Hounds of Love (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "The Handsome Cabin Boy"
- "Jig of Life"
- "Burning Bridge"
- "My Lagan Love"
- Wickham Farm Home Studios (Welling, England)[2]
- Windmill Lane Studios (Dublin, Ireland)[2]
| "Hounds of Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kate Bush | ||||
| from the album Hounds of Love | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 17 February 1986[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:02 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter | Kate Bush | |||
| Producer | Kate Bush | |||
| Kate Bush singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Hounds of Love" on YouTube | ||||
"Hounds of Love" is a song written, produced and performed by the English singer Kate Bush. It is the title track and the third single released from her fifth studio album Hounds of Love (1985). The single was released in the UK on 17 February 1986. The single peaked at No. 18 and spent 5 weeks in the UK singles chart.[4]
It was performed live for the first time as part of the 2014 Before the Dawn residency.[5]
Bush wrote the title track at her house early on in the recording process for Hounds of Love.[6] Lyrically, the song uses the imagery of an individual being chased by a pack of hounds as a metaphor for an aversion to love.[7] The words heard at the beginning of the track were sampled from the British 1957 horror film Night of the Demon and spoken by Maurice Denham.[8]
In October 2004, Q magazine placed this song at No. 21 in its list of the 50 greatest British songs of all time.[9]
Music video
A music video was made for the song, which Bush herself directed. It was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's thriller film The 39 Steps (1935) and a Hitchcock lookalike also features in the video (a nod to the director's famous cameo appearances in his movies).
Critical reception
Upon its release as a single, Roger Holland of Sounds picked "Hounds of Love" as the magazine's "single of the week" and wrote, "There's a blatantly sexual gasp caught somewhere in her throat as Kate Bush plays hide and go seek with the inevitable. There's something coming through those trees, but although she's scared, she's also wide-eyed with anticipation."[10]
Track listings
All songs written and composed by Kate Bush, except "The Handsome Cabin Boy", which is a traditional composition. "Alternative Hounds of Love" is not a remix, but an early version, with slightly different lyrics.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hounds of Love" | 3:05 |
| 2. | "The Handsome Cabin Boy" | 3:10 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hounds of Love" | 3:01 |
| 2. | "Burning Bridge" | 4:38 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alternative Hounds of Love" | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Jig of Life" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "The Handsome Cabin Boy" | 3:10 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Alternative Hounds of Love" | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Burning Bridge" | 4:38 |
| 3. | "My Lagan Love" | 2:31 |
Personnel
- Kate Bush – vocals, Fairlight CMI, Yamaha CS-80
- Stuart Elliott – drums
- Charlie Morgan – drums
- Jonathan Williams – cello
Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart[11] | 84 |
| Europe (European Top 100 Singles)[12] | 63 |
| German Singles Chart[13] | 68 |
| Irish Singles Chart[14] | 12 |
| Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)[15] | 14 |
| UK Singles Chart[16] | 18 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Download Chart[17] | 71 |
| UK Sales Chart[18] | 72 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
