Aside from “Hill,” which had some mainstream penetration, Bush was largely deemed an alternative artist in the U.S. during her active years that spanned the late ‘70s to the early ‘90s. In her homeland of the U.K., the singer-songwriter-producer’s profile was decidedly higher (her debut 1978 single, “Wuthering Heights,” hit No. 1 there). Like her friend Prince and heir apparent Björk, Bush’s gift didn’t lie merely in making pop weird, but making weird pop extremely popular. She was able to make a nearly alien sensibility make sense to a wide swath of listeners outside of the U.S. Her work with sampling, which took over her music in a big way during the recording and post-production of her 1982 masterpiece The Dreaming, was ahead of its time. Well, look at what happened: People finally caught up. And it only took about 40 years. Look no further for proof on what can happen when music is truly timeless.

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As mentioned in brief yesterday, Bush released a statement on her website regarding the resurgent popularity of her song (it’s back at No. 8 in the U.K. this week as well). “It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song,” wrote Bush. No, thank you, Mom!

Here is a bonus picture of Kate Bush standing in front of a Ferrari:

Kate Bush in Italy in 1978
Kate Bush in Italy in 1978
Photo: Angelo Deligio/Mondador (Getty Images)
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