have. Do I remember a single thing that has happened in it? Absolutely not. And if anything, I wouldn’t have guessed it would be the show which gave Kate Bush a platform, when the majority of her fans had accepted the fact that Kate was in her ‘1 out of 5 people think I’m dead but I’m actually in my early sixties and live in Oxford’ era. However, I finally got around to watching the infamous scene- Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill saving Max’s life from Vecna- and it was gorgeous. I would have never expected something so beautiful to occur in a show like Stranger Things. With the addition of orchestral strings in the background, I’ll admit: I actually teared up.
I do truly believe that Kate Bush and her music are magical. The Max scene only proved me right. I want to say something stupid now, like go run up your own hill, but I don’t think I’d ever be able to forgive myself. Instead, I’ll recommend that if you’re a fan of Kate Bush, to check out Tori Amos and Fiona Apple.
Stay slaying, Kate’s Bushes.
About The Author: Kearin Green (she/her)
Hi, I’m Kearin and I am the magazine’s Welfare Officer! I am a second year Film Production student and am currently committed to using our support platform to give mental health a louder voice at our university. I also write about cinema, political issues, humour pieces and whatever comes to mind.
(This piece was edited by Amber Turner-Brightman)