# The #1 song on iTunes is Kate Bush 🤯 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [May 30, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373 "2022-05-30T18:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/41 "2022-06-04T20:46:53Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > We primarily got music info from the music magazines (NME, Melody Maker) and record stores that did imports. Oh, and club DJs and 'zines. In my experience, having been a teenager and then college student in the '80s – what you describe is pretty much what I described in my previous post as being someone who was, in the U.S. in the 1980s, a serious and adventurous music fan, and who was willing to (even eager to) do those things in order to explore a broader range of music from what was being played on the radio and on MTV. There absolutely were people like that in the U.S. (I was friends with several like that when I was in college), but that likely wasn’t the typical way that most young people listened to and explored music. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/42 "2022-06-04T20:52:48Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > people in countries with decent radio and and an open music scene could find decent stuff without looking very hard I’m not seeing a “decent” radioscape, based just on the fact of it not having Kate Bush in it. 🙂 > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > that likely wasn’t the typical way that most young people listened to and explored music. Yes, that’s become clear, and does much to explain the prevailing music tastes of the 'Dope. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/43 "2022-06-04T20:53:40Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Yes, that’s become clear, and does much to explain the prevailing music tastes of the 'Dope. Welcome to the U.S. consumer culture as it stood in the latter 20th Century. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2022, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/44 "2022-06-04T22:19:01Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I’m not seeing a “decent” radioscape, based just on the fact of it not having Kate Bush in it. 🙂 I mean, they _thought_ it was decent… ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/45 "2022-06-05T02:52:24Z")
Yes Five characters ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/46 "2022-06-05T02:57:25Z")
The only people I ever knew who were aware of her were the people I had personally introduced her to. I git my first record store job in 1982 because of her. By which point I’d already been a fan for four years. Lets not forget that HoL was her 5th studio album. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/47 "2022-06-05T03:31:40Z")
If you’re not familiar with her work then Hounds of Love and the album before it, The Dreaming, are the only ones likely to GRAB you. Im a HUGE KB fan and the two after Hounds of Love took a while to grow on me, but her last, 50 Words For Snow, is still impenetrable for me. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/48 "2022-06-05T03:33:03Z")
I fell in love with her through her video “The Man With the Child in His Eyes.” Ironic given its like the only song on the album where she’s singing in a normal register. Then I bought Lionheart and loved it and bought The Dreaming and was blown away. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/49 "2022-06-05T04:09:11Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > don’t see why this is any excuse - I was in cultural-embargo 80s South Africa, where the airwaves were saturated by absolute dreck, and I managed to hear it just fine. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Unless you (as a U.S. resident in the mid '80s, not you, personally) were fortunate enough to have an “alternative” or college radio station in your town, Her first two albms werent even released in the U.S. And the singles from the third had no label or cover art. But her fourth album, _The Dreaming,_ was such an astonishing masterpiece that it, finally, got some college airplay. But zero commercial radio interest. I hand delivered a copy of _The Dreaming_ to the XRT dj manning the booth at 1982 Chicagofest. He said “We already have this record.” I said he better double check because it pretty sure sounded like they didn’t. I was 19. RUTH got some play in the clubs, but only because I handed out twelve-inches to every club i visited. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/50 "2022-06-05T04:18:06Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I hand delivered a copy of _The Dreaming_ to the XRT dj manning the booth at 1982 Chicagofest. He said “We already have this record.” I said he better double check because it pretty sure sounded like they didn’t. I was 19. Cool tale! For the benefit of readers who may not be familiar, WXRT was, at that time (and still is), the primary “alternative” station in the Chicago market, and has traditionally played songs and artists that likely aren’t heard on any other station in the market (except maybe the college stations). So, if @lissener wasn’t even hearing Kate Bush on XRT, she wasn’t getting much airplay here. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/51 "2022-06-05T12:41:05Z")
> [@Pavelb1](#): > > If you’re not familiar with her work then Hounds of Love and the album before it, The Dreaming, are the only ones likely to GRAB you. I’d have chosen Never For Ever or The Kick Inside. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/52 "2022-06-05T14:49:37Z")
But those drums! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/puilMIQIPn0/maxresdefault.jpg "Kate Bush - Sat In Your Lap (Single Mix, 1981)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puilMIQIPn0) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/53 "2022-06-05T20:03:42Z")
_The Whole Story_ compilation was actually what most of us bought first. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/54 "2022-06-05T20:09:31Z")
Me too. She had had some hits before in Germany, “Wuthering Heights” debuted at #11 and “Babooshka” was a big hit, but after the success of the singles of “Hounds Of Love”, I got interested in her back story and bought “The Whole Story” in 1986 (when I was 18). Kate Bush never was considered an Indie act here, but firmly in the mainstream presentation-wise. She appeared on TV shows (in her earlier career) and her videos were often played. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/55 "2022-06-05T20:38:47Z")
Oh yes, Babooshka! Kate Bush was not really my style, but I appretiate(d\*) her because she was so weird. Like Nina Hagen (only saner), or die Einstürzende Neubauten, when they were still bonkers. For context: I was more of a punker back then, and I am 3 or 4 years older than you. \* Haven’t listened to her for a loooong time, enjoyed it when she came in Stranger Things. They have a knack for intriguing references to my youth. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/56 "2022-06-05T20:47:57Z")
I was too young to really be a punk, but I was at least punk-leaning (in the Punker/Popper divide, I was FIRMLY in the Punk camp! I hardly can stand bands like Duran Duran or Wham! until today 😆). But I always have been open to different kinds of music, and Kate Bush always was a kind of mysterious singer who appealed to me. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/57 "2022-06-05T21:11:05Z")
At the High School, do they have a ‘smoke-hole’ for the 14-18 year olds to get their nicotine fix?? No? Then it lacks authenticity! ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/58 "2022-06-05T21:14:48Z")
Political correctness, I reckon. My guess: there will come a time, somewhere in the distant future, where they will produce series of the 2020’s in high school without any guns at all. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/59 "2022-06-06T06:21:09Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Einstürzende Neubauten, when they were still bonkers So, [2000](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnnGYaqjW-A), then? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373/60 "2022-06-06T16:14:51Z")
Why not go back all the way to [1985](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrfOahWNT_A)? Anyway, neither example will ever make it to #1 in iTunes, I guess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-1-song-on-itunes-is-kate-bush/965373.md?page=4)