RUNNING UP THAT HILL

'Running Up That Hill' was a hit single across Europe, and also in the USA it reached Top 30. Even today it feels so effective that, with the well-done music video accompanying the song, it simply had to make an impact back then. On one hand, it's very accessible with the ear-sticking beat and the emphasis on chorus, and on the other hand it's carefully designed art-pop with sounds that were pretty unique. Rarely the hit potential and the artistic depth are combined so perfectly in popular music.

Here's some background information (copied from Wikipedia): "Representatives at EMI were hesitant to release the song with its original title of 'A Deal with God' owing to possible negative reception because of its use of the word God. Bush relented and changed the title. However, the album version of the song is listed as 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)'. The executives of EMI initially wanted to release another song, 'Cloudbusting', as the lead single from the album. Bush successfully persuaded them to release 'Running Up That Hill' first, claiming that it was the first song written for the album, and felt that it better represented the broader feel for Hounds of Love."

As good as the main song is, I wouldn't rate the single five stars unless the B-sider wasn't a fantastic non-album song. 'Under the Ivy' is a melancholic, slightly folkish song with a ripped-down arrangement, leaving lot of space for Kate's voice to shine as beautifully as ever. Having known the song for a long time from the Hounds of Love reissue, it's among my Top Ten of Kate Bush tracks. Absolutely lovely and deeply moving -- even without really understanding the lyrical message of it.