Heathcliff! It's us, it's Strong Songs, we've come home!
The time has come for a deep dive into the music of the great Kate Bush, and what better song to analyze than her breakthrough 1978 hit, "Wuthering Heights." This song has it all - odd phrasing, shifting key centers, soaring vocals, character narration, an epic guitar solo, a red dress, and a celesta.
Written by: Kate Bush
Album: The Kick Inside (1978)
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
- “James and the Cold Gun” and “The Man with the Child in His Eyes” by Kate Bush from The Kick Inside, 1978
- “Sat In Your Lap” and “The Dreaming” by Kate Bush from The Dreaming, 1982
- “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush from Hounds of Love, 1985
- Richard Buskin's 2004 Sound on Sound article about the writing and recording of "Wuthering Heights" - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-kate-bush-wuthering-heights
- The 1886 remake/remix of "Wuthering Heights"
- Kate Bush's iconic Red Dress music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW3gKKiTvjs
- Noel Fielding's incredible live reenactment of the Red Dress video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du4uH1fC9B8
- A demonstration of the bell tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhStPnEcXrk
- “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky from The Nutcracker Suite, 1892 performed by the Vienna Philharmonic, 1999
- “Starman” by David Bowie from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972
- “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra from Out of the Blue, 1977
Correction 3/23/21: The glissando in the intro/post-chorus is now correctly identified as being played on a bell tree, rather than a glockenspiel or the celesta.
OUTRO SOLOIST: Charles McNeal
Charles McNeal is a killin' Oakland-based sax player who plays all over the bay area. He's also a master jazz transcriber, and has chronicled tons of great solos. You can find him playing out in a variety of bands and settings; the best way to keep up with his music is to subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram @charlesonsax2 - https://www.instagram.com/charlesonsax2
--------------------
March 2021 Whole-Note Patrons
Christopher Miller - Tim Byrne - Allison Clift-Jennings - Patrick Funston - Jamie White - Johanna L. Branson - Thomas König - Angus McKimm - Christopher Kupski - Christopher McConnell - Joshua Jarvis - Rick Klaras - Niko - Laurie Acreman - Ken Hirsh - Jez - Jenness Gardner - Simon Cammell - Guinevere Boostrom - Narelle Horn - Nathaniel Bauernfeind - Bill Rosinger - Anne Britt - David Zahm - Erin - Aidan Coughlan - Jeanneret - Manning Family Four - Matt Butler - Doug Paton - Robert Paul - R Watson - Viki Dun - Christer Lindqvist - Sami Samhuri - Craig J. Covell - AccessViolation - Ryan Torvik - Merlin Mann - Fraser - Glenn - Caleb Rotach - Andre Bremer - Mark Schechter - Dave Florey - Dan Apczynski
March 2021 Half-Note Patrons
Bernard Khoo - Andrew Shpall - Robert Heuer - Matthew Golden - Brian Meldrum - David Noah - Ben Hunt - Geraldine Butler - Richard Cambier - Madeleine Mader - Andy Smith - Will Reddell - Fernando Rodriguez - Timothy Dougherty - Jason Pratt - John Hargis - Stewart Oak - Caroline Miller - Abbie Berg - Sam Norton - Nicole Schleicher - Doug Belew - Dermot Crowley - Achint Srivastava - Ryan Rairigh - Michael Berman - Stephen Matthews - Bridget Lyons - Melody Valdez - Olivia Bishop - Jeremy Schwartz - John Gisselquist - Elaine Martin - Belinda Mcgrath-Steer - Eoin de Burca - Kevin Potter - M Shane Borders - Pete Simm - Shawn McCarthy - Dallas Hockley - Jana J - Terron Ishihara - Jason Gerry - Rich Roskopf - Melissa Gallo - Nathan Gouwens - Will Dwyer - Alethea Lee - Lauren Reay - Eric Prestemon - Erika L Austin - Cookies250 - Damian Brady - Angela Livingstone - Jeffrey C. Yarnell - David Friedman - Phillip Dalton - Christopher Cudnoski - Sarah Sulan - Diane Hughes - Kenneth Tiong - Jo Sutherland - David Catlett - Joe Laska - Michael Casner - Michael York - Barb Courtney - Derek Bender - Jen Small - Don Hutchison - Lowell Meyer - Etele Illes - Jeff Almond - Stephen Tsoneff - Lorenz Schwarz - Becca Sample - Wen - Jack Sjogren - Aparajit Raghavan - Benedict Pennington - Geoff Golden - Robyn Fraser - Alexander Geddes - Pascal Rueger - Randy Souza - JC - Brendan Jubb - Clare Holberton - Jake Tinsley - Diane Turner - Tom Coleman - Judy Chapple - Stuart Terry - Mark Perry - Malory - Dhu Wik - Mel - Eric Helm - Jake Roberts - Briony Leo - Bill Fuller - Jonathan Daniels - Steven Maron - Michael Flaherty - Jarrod Schindler - Zoe Little - Albukitty - Caro Field - Judith Stansfield - Michael Bochner - Duncan - Dave Sharpe - Brant Brantphillip - Markus Koester - David Cushman - Alexander - Jeremy Dawson - Gavin Doig - Sam Fenn - Tanner Morton - AJ Schuster - Jennifer Bush - David Stroud - Amanda Furlotti - Andrew Baker - Brooke Wilford - Cyrus N. White - Chris Brown - Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua - Matt Gaskell - Jules Bailey - Eero Wahlstedt - Bill Thornton - Brian Amoebas - Brett Douville - Jeffrey Olson - Matt Betzel - Mueller - Nate from Kalamazoo - Melanie Stivers - Richard Toller - Alexander Polson - John and Sharon Stenglein - Tom Lauer - Earl Lozada - Jon O’Keefe - Justin McElroy - Arjun Sharma - James Johnson - Andrew Lee - Kevin Morrell - Tom Clewer - Kevin Pennyfeather - Nicholas Schechter - Justin Liew
----LINKS-----
💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!
Patreon | One-Time Donation
🏠 HOMEPAGE
👚 MERCH
💬 DISCORD SERVER
📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER
🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS
🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC
📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA:
Instagram | Bluesky
🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG:
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music
🎨 SHOW ART:
Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics