Pick a Day

Kate Bush Is Born

Kate Bush is born in Bexleyheath, Kent, England. At 19, she releases her debut single, "Wuthering Heights," which goes to #1 in the UK.

When "Wuthering Heights" hits radio in 1978, listeners are intrigued by the trilling voice recounting the tragic romance of Emily Bronte's famous lovers Heathcliff and Cathy. The music video reveals the source – a young English girl dancing in the countryside, singing about a ghost. That girl is Kate Bush, EMI's latest acquisition. The label connected with the teen through David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, who helped her put together a professional demo that showed off her distinct vocals and poetic songwriting – skills that come together on her debut album, The Kick Inside. When Bush embarks on her Tour of Life in 1979, her lush collection of art-pop songs, including "The Man With The Child In His Eyes" and "Them Heavy People," are brought to life by the theatricality of her stage performances. Like her unusual voice, her graceful interpretive dancing makes her a unique figure among the rigid punk-rock acts and disco dancers of the '70s. Bush continues to be an innovator in the '80s, unwittingly setting the standard for the sound of the decade. With the release of her first #1 album, Never For Ever (1980), the singer begins her love affair with the new Fairlight sampler, a digital synthesizer that allows her to experiment with different sounds. The album, featuring the politically charged hits "Breathing" and "Army Dreamers," is the first commercial album to utilize the device, which soon becomes ubiquitous with her pop contemporaries. After co-producing Never For Ever Bush is confident in taking the reins as sole producer on her next album, The Dreaming. Not only is it a milestone in her career, but it's a groundbreaking move for a female artist to seize control and produce her own albums in the male-dominated music industry. The Dreaming is a highly experimental release that confounds critics with its eccentric soundscape full of dense textures and howling voices – such as the frenetic single "Sat In Your Lap." It's widely panned as being too bizarre but still manages a #3 entry on the album chart. Her followup, Hounds Of Love, leans more toward commercial pop and brings her back into the critics' good graces. It yields one of her most popular hits: "Running Up That Hill." Bush closes out the '80s with The Sensual World, a #2 hit album that includes "Deeper Understanding," a prescient warning about the power of technology, and "This Woman's Work," a heartwrencher from the film She's Having A Baby. When critics aren't holding court on the popworthiness of Bush's albums, they're noting her aversion to the limelight. A notoriously private person, Bush rarely gives interviews and takes breaks when she needs them. After the release of her 1993 album, The Red Shoes, she goes on a 12-year recording hiatus and is branded a recluse. But, as usual, the singer proves she knows what's best for her career. When she re-emerges in 2005, it's with another Top 5 album: Aerial. In the 21st century, Kate Bush is regarded as a feminist icon whose shrewd career choices changed the shape of pop and paved the way for female powerhouses like Madonna and Beyonce. But for Bush, it was never about gender. She tells The Fader in 2016: "When I'm working creatively, I don't really think of myself of writing as a woman. I just think of writing as me, as a person."

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