Time Machine Tuesday - Kate Bush

Kate Bush with ivy in her hair.

It was 1978 when an unknown eccentric teenager’s tribute to a Charlotte Bronte novel knocked Abba’s Take a Chance On Me from its number one place in the charts. Her name was Kate Bush. Many people thought that the wiley, windy moors of Wuthering Heights was merely a novelty one hit wonder but they could not have been more wrong. Subsequently, the song spent four weeks at number one, launching Bush’s career as one of the most imaginative musical acts in history. Her squealing, high-pitched voice was too much for some. But for many, Bush effortlessly blurred the line between art and music.

It has been just over 40 years since Bush exploded onto the music scene with her unforgettable debut single, seemingly from nowhere. She was born into a musical family; her mother was an amateur traditional Irish dancer and her father was an amateur pianist. When she was just 16, Bush was discovered by Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour and signed to EMI. It was evident from the beginning that she was unique; a child prodigy. By the time she was signed, she already written a large collection of songs. Her first album The Kick Inside was released in January 1978, when she was just 19.

In her incredible career, Bush has released a total of ten albums. In 1980, when her third album Never for Ever was released, Bush began self-producing her work. This album was met with critical acclaim, and included Breathing, which is one of Bush's favourite songs that she's ever produced.

With every new release, it became clear that Bush danced to the beat of her own drum. By her fourth album, The Dreaming, she had studied the art of mime and dance. This helped her to produce a collection of pioneering music videos that illustrated the storytelling in her songs perfectly. Bush cemented her reputation as a musical heavyweight with the 1986’s album Hounds of Love, which was voted as Bush's best album by NME. The album included the hit Running Up That Hill. It was this music video where Bush showcased her newly refined dance skills.

Despite her beguiling stage presence, Bush had only toured once during her prolific career. This was true until the the Before the Dawn tour in 2014, which was universally praised by both fans and critics, along with her most recent studio album, 2011's 50 Words For Snow, only her second of new material since 1992, demonstrated that this most innovative of artists had lost none of her unique lyrical, musical and conceptual powers.

In the years since her absence from the music industry, Bush’s legacy has been preserved by the influencing of many artists including Annie Lennox, Tupac Shakur and Stevie Nicks. The influence of artists from around the globe, transcending cultures, makes her one of the most influential pop artists in history. How many artists can boast influencing both American rappers and Scottish singers? English rapper Tricky wrote an article about The Kick Inside, saying: "Her music has always sounded like dreamland to me […] I don't believe in God, but if I did, her music would be my bible.”

Listen to the best of Kate Bush here on Spotify.