The Kate Bush song inspired by J. Robert Oppenheimer
With her songwriting, Kate Bush attempted to tackle challenging subjects that most artists would run a mile from discussing. The complexities of the human character have always appealed to Bush, and she was inspired by the tale of J. Robert Oppenheimer long before film director Christopher Nolan.
Oppenheimer played a vital role in the Manhattan Project and was responsible for creating the first atomic bomb. Following his invention, the nuclear bomb was used during combat in Hiroshima and Nagasaki against Japan, leading to over 200,000 deaths, according to estimates. While some may believe Oppenheimer was merely doing a job he was ordered to do, the reality is that his actions cost an unthinkable amount of lives.
Despite all of the positive actions Oppenheimer attempted to enact during the later years of his life, the damage was done, and his name remains impossible to disassociate from the Manhattan Project. Although it was only a small part of his scientific career, the consequences of his actions can still be felt today.
On Bush’s song ‘Heads We’re Dancing’, the protagonist is charmed at a party by a man who has everything one could desire. However, shortly after the festivities end, she learns of his identity and discovers he’s Adolf Hitler.
The singer-songwriter explained to NME in 1989: “It was all started by a family friend, years ago, who’d been to dinner and sat next to this guy who was really fascinating, so charming. They sat all night chatting and joking. And next day, he found out it was Oppenheimer. And this friend was horrified because he really despised what the guy stood for. I understood the reaction, but I felt a bit sorry for Oppenheimer.”
“But I was so intrigued by this idea of my friend being so taken by this person until they knew who they were, and then it completely changed their attitude. So I was thinking, what if you met the Devil? The Ultimate One: charming, elegant, well-spoken,” she continued.
Bush concluded: “Then a couple of days later, she sees in the paper that it was Hitler. Complete horror: she was that close, perhaps could’ve changed history. Hitler was very attractive to women because he was such a powerful figure, yet such an evil guy. I’d hate to feel I was glorifying the situation, but I do know that whereas in a piece of film, it would be quite acceptable.”
As Bush explained, the track could be accused of “glorifying the situation” regarding Hitler and Oppenheimer, but it forces the listener to think about the nature of humanity. Admittedly, the use of Hitler is taking the idea to the extreme. However, for the most part, people don’t fall into binary categories of good or evil and are complex individuals who can’t be defined by one word alone.
Listen to ‘Heads We’re Dancing’ below.
