FEATURE:
Company in Blue
IN THIS PHOTO: Halsey replicating a 1981 photo of Kate Bush shot by Clive Arrowsmith
Amazing Artists and Actors Going Deep with Kate Bush
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THIS is a bonus Kate Bush feature…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1981/PHOTO CREDIT: Clive Arrowsmith
and one that has been inspired by some very cool and amazing artists and actors who have not only mentioned Kate Bush. They have done so in a way that goes beyond Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Hounds of Love, Wuthering Heights or anything obvious. One of my gripes is how little Kate Bush has resonated with younger generations. Maybe one or two songs. There does not to be the same sort of penetration and acknowledgment as one would hope. Maybe it depends on the groups of people you hang around. Those who I know in their twenties and thirties might vaguely know who she is - or maybe not at all. I hope that this improves and there is more in the way of awareness! If radio stations are singular and Bush’s music is not heard on ‘younger’ stations, then it can mean that it is hard to spread her incredible legacy. Maybe people know Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) but do not venture beyond it. I can’t assume that is what everyone does, though I get the feeling there is not the curiosity of Kate Bush you would want. Perhaps a lack of new music means that she is going to struggle to pick up new fans. However, in the public eye, there are some amazing people who are going deeper with Kate Bush and talking about her music. I got a nice surprise on Wednesday (9th October) when I saw a photo of U.S. artist Halsey posing and copying a photo of Kate Bush from 1981. She is replicating a series of photos that feature amazing artists. She also has posed as PJ Harvey. This post is tied to Halsey’s new single, I Never Loved You. Taken from the forthcoming The Great Impersonator this is an album you will want to check out:
“Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Behold the marvel of a century! Witness the uncanny ability of a woman who can become anyone, anything your heart desires. Friend, lover, foe. She transforms before your very eyes, her voice and visage a reflection of your deepest dreams and darkest fears but beware, for she is not just a master of disguise but a spirit of transformation, slipping between the cracks of reality. One moment a beloved friend, the next a shadowy nightmare. She is the queen of the uncanny, the mistress of metamorphosis. Beware of the great impersonator!"
— Halsey, The Great Impersonator synopsis”.
The single, I Never Loved You, is inspired by the unique and brilliant Kate Bush. I was not aware Halsey was a fan. I think there are so many other artists of Halsey’s generation who are fans of Bush. Not only her more obvious work. Those that have explored her catalogue. It is wonderful Halsey has this tribute to Kate Bush in musical form. Also, that photo that she recreated. One could forgive her for casting herself in the Hounds of Love cover shot. Maybe even something from 1978 or 1979. Most people do not really know what Kate Bush was up to in 1981. A year after her third studio album, Never for Ever, Bush was working on The Dreaming and there was this period of exploration, evolution and change. Her music about to become more experimental, denser and stranger. Also more accomplished and ambitious. There are not a great deal of photos of Kate Bush from 1981. Two of her most iconic shots were taken by Clive Arrowsmith. This photo of Bush wrapped in ivy and looking amazing is one of the best shots ever taken off her. The one Halsey recreated where she is bathed in this blue backdrop and her hair looks incredible is one of my favourite photos. Before moving on, here is Arrowsmith discussing working with Kate Bush:
“Hearst Magazines had asked me to take a cover photograph for their new magazine Company. Kate was very definitely the woman of the moment at that time and her career was going from strength to strength all over the world. I had been very excited to meet her and had been listening to her music the evening before. Kate was very easy to work with and a calm silence pervaded her while we all worked. When you are shooting portraits you have to take people as you find them in that moment, so I did try and reflect the wistful and ethereal feeling I got from her. I sent the stylist out to get strong theatrical gauze, in different colours, while Kate’s make-up was being done, and I asked for some strands of ivy. After hair and make-up, the stylist helped me by arranging the shape of the blue gauze which I wanted to surround her face. I set up a blue light behind her, to surround her in blue and to enhance the blue gauze, which contrasted with the red of her lips and her hazel eyes. After the blue image my team and I hung the ivy from a boom over her head. I directed the hairdresser from my camera viewfinder to refine the ivy strand arrangement. I asked Kate to hold the pose and we got the shot. Kate is a totally genuine musical artist and these images also capture that very serious aspect of her talent”.
A great deep dive from Halsey. Knowing that the photo existed and choosing to pay tribute to her for a promotional shot. Bringing Kate Bush to life through a new song. I think it will not only introduce her music to new people and widen the discussion about this international treasure. It is also nice that an artist like Halsey is opening people’s eyes to Kate Bush’s amazing photography. Photos of her. From periods they might not know about. I think American artists and those in the public eye there have especially responded to this new wave of affection for Kate Bush. We can look back to Stranger Things catapulting Bush into the consciousness again when Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) was featured and subsequently reached number one. Now, hopefully, artists like Halsey are keeping that momentum going. Recognising the incredible genius of Bush! Nod to artists in the U.K. and Ireland like CMAT and The Last Dinner Party who have recently covered Kate Bush songs – Wuthering Heights (from 1978’s The Kick Inside) and Army Dreamers (from 1980’s Never for Ever) respectively. An actor you might recognise from the hit show, The Bear, has also been extolling the virtues of Kate Bush’s lesser-known work. The phenomenal Ayo Edebiri plays Sydney Adamu. The Boston-born actor has also appeared in films like Bottoms and Inside Out 2. She is a major talent and someone who loves Kate Bush. Edebiri has just turned twenty-nine. Halsey recently turned thirty. Those who were born after The Red Shoes came out in 1993. Their first exposure to Kate Bush might have been close to the release of 2005’s Aerial. Compared to fans like me who were born in the 1980s, their path is different.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
I am interested especially in an interview from April where Ayo Edebiri was in conversation with artist Mosey Sumney. Among other topics, Kate Bush entered the fray. Someone shouting out an icon when she can, full respect to Ayo Edebiri! This exchange is what caught the eye:
“SUMNEY: But I’m curious to know if you have the desire to do music stuff.
EDEBIRI: I don’t not have the desire. If there’s something where it felt right, that’d be cool. I’ve always had a little slight dream of—do you know the Kate Bush song, “Why Should I Love You?”
SUMNEY: I don’t know that one.
EDEBIRI: Okay. It’s a song that Prince and her made together. I’ll send you the demo. It’s my favorite thing ever”.
I love how obscure and rare that song choice is. One of the lesser cuts from The Red Shoes, this is someone else nodding to a period in Kate Bush’s career that does not get a lot of attention. Why Should I Love You? The demo sort of suggests what the song could have been. Something more sparse and beautiful. The album version is overloaded. Here is a bit of information and background to an underrated cut from The Red Shoes:
“Bush asked Prince to contribute background vocals to ‘Why Should I Love You’ in 1991. She sent him the track, which she had recorded at Abbey Road Studios (Studio Number One), London, England, and Prince added vocals, but also added many instrumental parts to the song, at his Paisley Park Studios. When Kate Bush and Del Palmer listened to Prince’s returned track, they weren’t sure what to do with it. They worked on it on and off for two years to try to “turn it back into a Kate Bush song”. The track also features background vocals by British comedian Lenny Henry, a good friend of Kate’s”
This is not the only Kate Bush song that Ayo Edebiri has mentioned. She is a true fan. In fact, when she and the cast of The Bear were interviewed for Vanity Fair, Edebiri raised an interesting question for the cast to answer. Her answer was in fact pretty fascinating. As this article explains, a Kate Bush classic is a karaoke go-to for Edebiri:
“The cast of The Bear — Jeremy Allen White (Carmy), Ayo Edebiri (Syd), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie), Abby Elliot (Natalie), Lionel Boyce (Marcus), Liza Colon-Zayas (Tina), Matty Matheson (Fak #1), and Ricky Staffieri (Fak #2) — sat down with Vanity Fair for a video to see how well they know each other.
One question Ayo posed to her co-stars was: what’s my go-to karaoke song? After Moss-Bachrach jokingly suggested it was either the overture of Oscar-winning masterpiece Drive My Car or the theme from Dune: Part Two, both of which would bring the house down, Staffieri guessed “Believe” by Cher. Nope. It also wasn’t anything by Celine Dion, though Edebiri has been known to belt out “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now.” The actual answer: “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush or “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt”.
@vanityfair Don't you dare forget #AyoEdebiri's go-to karaoake song. Watch the cast of #TheBear test how well they know each other. #jeremyallenwhite #dune ♬ original sound - Vanity Fair
I have used Halsey and Ayo Edebiri as two examples as a fair few artists, actors, authors and those in the public sphere who are talking about Kate Bush. It is a slow and promising movement, though I think it will lead to a few things. We will see more younger listeners investigating Kate Bush and going beyond the obvious. Broadening their mind and imagination. I think word will come back to Kate Bush. Indications that her brilliance is being recognised by a new generation. Maybe the realisation that there is such love and respect for her music. I also think this will continue. More and more people covering Kate Bush. Saluting great photos, mentioning her in interviews or merely saying how awesome she is! All of this will combine and, let’s hope, lead Kate Bush to engage with fans in 2025. Maybe give us a taste of something new. Even if it is not original music. I love Halsey recording a song inspired by Kate Bush. Her doing her version of an iconic Clive Arrowsmith photo. Ayo Edebiri vibing from a deep cut from The Red Shoes. One that asks why should I love you? When it comes to the divine Kate Bush, that answer is…
PRETTY obvious!