FEATURE:
“Do You Want to Feel How it Feels?”
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)
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WHEN I think about one of Kate Bush’s…
most-famous songs, there are things that baffle me. The title is one thing that is a point of contention. It was originally to be called A Deal with God, but a number of countries refused to play the song because of the word ‘God’ in the title, even though there is nothing blasphemous or disrespectful in the title or track! This article from Far Out Magazine explains more:
“Bush also revealed that while the title is more widely known as ‘Running Up That Hill’ that’s not how she thinks of it. She said, “You see, for me it is still called “Deal With God”, that was its title. But we were told that if we kept this title that it would not be played in any of the religious countries, Italy wouldn’t play it, France wouldn’t play it, and Australia wouldn’t play it! Ireland wouldn’t play it, and that generally we might get it blacked purely because it had God in the title”.
It is a bit weird that the title is, now, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), when the original title worked better and is actually very positive and would not offend anyone. Released on 5th August, 1985, this iconic track is almost thirty-five, and I have never really looked inside it at all. I shall dive into the track in a bit, but I think the fact Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) – or ‘Running Up That Hill’ – did not hit the top spot is really strange!
Many people assume the single went to number-one, but it reached number-three in the U.K. To be fair, Madonna’s Into the Groove was number-one when Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) – I am going to refer to the song as such throughout – was released. The song also reached number-three in Germany, four in Ireland, and thirty in the U.S. Chart positions aren’t everything, but I wonder whether Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) would have reached the top of the charts if it was released earlier or later in 1985. The fact that Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was successful (to an extent) in the U.S. was a big push forward, as Bush’s singles and albums weren’t always well-received there before that. Also, the terrific Under the Ivy was the B-side to Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) in the U.K., and I am surprised Under the Ivy didn’t make the Hounds of Love album – the record was so strong that a song as monumental as Under the Ivy was a B-side! In terms of its birth, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was written during a summer’s evening in 1983. I was born in May 1983, and I think it is kind of cool that one of Kate Bush’s best songs were written just after/around the time I was born. I can just picture Bush sitting looking across the countryside (she moved from London to the country after 1982’s The Dreaming) and coming up with this magical and positive song.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Griffin
Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was the first song recorded for Hounds of Love, and there is a great mix of natural instrumentation and the Fairlight CMI – which was playing a much bigger role in Bush’s work, and it was hugely important during The Dreaming’s recording. Recorded between 4th November and 6th December, 1983, Stuart Elliott added his drum parts in accordance with a predetermined and pre-programmed part; Alan Murphy provided guitar, whilst Paddy Bush spliced in some balalaika, to give the song a scent and taste of the more unconventional. The music video featured Bush performing an interpretive dance with dancer Michael Hervieu. The video was directed by David Garfath. Bush and Hervieu are shown wearing grey Japanese hakama. I love the video, and it remains one of her most memorable and affecting pieces. Though I am a huge fan of Bush’s work pre-Hounds of Love, I cannot deny the importance and quality of her 1985 opus – the album celebrates thirty-five years on 16th September. When it comes to the story of Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), this article reveals more information (as Kate Bush explains the lyrics’ meaning):
“I was trying to say that, really, a man and a woman, can't understand each other because we are a man and a woman. And if we could actually swap each others roles, if we could actually be in each others place for a while, I think we'd both be very surprised! [Laughs] And I think it would be lead to a greater understanding. And really the only way I could think it could be done was either... you know, I thought a deal with the devil, you know.
And I thought, "well, no, why not a deal with God!" You know, because in a way it's so much more powerful the whole idea of asking God to make a deal with you. You see, for me it is still called "A Deal With God", that was its title. But we were told that if we kept this title that it wouldn't be played in any of the religious countries, Italy wouldn't play it, France wouldn't play it, and Australia wouldn't play it! Ireland wouldn't play it, and that generally we might get it blacked purely because it had "God" in the title. Now, I couldn't believe this, this seemed completely ridiculous to me and the title was such a part of the song's entity. I just couldn't understand it. But none the less, although I was very unhappy about it, I felt unless I compromised that I was going to be cutting my own throat, you know, I'd just spent two, three years making an album and we weren't gonna get this record played on the radio, if I was stubborn. So I felt I had to be grown up about this, so we changed it to 'Running Up That Hill'. But it's always something I've regretted doing, I must say. And normally I always regret any compromises that I make. (Richard Skinner, 'Classic Albums interview: Hounds Of Love. Radio 1 (UK), aired 26 January 1992)”.
When you see polls of the best Kate Bush songs and moments, inevitably Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) appears at the top or very near. You can tell that, in this period – 1983-1985 -, Bush was at her most content and inspired. There is so much to love about Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). The composition is powerful, driving, yet it has romance and tenderness. Bush’s voice was deeper and less acrobatic on Hounds of Love (except for a few songs) than on albums like The Kick Inside, and Lionheart (both from 1978), and there is so much emotion, depth and beauty in her delivery. I think it is the lyrics, like so many of her songs, that are the most potent. That idea of lovers switching places to better understand one another had not been explored in Pop in quite the same way – I don’t think it really has since 1985! The fact that everyone from Tori Amos, First Aid Kit, and Patrick Wolf have covered the song shows how it resonates with different people through the years. Placebo famously covered the song (as Running Up That Hill) in 2003, and I can see many more artists tackling the song in years to come. Although Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) is not thirty-five for a little while, I wanted to get in ahead and shine a light on one of Kate Bush’s finest moments. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) is a song that is widely played to this day – perhaps in favour of many other of her songs that warrant a spin -, and you can see why it is so enduring and loved. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) is a slice of genius from…
PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
ONE of the greatest songwriters in full flight.