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From: nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Running Up That Hill video
Message-ID: <5354@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Sep-85 11:52:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.5354
Posted: Sat Sep 21 11:52:28 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 07:47:02 EDT
References: <1728@pyuxd.UUCP>
Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 102

[So, how many people are going to flame at me for answering this?]

> From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen)

> Seconds ago, I just saw Kate Bush in the video for "Running Up That Hill"
> for the second time.  (It's sort of growing on me.)  Mind you, each of the
> two times I saw a completely different video.

> The first time was on MTV a few days ago, and I was very very
> unimpressed....

Actually, I like what they are showing on MTV a lot.  It's not nearly as
good as Kate's real promo video, but it is still quite fascinating.  I
will explain a bit more later in this article.

What MTV is showing is actually a clip from a live performance of the
song (though no one is really playing their instruments or singing) from
the Terry Wogan show.  There is only so much one can do live, which is
why this video is not nearly as good as the real video.

> The second time (just now) was on a local video music channel (U-68,
> WWHT, in the NYC area) which has played a lot of alternative video
> (last night I saw Nico!).

They show Nico?!?!  Wow!  I'm impressed.

> This video was more a lyrical dance video, in which Bush and a male
> dancer embraced and flailed about (she was often trying to outstretch
> to exceed his ability to grasp her), followed by Bush trapped in a
> corridor trying to break out of a group of clones of some sort.

> I assume the MTV version is the "acceptable" Americanized version for
> banal American markets.  Is the other the original British video?

The one with the dancing and the clones is Kate's real promo video.  For
some reason EMI-America didn't like it.  Did they think it is too
erotic?  It isn't really.  I can imagine them saying that about the
video for "Hammer Horror" (which is *very* *very* erotic), but not
"Running Up That Hill".  They probably thought it was too "artsy-fartsy"
with the modern ballet, etc.

So EMI-America put together the clip from the Terry Wogan show, and at
one point wasn't going to release the original video at all.  Eventually
they decided to release both and let the TV stations decide for
themselves which one to show.  Of course MTV went for the "safe" one.

Here are my descriptions and opinions of the videos:

Both videos are excellent, though Kate's promo video just totally blows
away the clip from the Terry Wogan show that MTV is showing.  It's the
best video I've ever seen!  Even better than Peter Gabriel's "Shock The
Monkey" and "I Don't Remember" (which were my previous favorites).  I
can *now* say that Kate's ability to make videos has finally caught up
with her ability to make music!

The clip from the Terry Wogan show starts off with a guy saying
something like "And here's Kate Bush!"  Then there's clapping, and the
guy fades to a shot of two flags.  Then we see military drums, and then
the camera zooms out to reveal the whole stage.  Kate is standing at a
podium, wearing a cloak and an archery bow.  Behind her are a small and
strange marching band standing in a semi-circle.  There are two drummers
with military drums.  There are two guitarists.  There is Kate's
brother, Paddy, with a balalaika, and there is a guy with a Yamaha KX
keyboard that he's wearing with a shoulder strap.  Behind the marching
band are two guys holding flags.

Kate does not dance at all in this performance (it's one of the very few
where she does not).  Instead she stands at the podium and gestures with
her arms and with her head as if she is a preacher in a church,
preaching to a large congregation, as she sings about making a deal with
God.  As the performance goes on, the podium gets shorter and shorter
until Kate is kneeling at the podium, and looks like a Bible thumping
Baptist minister kneeling in front of his congregation.

At the end of the song, Kate removes her bow and pulls an arrow from
Paddy's quiver.  She loads the bow, draws, and aims it at the sky (At
heaven?  At God?  At the "killer storm"?)

The original promo video is largely a work of modern ballet that Kate
choreographed and performed with a male dancer.  It is completely
wonderful.  Both Kate and the male dancer are dressed exactly the same,
in blue-grey shirts and strange blue-grey skirts.  Parts of the dance
seem to symbolize being scared of love, which is the theme of the A-side
of "Hounds of Love".  At one point in the dance, Kate and the male
dancer become symbolically crucified on each other.  There is also mimed
archery.  Later, a croud of people all dressed like Kate and wearing
masks of the male dancer's face separate Kate and the male dancer.
Later Kate struggles through and tries to climb over the same croud, but
this time they are wearing masks with *her* face.  Eventually, she seems
to drown in the croud of Kate Bush's -- symbolizing how we are forever
trapped within ourselves.

		"It breaks the cage, fear escapes and takes possession
		 Just like a croud rioting inside"

		 Doug Alan
		  Nessus@MIT-Eddie.MIT.EDU (or ARPA, UUCP)


P.S.  The album "Hounds of Love" is now available on CD, record, and
cassette at better record stores!  Can you find the hidden KT logo on
this one?