Kate Bush’s unique interpretation of Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights’
Prior to today’s era, which more openly embraces the allure of being an outsider, Kate Bush primarily captivated a generation steeped in 1970s and ’80s sentimentality. For the younger generation, encountering Bush’s artistry was often met with confusion or, worse, dismissive reactions. Even though a revival of interest has manifested in recent times, propelled by massive arrivals like Stranger Things and the newfound popularity of ‘Running Up That Hill’, the recognition of ‘Wuthering Heights’ has been more gradual despite its status as a quintessential representation of Bush’s profound impact on the musical landscape.
In 1978, Kate Bush accomplished an astonishing feat: she attained a milestone by becoming the first woman artist to ascend to the number one position on the UK charts with her own song. This achievement was a testament to her unwavering resolve and dedication to her artistic journey, firmly establishing the relatively obscure artist as a creative dynamo within the realm of British music.
To dive deep under the skin of Bush’s esteemed ‘Wuthering Heights’, revisiting the allure of its source material reveals some interesting parallels and distinctions between each work of art. Influenced by Emily Brontë’s novel of the same name, Bush’s reimagining was no easy task. Authored in 1847 and published under her pseudonym Ellis Bell, Brontë’s literary work has attained the status of a universal cultural touchstone, one that Bush admits became difficult to capture within “such a short piece of prose”.
Although the novel’s setting lies amid the Yorkshire moors, the song transpired within the confines of a South London suburb during March of 1977. As London surged with the raw fervour and intensity of the punk movement, exuding an atmosphere of vehement discontent, Bush embarked on crafting a pop composition that would accurately depict the novel’s tone while infiltrating a profound echo across culture and entertainment. The night naturally lent itself to a magical work of art, as Bush revealed to her fan club in 1979, “There was a full moon, the curtains were open and it came quite easily”.
However, while one might envision Bush immersed in the world of aged stories for inspiration, the song’s backstory suggests otherwise. In truth, Bush didn’t delve into the book herself, rather, she stumbled upon the concluding ten minutes of the 1967 BBC mini-series adaptation. She then composed the entire song in a span of just a few hours. Yet, those concerned that the song lacks a literary connection need not worry, as it remains rife with references to the novel and its central character, Catherine ‘Cathy’ Earnshaw.
Although many have praised Bush for depicting Brontë’s world so accurately, Bush did take some liberties that set it apart from the source material. Namely, Bush shifts the narrative focus to give one of the women characters a newfound sense of perspective and agency: in her rendition, when she croons, “You had a temper, like my jealousy / too hot too greedy”, the use of “my” alludes to Cathy, while “you” addresses Heathcliff, the central figure who embodies various roles depending on your vantage point — protagonist, antagonist, antihero, or even villain.
This forms a stark departure between Bush’s lyrical exploration and the novel’s narrative structure. Within the novel, Cathy’s thoughts and emotions are never directly disclosed; she is observed and recounted through the lenses of other characters. In making this artistic decision, Bush provides a platform for a female character who, despite her magnetic aura in the novel, remains separate from the exploration of her own experiences.
This shift was something Bush became aware of before its inception, saying: “When I was a child I was always called Cathy not Kate and I just found myself able to relate to her as a character. It’s so important to put yourself in the role of the person in a song. There’s no half measures. When I sing that song I am Cathy. […] ‘Wuthering Heights’ is so important to me. It had to be the single. To me, it was the only one”.
She also discussed writing parts of the song before reading the book, adding, “I felt a particular want to write it, and had wanted to write it for quite a while. I remember my brother John talking about the story, but I couldn’t relate to it enough. So I borrowed the book and read a few pages, picking out a few lines. So I actually wrote the song before I had read the book right through. The name Cathy helped, and made it easier to project my own feelings of want for someone so much that you hate them. I could understand how Cathy felt.”
Above all, Bush didn’t want to just recreate Brontë’s story through the medium of music; she wanted to reinvent it. The ‘Wuthering Heights’ music video offers a glimpse into an artist fervently immersed in her singular creative vision. The mainstream appeal wasn’t her aim; instead, her vocals oscillate between soaring heights and resonant depths, while her dance is a fusion of pirouettes, leaps, and contortions. The visual employs an array of ethereal filters, suspended frames, chromatic lighting, layered exposures, and the misty haze of a fog machine.
The spectacle is undeniably extravagant, yet Bush is all-in; through the screen, she knows that any hint of restraint or acknowledging the camera’s presence would shatter the enchantment, reducing the entire endeavour to a mere caricature.
