On February 17, 1978, Kate Bush released her debut album, The Kick Inside. It featured the songs “Oh To Be In Love,” “Kite,” and her No. 1 U.K. hit, “Wuthering Heights,” among other great tracks. She stood out for her imaginative lyrics and imagery, as well as for her unique vocal style. The Kick Inside heralded the coming of Bush’s spectacular talent.
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“Wuthering Heights,” in particular, was a hit then and remains a hit today. It remained at the top of the U.K. singles chart for four weeks, and was the first song performed and written by a female artist to hit No. 1 on the chart.
Interestingly, “Wuthering Heights” wasn’t initially inspired by the novel by Emily Bronte. Instead, Kate Bush based the song on a television movie adaptation of the book. According to an early interview Bush did at the time for the BBC program Ask Aspel, she later read the book to “get the research right.”
Bush gained other chart positions with songs from The Kick Inside. “The Man With the Child in His Eyes” reached No. 6 on the U.K. charts, while “Moving” hit No. 1 in Japan. Additionally, she broke onto the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. when “The Man With the Child in His Eyes” peaked at No. 85. However, she wouldn’t appear on the U.S. chart again until 1985. With all the successes that Kate Bush has had—not only from The Kick Inside but from her subsequent releases—only one song has spawned a reoccurring global festival.
The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever
“Wuthering Heights” captured attention immediately. It’s hailed for its intricate, literary storytelling, captivating vocal performance, and unique use of movement in the music video. It captured so much attention, that in 2016 The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever was proposed. It occurred in 16 locations around the world.
The event was based on the 2013 Shambush’s The Ultimate Kate Bush Experience, which was held in Brighton, U.K. It was initially part of the arts collective Brighton Fringe. The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is specific to “Wuthering Heights,” however. Fans gather all over the world to dress like Kate Bush and recreate the “Wuthering Heights” music video.
The largest Wuthering Heights Day event was held in 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. According to a report from Australian publication The Age, more than 3,700 people gathered at Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne to recreate the music video. Fans dressed up in the iconic red dress and tights combination, wearing dark wigs to emulate Bush.
To this day, The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is still being held globally. In 2024, it occurred in multiple cities in Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, the U.K., the U.S., and Croatia. This year, an event is set for Copenhagen, Denmark on July 26, and one in Lindenhurst, New York, although a date has not been set yet.
Featured Image by Angelo Deligio\Mondadori via Getty Images
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