Wuthering Heights

‘Wuthering Heights’ is a song written by Kate Bush, released as her debut single in January 1978 and subsequently included in her debut album The Kick Inside [album]") . She wrote the song after seeing the last ten minutes of the 1967 BBC mini-series based on the book ‘Wuthering Heights’, written by Emily Brontë. Reportedly, she wrote the song within the space of just a few hours late at night. The actual date of writing is estimated to be March 5, 1977. The song was recorded with Andrew Powell producing. According to him, the vocal performance was done in one take, “a complete perfomance” with no overdubs. “There was no compiling,” engineer Kelly said. “We started the mix at around midnight and Kate was there the whole time, encouraging us… we got on with the job and finished at about five or six that morning.” The guitar solo that fades away with the track in the outro was recorded by Edinburgh musician Ian Bairnson , a session guitarist. Originally, record company EMI’s Bob Mercer had chosen another track, James And The Cold Gun as the lead single, but Kate Bush was determined that ‘Wuthering Heights’ would be her first release. She won out eventually in a surprising show of determination for a young musician against a major record company, and this would not be the only time she took a stand against them to control her career. The release date for the single was initially scheduled to be 4 November 1977. However, Bush was unhappy with the picture being used for the single’s cover and insisted it be replaced. Some copies of the single had already been sent out to radio stations, but EMI relented and put back the single’s launch until the New Year. Ultimately, this proved to be a wise choice, as the earlier release would have had to compete with Wings’ latest release, ‘Mull of Kintyre’, which became the biggest-selling single in UK history up to this point in December 1977. ‘Wuthering Heights’ was released as a 7” single worldwide. The B-side featured the song Kite . In the UK, there were two versions: in a custom EMI record company sleeve as well as a picture bag, featuring the ‘Kite’ design. This design was also used on several international releases. Other versions of the sleeve used photographs from a session with Gered Mankowitz . There are two versions of ‘Wuthering Heights’. The album version remains the best known version, but there is also an edited version of 3 minutes and 44 seconds, fading out earlier than the album version, which was released on the first version of the 7″ single. Kate re-recorded ‘Wuthering Heights’ for the compilation album ‘The Whole Story’ in 1986. It was released as ‘Wuthering Heights (New Vocal)’. This version was used for an advertisement for the ‘Ô’ perfume by Lancôme in 1991. The music magazines in 1978 had different reactions to Kate’s debut single. Record Mirror described the song as ‘B-o-r-i-n-g’. Others were a bit more positive. Kate is a complete newcomer, is 19, was first unearthed by David Gilmour, and has spent time with mime coach to the stars Lindsay Kemp… the theatre influence comes through strongly from the cover… to every aspect of Kate’s song. The orchestration is ornate and densely packed, but never overflows its banks, Kate’s extraordinary vocals skating in and out, over and above. Reference points are tricky, but possibly a cross between Linda Lewis and MacBeth’s three withes is closest. She turns the famous examination text by Emily Brontë into glorious soap opera trauma. Out on the wiley, windy moors We’d roll and fall in green. You had a temper like my jealousy: Too hot, too greedy. How could you leave me, When I needed to possess you? I hated you. I loved you, too. Bad dreams in the night. They told me I was going to lose the fight, Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff, it’s me–Cathy. Come home. I’m so cold! Let me in-a-your window. Heathcliff, it’s me–Cathy. Come home. I’m so cold! Let me in-a-your window. Ooh, it gets da