FEATURE:
Kate Bush: The Whole Story
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz
Spotlighting a Very Special Fan Interaction
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LOOKING at a post that appeared…
on social media relating to a time Kate Bush went the extra mile with a fan makes me want to revisit her connection with those who love her music. I wrote about this recently, but I wanted to focus on this one particular interaction. I think there were times early in her career, in 1978, when fans would ask for a photo and she would send one that might be considered risqué. Not a deliberate thing, it was just the promotional photos that were being taken. It does not really happen today, as social media makes it impossible. Major artists especially have huge followings and they cannot realistically respond to all comments and requests. I can only imagine how busy the DMs are for artists on Instagram. Many have teams that handle that and people who can filter out things. It must also be a minefield, as they get so many nasty comments too. I do not envy the life of an artist now. Kate Bush herself is not on social media, and she would not get anything else done if all she did was respond to comments and messages. However, she was a woman in demand back in 1978. After the release of Wuthering Heights in January 1978 and the international success that accrued, there was of course a lot of fascination and appreciation. People who had never heard of her listening to this song and being struck. I feel she would have received a lot of letters on w weekly basis. Not able to respond to every one, she did send quite a few replies to fans. Appearing at the odd fan club meeting and convention. Someone who wanted to show her appreciate to those who support her. However, there is something about a response to a fan who loved Wuthering Heights but did not know what the lyrics were.
Of course, this is pre-Internet and a time when the only way you could learn about lyrics and what they were was having a good ear! It must have been quite frustrating getting this sort of information. Perhaps thinking it was a long shot, what strikes me about this Twitter post is how other people responded saying Kate Bush replied to them. I am not sure whether we could go back to the days when people write to artists and there is a fan club. How practical would it be?! However, a fan wrote a lovely letter that presumingly went along the lines of saying they were a fan of loved Wuthering Heights and please could I have the lyrics? Delightful and a bonus for a teenage fan, though in retrospect she might have gone with something else! I any case, this must have touched her, as someone was genuinely invested in the words and wanted to know what they were. A lot of the press in 1978 ridiculed Kate Bush or felt her weird and a short-term artists. Fans were different. They were the ones who were truly dedicated and understood her. Bush would have got a load of letters like this, and she took the time out to reply to the fan. The fan was named David. It is a crying shame that David auctioned off his letter. No huge or true fan would let go of anything this precious! Auctioned it in 2014, when Kate Bush’s Before the Dawn residency began, it does seem opportunistic and foolhardy. However, maybe he had no sentimental tie or love of that letter all those years later. Far Out Magazine wrote in 2020 how David spoke about his experience and writing to Kate Bush:
“Speaking to Huffington Post when putting the letter up for auction in 2014, David wrote: “In 1978 I was 14 years old when Kate Bush released ‘Wuthering Heights’. At the time, the song was the most extraordinary thing I had ever heard and I was utterly mesmerised by her performance when she appeared on Top of the Pops”
“I was in love with the song so I wrote to EMI Records for the lyrics,” he continued. “Much to my amazement a few weeks later I received a reply from the lady herself. She had not only hand written all the lyrics for me, but also included a letter and a signed photograph of herself – an image that, at the time, was this teenage boy’s dream and made me the envy of all my friends!”.
If someone else does have it, then they must appreciate the magnitude and significance. What Bush says in her reply. How she was “thrilled” to get that letter and how it is no trouble to provide the lyrics – and, sweetly, she writes how it certainly won’t cost him anything (David cutely asking if he would need to pay!). David, in his letter, wrote that he read Wuthering Heights. Kate Bush didn’t when she was first inspired to write the song, so maybe he was affected by someone writing a song about a book particular to him. I would have loved to have seen David’s original letter, as you have to piece together what he wrote. Bush wished him luck in everything he does and said ‘God Bless’ and included three kisses. A very special and warm letter. This young artist, who was already under the wheels of endless media attention and interviews, making sure that this loyal young fan got to see the words to this unique chart-topping single. It raises the question as to whether you can write to artists now. I would love to write to Kate Bush, though it is almost impossible to send it to her management and get it read by her. I can appreciate how many people would do that, and it would not be something she’d like. However, for projects and requests about professional engagement, it does seem like this big hurdle you need to jump over to get to her! In a weird way, it was easier to connect with something in 1978 – before computers and the Internet – than it does in this technological age; where anyone can write a comment about an artist in mere seconds. The photo of the lyrics that Bush wrote is a little blurry, but you can make it out. Beautifully written, she divides it by verses and chorus. What is must notable about Kate Bush’s response letter is where she was sending it from. Not at Wickham Farm (her family home) or 44 Wickham Lane (where she moved to), this letter has the letterhead of the Hotel Interconnectional in Paris. And Kate Bush including a photo taken by Gerd Mankowitz where you can see her nipples! A bonus for a teenage fan, though you wonder if it was the wisest choice and whether Bush should have sent a different shot!
I wonder if this is the InterContinental Paris Le Grand, which faces the Place de l'Opéra? Maybe she was on a break in Paris and the letter was forwarded. For The Tour of Life in 1979, Bush did perform at the Theatre Des Champs Elysees Paris on 6th May. I wonder if she was booked at the Hotel Intercontinental for that date and was reading through some fan mail. This would date the communication to about sixteen months since Wuthering Heights came out. It is plausible. The single reached number fourteen in France, though the album it is from, The Kick Inside, went to number three. She had this clear and big fanbase in France. Perhaps Kate Bush remembers writing that letter, though she must have had quite a few letters she responded to. People coming out and sharing memories of Kate Bush writing back to them. Lucky David in this case, though many others around the world did get a letter or signed photo from Kate Bush. She does sign things now, but I am curious when was the last time she wrote a letter to someone. A dizzying time for Kate Bush, a lot of 1978 and 1979 was exhausting for her. She could easily have sent a signed photo and slip to say she was busy but thanks for the letter. Instead, she sat down in her Paris hotel room and wrote out the lyrics to Wuthering Heights. Wherever that response was going – not sure if David was U.K.-based or not -, David would have been beaming when he opened that letter! No doubt framing it or keeping it somewhere special, it would be sad if he gave it away or auctioned it. One of my dreams, aside from interviewing Kate Bush, is to get a letter from her. I know she has sent emails to some fans but the days of her writing fans probably ended decades ago. Recalling that time in 1979 (?) when she answered David’s letter showed how amazing she is! That personal connection and relatability. Treasuring her fans and being so friendly, few artists took the time to reply to their fan mail like that. A big reason why Kate Bush is…
SO special.