This Kate Bush Song Captivated Stevie Nicks But She Never Dared to Cover It

In 2011, Stevie Nicks opened up about 10 of her all-time favorite songs during an interview with BBC 2 Radio, while promoting her seventh solo album, In Your Dreams. One of the first songs Nicks called out was the Eagles‘ 1972 hit “Witchy Woman,” which she said was an influence for her and Lindsey Buckingham when they were starting out.

“The Eagles were very inspirational to both Lindsey and I because we loved their singing, and we loved their ability to bridge country and rock and roll so beautifully,” said Nicks. “I thought ‘Witchy Woman’ was just the perfect mix of country and rock and roll. And so we were very inspired by that, Lindsey and I.”

Also rounding out Nicks’ 10 favorite songs was Dan Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne,” Pat Benatar’s “Love Is A Battlefield,” Jackson Browne, “Somebody’s Baby,” Chicago’s “Hard Habit To Break,” and the Beach Boys’ 1973 Holland track, “Sail On, Sailor.”

Nicks also mentioned friend and collaborator Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1985 hit “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” along with two more contemporary picks: Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” and Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River.”

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[RELATED: The Meaning Behind Kate Bush’s 1985 Classic “Running Up That Hill”]

‘Hounds of Love’

Also on Nicks’ list was Kate Bush‘s 1985 classic, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God).” Released on Bush’s 1985 album Hounds of Love, “Running Up That Hill” peaked at No. 3 in the UK and No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was first released and was resurrected nearly four decades later after being featured on an episode of Stranger Things, pulling it back onto the charts at No. 23 in the U.S. and No. 4 on the Rock chart.

Bush wrote the song about two people who are in love, and how the power of love is almost bigger than them. “It leaves them very insecure and in fear of losing each other,” said Bush of the meaning of the song in a 1985 interview. “It’s also perhaps talking about some fundamental differences between men and women.” 

“She’s kind of like a ninja. She was tough, and yet she was a beautiful dancer.”

Stevie Nicks

Originally titled “A Deal With God,” the lyrics also hover around how a man and a woman might view their relationship if they were given the chance to trade places by God.

“I was trying to say that a man and a woman, can’t understand each other because we are a man and a woman, and if we could actually swap each other’s roles, if we could actually be in each other’s place for a while, I think we’d both be very surprised,” said Bush. “And I think it would be lead to a greater understanding, really the only way I could think it could be done was either … a deal with the devil. And I thought, ‘Well, no, why not a deal with God,’ because in a way it’s so much more powerful, the whole idea of asking God to make a deal with you.”

“She’s kind of like a ninja.”

It was Bush’s earlier theatrical hit that always captivated Nicks. “That song I really loved because, what a great writer she is, and ‘Running Up That Hill’ was one of those songs that, when I first heard it, I went, ‘Oh, I wanna record that song someday,’” said Nicks. “As writers, we do that whenever a song comes on the radio that we love, we say, ‘Oh, I wanna record it and reinterpret it.’”

Though it’s been covered more than 200 times (Placebo, Meg Myers, and Car Seat Headrest, among others), since its release, Nicks said she never dared record “Running Up That Hill” herself.

“Every once in a while, we do it, but you finally smarten up and go, ‘I can’t really do that song better than Kate Bush did, so I’m not gonna do it.’ Because if you can’t outdo her, then don’t bother”.

The multitalented Bush, who started writing as a teen and recorded her debut album, The Kick Inside—produced by David Gilmour—at 16, captivated Nicks, not just because she was a female songwriter, but because of her versatility. Along with singing and writing, Bush was a multi-instrumentalist, produced or co-produced the majority of her albums, and choreographed, danced in, and directed her music videos.

“I just really loved her because she was a woman songwriter, and she was really standing out from the fray—a real serious writer who could compare with any of the guys,” Nicks said. “And then you’d see her in her videos; she’s kind of like a ninja. So she was tough, and yet she was a beautiful dancer. And she wrote beautiful songs. She wrote interesting, on-the-edge songs. As a writer, I really respected her because of that.”

Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images