The
1985 remake of "Wuthering Heights," featured on Kate Bush’s compilation
The Whole Story, offers a fascinating reinterpretation of her iconic
1978 debut single. While the original version - released when Bush was
just 19 - was a burst of gothic theatricality and raw creative audacity,
the 1985 version is more grounded, polished, and emotionally mature,
reflecting how Bush's voice, production sensibilities, and artistic
vision had evolved over the intervening years.
Musically, the core structure of the song remains intact: it’s still the ghostly plea of Catherine Earnshaw calling to Heathcliff from beyond the grave, drawn from Emily Brontë’s novel. But where the original floats on a high, childlike soprano and frenetic piano runs, the remake replaces the wide-eyed hysteria with a deeper, more textured vocal performance. Bush’s voice in 1985 is fuller and richer - less piercing, more nuanced - imbuing the character with a greater sense of sorrow and longing rather than spectral mania.
The instrumentation is also more expansive. The production leans into a more lush, cinematic sound, with smoother synthesizers, denser layering, and atmospheric reverb that enhance the supernatural mood without overwhelming the vocals. This version trades the immediacy and wildness of the original for control and depth. It's less a dramatic outburst and more a haunting elegy.
Critically, the 1985 version doesn't aim to replace the original; instead, it reframes it. It invites listeners to hear the same story with a different emotional center. Young Kate gave us the ghost in the throes of obsession; mature Kate gives us a ghost steeped in memory and regret. Both are compelling, but the latter resonates differently - perhaps more deeply - with time and experience.
As the opening track of The Whole Story, this remake serves as both a reintroduction and a recontextualization of Bush’s career-defining song. It signals to new listeners that she’s not a static artist locked into her youthful eccentricities, but one who revisits and reshapes her work as she grows.
Ultimately, the 1985 "Wuthering Heights" is a rare example of a remake that earns its place alongside a classic original - not by trying to outdo it, but by showing us a new emotional angle through the same haunted window.
Musically, the core structure of the song remains intact: it’s still the ghostly plea of Catherine Earnshaw calling to Heathcliff from beyond the grave, drawn from Emily Brontë’s novel. But where the original floats on a high, childlike soprano and frenetic piano runs, the remake replaces the wide-eyed hysteria with a deeper, more textured vocal performance. Bush’s voice in 1985 is fuller and richer - less piercing, more nuanced - imbuing the character with a greater sense of sorrow and longing rather than spectral mania.
The instrumentation is also more expansive. The production leans into a more lush, cinematic sound, with smoother synthesizers, denser layering, and atmospheric reverb that enhance the supernatural mood without overwhelming the vocals. This version trades the immediacy and wildness of the original for control and depth. It's less a dramatic outburst and more a haunting elegy.
Critically, the 1985 version doesn't aim to replace the original; instead, it reframes it. It invites listeners to hear the same story with a different emotional center. Young Kate gave us the ghost in the throes of obsession; mature Kate gives us a ghost steeped in memory and regret. Both are compelling, but the latter resonates differently - perhaps more deeply - with time and experience.
As the opening track of The Whole Story, this remake serves as both a reintroduction and a recontextualization of Bush’s career-defining song. It signals to new listeners that she’s not a static artist locked into her youthful eccentricities, but one who revisits and reshapes her work as she grows.
Ultimately, the 1985 "Wuthering Heights" is a rare example of a remake that earns its place alongside a classic original - not by trying to outdo it, but by showing us a new emotional angle through the same haunted window.