Released in April 1994 as the fourth single from her album of the same name, Kate Bush’s title track stands as one of her most kinetic and emotionally charged explorations of artistic obsession. Written, produced, and performed by Bush herself, the song draws its inspiration from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 film “The Red Shoes”—a cinematic classic rooted in the darker edges of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. In Bush’s retelling, the cursed ballet slippers become a metaphor for creative possession, the point at which devotion slips into delirium.
Bush explained in a 1993 interview with Melody Maker that the song began with rhythm rather than story. The propulsive beat suggested imagery of “horses, something that was running forward,” which evolved into the vision of enchanted dancing shoes—objects with a will of their own. Her goal, she said, was to evoke “delirium… something circular and hypnotic,” and the track achieves exactly that. Its insistent pulse and swirling arrangement create a sense of motion without escape, mirroring the protagonist’s unstoppable dance.
The accompanying music video, featuring actress Miranda Richardson as the enigmatic figure who bestows the cursed shoes, intertwines song and myth with Bush’s signature theatricality. The clip became part of Bush’s short musical film “The Line, The Cross & The Curve”, an ambitious visual companion to the album that debuted at the London Film Festival in 1993. Though its release suffered from delayed promotion—reaching U.S. audiences slowly—it eventually earned a Grammy nomination for Best Long Form Music Video in 1996.
The Red Shoes album marked a pivotal period in Bush’s career. It would be her final studio release before a self-imposed 12-year hiatus, shaped by personal challenges including the death of her mother and the end of her long relationship with bassist and engineer Del Palmer. The record’s digital production—a then-modern choice—later became a point of regret for Bush, who felt it lent the songs a cold, “hard-edged” quality. She revisited several tracks, including “The Red Shoes,” for her 2011 “Director’s Cut album”, recording them anew with warmer analog equipment.
KATE BUSH - THIS WOMAN’S WORK
Released: November 20, 1989
Charts: UK: #25
“This Woman’s Work” it’s a Kate Bush’s song originally written for the climax of John Hughes’s 1988 film “She’s Having a Baby”. Although the track later appeared on Bush’s 1989 album “The Sensual World”, its origins lie firmly within the cinematic moment it was created to underscore. Released as the album’s second single, it reached No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
Bush wrote it specifically for a pivotal sequence in the film in which Jake (Kevin Bacon) waits helplessly in a hospital as complications threaten the lives of his wife Kristy (Elizabeth McGovern) and their unborn child. As he sits in anguish, the film cuts between the sterile waiting room and flashbacks of the couple’s happier days—moments of love, intimacy, and everyday life now cast in a painful new light. Bush composed the song directly to the visuals, writing from the man’s perspective as he confronts guilt, fear, responsibility, and the possibility of devastating loss.
Tarquin Gotch, the film’s music supervisor, later revealed that the temporary soundtrack for the scene was This Mortal Coil’s cover of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren,” but when rights couldn’t be secured, John Hughes approached Bush—who created an entirely new piece that ultimately became inseparable from the film’s emotional core.
While written from a male perspective, “This Woman’s Work” is fundamentally about the terror and vulnerability of moments when life hangs in the balance. It captures the helplessness of watching someone you love suffer while being unable to intervene. Its quiet, aching vocal delivery and minimal arrangement heighten the emotional intensity, turning a specific film moment into a universal meditation on fear, regret, and devotion.
The music video, directed by Bush herself, expands the narrative in a parallel story. It opens with Bush alone in a blackened room, illuminated by a single spotlight as she plays the song’s opening notes on a piano. The scene then shifts to a man (Tim McInnerny) pacing anxiously in a hospital waiting room. Through fragmented flashbacks and blurred memories, the viewer sees his wife (played by Bush) collapse during dinner, the frantic drive to the hospital, and his frantic pursuit through the corridors as she is taken away on a stretcher. While he waits for news, dread overwhelms him, and he imagines worst-case scenarios—including a silent vision of the nurse telling him she has died. The final moment brings him back to reality as the nurse gently reassures him offscreen before the video closes with Bush quietly covering the piano keyboard.
25.11.25
THE STYLE COUNCIL – LONG HOT SUMMER
Publicada: 8 d’agost de 1983
Llistes: Regne Unit: #3
Paul Weller va dissoldre The Jam a finals de 1982; de manera abrupta, neta i en el punt més alt de l’èxit del grup. Aquesta decisió va deixar molts fans desconcertats. No hi va haver cap col·lapse darrere l’escenari, ni cap ensorrament artístic, ni cap baralla. Weller simplement va marxar. Tal com va escriure més tard a Magic: A Journal of Song, “Només volia alguna cosa diferent. Una música més suau, més gentil de vegades, suposo.”
“Long Hot Summer”, publicada el 8 d’agost de 1983, va ser la declaració més clara fins aleshores de com sonaria aquest “alguna cosa diferent”. Enregistrat als estudis Grande Armée de París i publicat com a peça principal de l’EP “À Paris”, el single va marcar un gir estilístic dramàtic per al recentment format Style Council — ric, lànguid, soulful i inconfusiblement cosmopolita. La cançó també va ser inclosa al miniàlbum de 1983 “Introducing The Style Council”.
Al Regne Unit va agradar immediatament: la cançó va pujar al número 3 de la llista de singles, convertint-se en el seu major èxit. El públic internacional va seguir el mateix camí, amb bons resultats a Irlanda, Nova Zelanda, Austràlia i Canadà. Per a molts oients, es convertiria en la declaració inicial definidora de la segona vida musical de Weller.
“Long Hot Summer” no podia estar més allunyada de l’energia mod-punk tensa de The Jam. Construïda sobre un riff d’orgue suau d’estil setanter, percussió relaxada i un groove minimalista, canalitza la sofisticació fluida del soul i el jazz en lloc de la intensitat tibant del rock. Weller va admetre més tard que Nina Simone — “l’antítesi del rock de guitarra estrident”, va dir — n’havia inspirat l’ambient i la direcció.
Però malgrat la seva serenitat sonora, la lletra explica una història més conflictiva. “Long Hot Summer” està impregnada del malestar d’una relació on, malgrat la calidesa i l’esforç, les coses continuen desencaixant-se. “Tenia els acords i la melodia i vaig pensar: això és realment dolç”, va recordar Weller a Mojo. “Només havia de trobar les paraules adequades.” Va abordar la cançó amb el que ell anomenava el seu “cap de compositor professional”, guiat per les possibilitats evocades pel seu títol suggeridor.
La peça mostrava un nou Weller: menys tens, més contemplatiu; menys rígid, més sensual. Era una mena d’alliberament — una ruptura segura amb el passat més que no pas una retirada. The Style Council es va convertir en un terreny de joc per a influències que Weller havia admirat durant molt temps però que mai no havia explorat: jazz, soul, pop europeu, bossa nova, cultura de cafè. “Long Hot Summer” va ser el seu primer pas plenament realitzat en aquest terreny.
THE STYLE COUNCIL - LONG HOT SUMMER
Released: August 8, 1983
Charts: UK: #3
Paul Weller dissolved The Jam in late 1982; abruptly, cleanly, and at the very height of the band’s success. This decision left many fans stunned. There was no backstage meltdown, no artistic collapse, no simmering feud. Weller simply walked away. As he later wrote in Magic: A Journal of Song, “I just wanted something different. A softer, gentler music at times, I guess.”
“Long Hot Summer,” released on August 8, 1983, was the clearest declaration yet of what that “something different” would sound like. Recorded at the Grande Armée Studios in Paris and issued as the lead track on the EP “À Paris”, the single marked a dramatic stylistic pivot for the newly formed Style Council — lush, languid, soulful, and unmistakably cosmopolitan. The song was also included on the 1983 mini-album “Introducing The Style Council”.
The UK loved it immediately: the song climbed to No. 3 on the singles chart, becoming the group’s biggest hit. International audiences followed, with strong showings in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. For many listeners, it would become the defining early statement of Weller’s second musical life.
“Long Hot Summer” couldn’t have been further from The Jam’s taut mod-punk energy. Built on a gently simmering ’70s-style organ riff, loose percussion, and a minimal groove, it channels the fluid sophistication of soul and jazz rather than the clenched intensity of rock. Weller later admitted that Nina Simone — “the antithesis of loud guitar rock,” he said — inspired its mood and direction.
But for all its sonic serenity, the lyrics tell a more conflicted story. “Long Hot Summer” is steeped in the ache of a relationship where, despite warmth and effort, things keep slipping out of place. “I had the chords and melody and thought, That’s really sweet,” Weller recalled to Mojo. “I just had to find the right words for it.” He approached the song with what he called his “professional songwriter’s head,” guided by the possibilities evoked by its evocative title.
The track showcased a new Weller: less clenched, more contemplative; less rigid, more sensuous. It was a kind of liberation — a confident break from the past rather than a retreat. The Style Council became a playground for influences Weller had long admired but never explored: jazz, soul, European pop, bossa nova, café culture. “Long Hot Summer” was his first fully realized step onto that terrain.
23.11.25
KATE BUSH - RUBBERBAND GIRL
Released: September 6, 1993
Charts: UK: #12 US: #88
When Kate Bush returned in 1993 with “Rubberband Girl,” the lead single from “The Red Shoes”, she reintroduced herself with a burst of elasticity—literally and figuratively. The track, which reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart, was a lively departure from the brooding, highly layered production of “Hounds of Love” and “The Sensual World”. Instead, Bush embraced a looser, more groove-driven sound, framing resilience and emotional flexibility as something to be celebrated, even danced to.
At its core, “Rubberband Girl” is Bush encouraging herself—and the listener—to bend instead of break. With buoyant percussion, a bright pop sheen, and a hook built around the metaphor of elasticity, the song introduced “The Red Shoes” with a sense of playfulness rare in her catalogue. It also arrived during a particularly turbulent time in Bush’s personal life.
Though the single was only a moderate global hit, charting in the top 40 across several countries and reaching No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100, it marked her final UK top-20 entry until “King of the Mountain” revived her chart presence more than a decade later.
Bush herself has expressed a complicated relationship with the song. Speaking to Mojo in 2011, she admitted “Rubberband Girl” was her least favorite track on “The Red Shoes”—a silly pop song, as she described it. When she revisited the track for “Director’s Cut”, she transformed it into something almost unrecognizable: slower, grittier, and stripped of its original elasticity. Still, the original single stands as a snapshot of Bush in a rare playful mode—light on its feet, rhythmically infectious, and carried by standout performances from bassist Danny Thompson and guitarist Danny McIntosh.
VAN HALEN - YOU REALLY GOT ME
Released: January 1978
Charts: US: #36
Originally written and recorded by The Kinks in 1964, “You Really Got Me” was the song that launched the British band to fame — and, fourteen years later, it did the same for a young California hard rock group named Van Halen.
Released as the band’s first single in 1978 from their self-titled debut album, Van Halen’s version of “You Really Got Me” reimagined the gritty, fuzzed-out power chords of the Kinks’ original through the band’s high-voltage lens. With Eddie Van Halen’s incendiary guitar work and David Lee Roth’s wild, swaggering vocals, the song became an instant radio hit and a defining statement of what would become the Van Halen sound.
Before it was recorded, “You Really Got Me” had been a staple of Van Halen’s live shows for years. The band cut its teeth playing backyard parties and small clubs around Pasadena, often including several Kinks songs in their setlist. “They sounded good and they were great to dance to,” Roth recalled. By the time producer Ted Templeman signed them to Warner Bros., the band had refined their take on the song into a razor-sharp crowd-pleaser.
On the Van Halen album, the track is famously preceded by “Eruption”, Eddie Van Halen’s groundbreaking guitar solo that stunned listeners and introduced his revolutionary tapping technique to the world. Radio DJs quickly began playing the two tracks back-to-back, creating one of rock’s most iconic one-two punches.
Despite the song’s success, Eddie Van Halen later admitted he wasn’t thrilled that their debut single was a cover. “It kind of bummed me out that Ted wanted our first single to be someone else’s tune,” he said. “I would’ve picked ‘Jamie’s Cryin’ — it was ours.” Still, the decision proved pivotal: the song introduced Van Halen to millions and helped ignite a new era of American hard rock.
The Kinks themselves had mixed reactions. Ray Davies, who wrote the original, said he actually preferred Van Halen’s take, comparing the difference to “a prop plane versus a jet fighter.” Eddie graciously returned the compliment, saying, “Ray, that prop stuff is the real sh-t.” Ray’s brother Dave Davies, however, was less impressed, suggesting Eddie’s polished technique missed the raw charm of the original — though he later admitted fans sometimes congratulated him for “covering the Van Halen song.”
VAN HALEN - ERUPTION
Released: February 10, 1978
Album: Van Halen
“Eruption” is a groundbreaking guitar solo performed by Eddie Van Halen and featured as the second track on Van Halen’s self-titled 1978 debut album. Clocking in at just under two minutes, the instrumental redefined what was possible on electric guitar and is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar solos of all time. Beyond its dazzling speed and precision, “Eruption” introduced the world to Eddie Van Halen’s revolutionary two-handed tapping technique, a style that would forever change the landscape of rock guitar.
Originally, “Eruption” wasn’t even meant to appear on the album. It was simply a warm-up piece Eddie often played during live shows at Los Angeles clubs like the Whisky a Go Go, but, while rehearsing it in the studio, producer Ted Templeman overheard the solo and immediately insisted it be recorded for inclusion on the record. Eddie later admitted he thought it was just a practice routine, not something worthy of release — but Templeman’s intuition proved right. The track became a defining moment in Eddie’s career.
“Eruption” showcases a blend of classical phrasing, technical innovation, and raw energy. The opening is loosely based on the intro to Cactus’s “Let Me Swim”, while the midsection quotes Rodolphe Kreutzer’s “Etude No. 2” in E-flat major. The closing sequence, a dazzling series of rapid-fire triads and tapped arpeggios, resolves into a classical-style cadence before fading into sound effects created by a Univox EC-80 echo unit — a piece of equipment Eddie famously modified himself. He often experimented with his gear, taking apart guitars and processors to invent new tones, and the Univox’s distinctive low growl at the end of “Eruption” became one of his early sonic signatures.
While the technique of tapping had existed in jazz and experimental guitar circles for decades, it was Eddie who brought it into mainstream rock. As former Guitar Player editor Jas Obrecht noted, “Eddie Van Halen’s work on ‘Eruption’ upped the game for everyone. The technique of tapping had been around, but it was rarely used — and almost always as a novelty. Eddie brought finger-tapping into the heart of rock ’n’ roll.” Within months of the album’s release, guitarists across the US, Europe, and Japan were attempting to imitate his style, though few could match his touch, timing, or imagination.
Despite its virtuosity, Eddie himself was never fully satisfied with the recording. “There’s a mistake in there, near the beginning,” he once said. “Whenever I hear it, I always think, Man, I could’ve played it better.” Ironically, that small imperfection only adds to the track’s legend.
“Eruption” segues directly into Van Halen’s cover of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”. The two songs are still played together on radio and in concert, symbolizing the explosive arrival of a band that would soon dominate the next decade of hard rock.
