Kate Bush
Kate Bush
What’s the music theory behind the Kate Bush classic that the whole world is talking about? We dive into the themes, melody and harmony of this enduring masterpiece of pop.
There’s an outstanding harmonic sequence at the very top of the UK pop charts right now, and we’d like to explain why.
This week ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)’ by Kate Bush topped the charts, 37 years after it was first released. The renewed fever for the August 1985 hit comes from its prominence in the Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things.
There’s a quality array of classical music in the new season – Verdi, Tchaikovsky and Bach all sit alongside Bush in Stranger Things Season 4.
Anything that can top the charts 37 years after release indicates some considerable musical magic.
Read more: Epic Kate Bush cover turns ‘Running Up That Hill’ into a virtuosic piano fantasia
Bush wrote and produced ‘Running Up that Hill’ for her 1985 album Hounds of Love. The instrumentation consists of guitar, bass, drums, a Russian string instrument called a balalaika, and an epic array of 1980s synthesisers, played by Bush herself.
What is the meaning of ‘Running Up that Hill’?
‘Running Up that Hill’ explores the idea of making a deal with God in order to swap lives with another person and fully understand their emotions and experiences.
Bush talked about the theme of the song in 1985. She explained how it’s about a relationship between a man and a woman. Though they are in love, they are experiencing emotional differences and insecurities.
“If they could make a deal with God, to change places, that they’d understand what it’s like to be the other person and perhaps it would clear up misunderstandings,” Bush said.
The song’s mood is passionate and pleading. There’s uncertainty and a longing for that emotional resolution – Bush does some very interesting things harmonically that also bring these themes into the music for the listener.
The music theory of Bush’s ‘Running Up that Hill’
We’re in C minor – the classic key of Beethoven angst – and a slightly unusual key for a pop song. There’s a driving drum beat from the beginning, which almost feels like a drone. Those glorious 80s synths (Fairlight CMIs) ring out short, descending phrases with a minor key feel. This is the song’s hook: B♭, G, C.
The song has two verses and the chorus, that is preceded by a pre-chorus section. At the climax of the song, you hear a bridge, before three repetitions of the chorus and an outro or coda section.
The vocal line is based on the C natural minor scale, which gives the melodies a modal, slightly bluesy feel. Bush’s vocal lines often focus on the B♭, or the minor seventh of the scale. To a listener’s ear, a minor seventh note always feels it’s leading somewhere, about to resolve. This brings a lingering harmonic tension and instability within the driving C minor of the bass and synths.
Bush’s vocals in the verses are quite declamatory, almost like a sung spoken word or recitative. The pre-chorus sections are then contrasting: the words ‘you, you and me’ feature melismatic singing (this is when a phrase where many notes is sung to the vowel of one word). Bush’s vocals don’t employ much of a dynamic range in this song, so this contrast in word-setting really stands out.
Tension, instability, subtle contrasts – a listener might feel these aspects of the harmony and melody support the themes of the song we were talking about earlier.
The harmonic sequence of the chorus
When we hit the chorus, this is where (we think) the absolute magic happens.
Over the chord sequence A♭, B♭ and C minor Bush sings the lyric ‘And if I only could; I’d make a deal with God; And I’d get him to swap our places.’ This is an unusual chord progression for a chorus, and really highlights the minor-feel to the song.
But we just love how Bush’s vocal line adds even more. On the word ‘could’, Bush lands on a G, or the major seventh of A♭ major. This is a note of real tension. This dissonance is accented further by the longer length of the note (what is called an agogic accent), and the slight rhythmic anticipation of it
Kate Bush has explained why she still prefers the original title for her hit song, “Running Up That Hill”, in a rare interview to celebrate it achieving No 1 in the UK charts.
The track began climbing the charts after it was played on a recent episode of hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, prompting it to trend across viral videos on Tiktok.
It then made history as the song with the longest journey to No1, achieving the feat 37 years after it was originally released in 1985.
In an interview with Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Kate Bush said: “The thought of all these really young people hearing the song for the first time and discovering it is, well, I think it’s very special.”
“I thought that the track would get some attention. But I just never imagined that it would be anything like this. It’s so exciting. But it’s quite shocking really, isn’t it? I mean, the whole world’s gone mad.” she continued.
Barnett suggested that the musician might feel “wedded” to the original song titles because “there are all your creations”.
“Well, yes and no,” Bush said. “Some of them have had very strange titles that you kind of have a working title that you quickly forget. But yeah, I think for me, this is still called ‘A Deal With God’.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Bush told Barnett that she liked the way “Running Up That Hill” was used as character Max’s favourite song: “What a lovely way for the song to be used in such a positive way…I think it’s very touching, actually.”
You can listen to Woman’s Hour on weekdays at 10am on BBC Radio 4, or on the BBC Sounds App.
Get your free daily horoscope from Russel Grant
“The world has gone mad” - Kate Bush gives rare interview about her recent revival
RECLUSIVE pop icon Kate Bush has reacted to the extraordinary recent success of her 1985 smash hit single Running Up That Hill by declaring: "The world has gone mad".
0Comment sectionShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on PinterestCopy link
Kate Bush
Bush gave a rare interview to BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour this week (Image: Trevor Leighton/PA )
Love Glastonbury? From tickets to headliners, sign up for latest updates from Worthy Farm
Enter your email address here
SUBSCRIBE
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Almost 40 years after the song reached number three in the charts, it has had even greater success thanks to a modern audience who heard it for the first time on a recent episode of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.
Post a Comment