Kate Bush's unique chord progression

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  • Опубліковано 14 січ 2024
  • Learn piano or guitar for FREE with Timbro: timbroguitar.com/davidbennett 🎹🎸
    Here is my video on Chromatic Mediants: • Songs that use Chromat...
    Kate Bush's debut single, Wuthering Heights, instantly established her as someone special, someone who, aged 18, could write a highly unusual song and, despite its unique chromatic mediant chord progression, have it surge to the top of the charts!
    The outro music to this video is my track "Mothers Day" which you can hear in full on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0wKKJ... 🎶
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 860

  • @LL-bl8hd
    @LL-bl8hd 3 місяці тому +676

    The way the lyrics say "I've come home" at the exact moment the song finally resolves with a perfect cadence after all this chromatic wandering is pure genius. Amazing to think that Kate was still a teenager when she came up with this unique and mature example of the art of songwriting.

    • @Hysteria98
      @Hysteria98 3 місяці тому +38

      Apparently they let her age a bit more before they put her in the business (with thanks to David Gilmour), but before even then, she had supposedly written around 200 songs.

    • @R.Akerman-oz1tf
      @R.Akerman-oz1tf 3 місяці тому

      I am simpler. I take the Key, time sig & chord prog for granted. Folks as You & David, parse it out; to be assimilated. TYSM.@@Hysteria98

    • @extremadrummer
      @extremadrummer 3 місяці тому +15

      ​@@Hysteria98She is one of the most talented pop musicians by far.

    • @extremadrummer
      @extremadrummer 3 місяці тому +14

      ​@@Hysteria98 I love the passage "Let me in your window". WINDOW sung through four different notes is pure art.

    • @LucaGoesOffroad
      @LucaGoesOffroad 3 місяці тому +10

      that's so far the most beautiful example of "painting with words" that I've ever heard, beating 6-0 6-0 6-0 Michael Jackson's key change on the word "change" in "man in the mirror"

  • @naomitiefenbrunn2857
    @naomitiefenbrunn2857 3 місяці тому +204

    She wrote that song at 18 in one evening, recorded it during the night and was ready to release it the next morning. And it's her most popular song ever. Mind blowing

    • @AirborneAshes
      @AirborneAshes 3 місяці тому +8

      by standard expectations kate bush should never have made it into charting pop music. so so special and important that somehow she did it anyway

    • @jdsgotninelives
      @jdsgotninelives 3 місяці тому +5

      Similarly, she did this with Babooshka. Written and recorded on the fly to make the required number of tracks per the record label contract.

    • @gavinyuangao4366
      @gavinyuangao4366 3 місяці тому +8

      Pretty sure Running Up That Hill is her most popular/best selling song.

    • @TommyWashow
      @TommyWashow 3 місяці тому +1

      @@AirborneAshes you could say the same about bjork

    • @dustinb1070
      @dustinb1070 3 місяці тому +1

      With the population being so much more now than when the song came out and how many people are now listening to her because of stranger things ...her most famous song has to be run up that hill.

  • @Beff_Juckley
    @Beff_Juckley 3 місяці тому +649

    Amazing work!! Now that you're on the subject of Kate Bush and modulation, I'd love to see a video on her song Babooshka which also has two completely unique chord progressions and uses parallel modulation using borrowed tonic! It also has 3-bar phrases!

    • @jonashormann5700
      @jonashormann5700 3 місяці тому +10

      What I like especially about that song is how the last phrase of the chorus blends incredibly smooth into the chord progression of the intro

    • @kidbomb
      @kidbomb 3 місяці тому +12

      Babooska always befuddles me with its progression. An in depth analysis would be very welcome

    • @robertvondarth1730
      @robertvondarth1730 3 місяці тому +6

      The Dreaming
      The 9th Wave

    • @wisdomseeker0142
      @wisdomseeker0142 3 місяці тому +2

      Yooooooooooooo I was just thinking about babooshka and how funky it sounded. You’re spot on.

    • @cecilsproject6796
      @cecilsproject6796 3 місяці тому

      What is parallel modulation with borrowed tonic ? I use to play the song

  • @weslleyfrancisco8616
    @weslleyfrancisco8616 3 місяці тому +217

    Finally a video on Kate Bush! Please explore her discography. Her songs are so unusual and intricate, with so many different time signatures!

    • @robertvondarth1730
      @robertvondarth1730 3 місяці тому +7

      Good lord yes.
      And Peter Gabriel

    • @Alef.93
      @Alef.93 3 місяці тому +1

      @@robertvondarth1730 Peter before 90's.

    • @scifiordie
      @scifiordie 3 місяці тому +1

      @@Alef.93Peter before he left Genesis

  • @modalmixture
    @modalmixture 3 місяці тому +31

    Kate Bush is a freaking genius, and not just the old stuff. Get the good headphones, put on her Sky of Honey suite from Aerial (start with Prelude), turn off the lights, lie down, and spend the next 45 minutes in sonic bliss.

    • @Missjunebugfreak
      @Missjunebugfreak 2 місяці тому +3

      Seconding this. Aerial is such a beautiful album. I'd also recommend 50 Words For Snow for a cold rainy night or a winter day.

    • @greebo5294
      @greebo5294 Місяць тому

      What, and miss "A Coral Room"?

    • @StratsRUs
      @StratsRUs Місяць тому

      The cooing of the pigeons

  • @robertdilano9733
    @robertdilano9733 3 місяці тому +2340

    Taylor Swift could definitely learn a lesson or two in songwriting from Kate Bush, especially regarding chord progressions!

    • @StreetsOfVancouverChannel
      @StreetsOfVancouverChannel 3 місяці тому +5

      😳🤔😏🥴🤣

    • @iainlindley
      @iainlindley 3 місяці тому +117

      I think Taylor is doing just fine without your advice.

    • @Stal1nsM01stBungh0le
      @Stal1nsM01stBungh0le 3 місяці тому +1

      ​@iainlindley LOLOL you're funny 🤣🤣🤣

    • @andyscott5277
      @andyscott5277 3 місяці тому +52

      @@iainlindleyjust the current “It girl.” If she wants “her” music to stand the test of time, she should definitely work on utilizing interesting chord changes, instead of reusing the same basic ones over and over again.

    • @timphukurmumma
      @timphukurmumma 3 місяці тому +11

      ​@@iainlindleyLOOLOL you are funny 🤣🤣🤣

  • @xoxb2
    @xoxb2 3 місяці тому +41

    I grew up in SE London - my brother had some friends who had a band. They were looking for a singer, and turned down this girl from Blackheath who auditioned. Six months later she was on TOTP singing this song. I remember when it came out, it was sensational - completely revolutionary and seen as such.

    • @xubse
      @xubse 3 місяці тому

      Your brother must of been humiliated once he saw this song lol

    • @xoxb2
      @xoxb2 3 місяці тому +5

      No, he thought it was funny. It was his friends who were in the band!

  • @can_hiras
    @can_hiras 3 місяці тому +136

    I must have listened to this song thousands of times, just like everyone else. I always sensed that it had a unique chord progression, but I never dwelled on it. What sets you apart and makes you superior to many musicians is this. Thank you endlessly.

    • @puzzzl
      @puzzzl 3 місяці тому +8

      Like McCartney at his finest, Bush has an uncanny ability to hide great musical complexity behind eminently listenable and appealing pop music.

    • @sieteocho
      @sieteocho 3 місяці тому +4

      I thought that this was a great song. But there are a lot of great songs with unique chord progressions out there too. I was wondering, "what other songs out there also have great and interesting chord progressions?" Then "Harvest For the World" by the Isley Brothers came on the radio. You know any other song out there that has the same chords as Harvest for the World?

  • @LesPaulDavis
    @LesPaulDavis 3 місяці тому +31

    That first explanation of chromatic mediants reminded me of the “crawling spider” technique used by Mellotron players to compensate for the instrument’s mechanically limited sustain. It worked by moving from chord-to-chord one or two notes at a time, with the remaining note(s) tying over from one chord to the next and so on, “crawling” across the keyboard - creating lush harmonies as you go. King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King is a good example of this technique.

  • @zbr76
    @zbr76 3 місяці тому +106

    I must have heard this song a million times, but I've NEVER realised just how WEIRD it truly is. And yet, it works! One of the greatest songs ever written.

    • @PaulJohnBeatles
      @PaulJohnBeatles 3 місяці тому +1

      Yeah because this song really is not that weird at all, just throwing chords and melody without understanding what she was doing, playin the guitar and singing. Anything works, this is extraordinary and at the same time it is not, I mean complex chords structures. The point is, it is not that hard to write a -complex song---or---are they complex? Just use many chords, who cares?

    • @StrangeAttractor
      @StrangeAttractor 3 місяці тому +11

      @@PaulJohnBeatles you're a very, very silly little sausage, aren't you. I challenge you to produce something in the same ballpark as Wuthering Heights.

    • @HeyBulldog-Beatles-Tribute
      @HeyBulldog-Beatles-Tribute 3 місяці тому +4

      THE best song even written! :) and I'm a Beatles fan, but I think this Kate Bush song tops them all. The song is harmonically, melodically and vocally incredible, as is the story of how it came to be written, the book it's based on, and the story of the author of the book.

    • @nstrug
      @nstrug 3 місяці тому +1

      @@PaulJohnBeatlesshe wrote it on the piano.

    • @PaulJohnBeatles
      @PaulJohnBeatles 3 місяці тому

      @@nstrug Piano or the guitar it doenst change anything, but good for Her.

  • @whipit2404
    @whipit2404 3 місяці тому +236

    A masterpiece of a song, and a masterpiece of an analysis!

    • @DavidBennettPiano
      @DavidBennettPiano  3 місяці тому +30

      Thank you!

    • @illegal_space_alien
      @illegal_space_alien 3 місяці тому +2

      She learned a lot from her time with Peter Gabriel, for sure.

    • @hatake_romina
      @hatake_romina 3 місяці тому +7

      @@illegal_space_alienshe didn’t know Peter at this point though.

    • @nstrug
      @nstrug 3 місяці тому +3

      @@illegal_space_alienshe wrote this at home on the family piano when she was 17 and didn’t know anyone in the music industry.

    • @IanM-id8or
      @IanM-id8or 3 місяці тому +3

      And it was on a masterpiece of an album

  • @stevebees3992
    @stevebees3992 3 місяці тому +16

    The move to the Ab and the delivery as she sings 'I hated you, I loved you too' is just perfect! It always makes me smile.

    • @cloudymccloud00
      @cloudymccloud00 3 місяці тому +3

      Alan Partridge's version (crooned to the hotel attendant) was classic too. 😁

    • @rossamullen5918
      @rossamullen5918 3 місяці тому

      Stop, you sound like a trapped boy.

  • @TheMOReviewers
    @TheMOReviewers 3 місяці тому +38

    Kate Bush AND David Bennett? I thought Christmas was last month!

  • @extremadrummer
    @extremadrummer 3 місяці тому +39

    That song has been always astonishing for me, not only due to the chords progression but to the bars 5/4 and 7/4 inserted in the chorus too. Never tired of listening to it. And the guitar solo as outro !!!(wich most of radio stations cut as soon as the voice is fading). That record is a gem.

    • @mark314158
      @mark314158 3 місяці тому +5

      Yes - that guitar solo...

  • @Transterra55
    @Transterra55 3 місяці тому +14

    An absolutely delightful analysis of Kate Bush… America did not carry Kate Bush albums when I first discovered her in 1978… I had to special order the albums from the UK. So many of her songs had unique chord progressions and fascinating melodies on top of the progression. Everything about Kate Bush is unique, and I am still a huge fan to this day.

  • @manuel_ao
    @manuel_ao 3 місяці тому +11

    I love it because, despite being a weird chord progression, it sounds so natural and can be liked by so many people. Plus her voice is so melodic and unique.

  • @attitw
    @attitw 3 місяці тому +8

    I can’t believe you upload this just as I’m about to submit my case study on Kate Bush for uni! I’m so glad this strange beautiful song got the recognition it deserved when it released.

  • @benoitrenaud519
    @benoitrenaud519 3 місяці тому +41

    Kate herself has LOTS of unusual chord progressions. Check out Fullhouse, Moving, the Man with a Child in his Eyes, In search of Peter Pan…

    • @djokowitjaksono3371
      @djokowitjaksono3371 3 місяці тому +1

      Yes agree,and looks like she's more Focus on dance to express her whole appearance.she 's incredibly energetic and presticious artist.

    • @weslleyfrancisco8616
      @weslleyfrancisco8616 3 місяці тому +3

      Fullhouse is CRAZY! I love that song, so creative.

    • @hatake_romina
      @hatake_romina 3 місяці тому

      Love Fullhouse also. Never see it get too much attention which I think is crazy. Maybe ppl are pushed back because it’s too high pitched (though most of her songs were at that point)

  • @AmbientGuitarWorks
    @AmbientGuitarWorks 3 місяці тому +24

    Kate BUsh is possibly the greatest and at the same time most underappreciated songwriter in history. A truly original talent.

  • @brucoder
    @brucoder 3 місяці тому +7

    Smile turns to anger turns to hope to swoon to sadness to ... One of the most expressive songs ever created. Great look into the tonal relationships.

  • @wilhelmhagberg8854
    @wilhelmhagberg8854 3 місяці тому +8

    It would be cool to hear an analyzes of George Harrisons' song "Beware of Darkness". It has a very unusual chord progression and switches keys in mysterious ways.

  • @pmberry
    @pmberry 3 місяці тому +23

    Absolutely one of my all-time favourite songs. I never tire of it and now, seeing the shifting key and time signatures, I'm not surprised why. The "you know it's me, Cathy" part and the short phrase after at the end of the bridge is goosebump-inducing every damn time!

  • @ChrisParlett
    @ChrisParlett 3 місяці тому +4

    As a kid in the 90s, I remember how difficult/expensive it was to get guitar tablature and music. There was a definite barrier there that lead to picking things out by ear or picking the brains of the early internet. Theses days, with channels like this, just an excellent time for new musicians - and old.

  • @jamesmungall6669
    @jamesmungall6669 3 місяці тому +8

    Genius. Her music moved me forty-five years ago and now even just hearing snatches of song and thinking with half of my brain about the chord progression it still catches me with a lump in my throat. What a magical talent

  • @Landmaaler
    @Landmaaler 3 місяці тому +24

    At last!!!! I’ve been waiting and waiting for you David, or Mr.Beato, or Mr. Huart or one of the many other wonderful music analysts to point out the brilliance of this chord progression! Play this chord progression to any serious pop-smith and tell them to write a number one hit song with it and they would look at as if you were mad! Ms. Bush is a genius! Both musically AND emotionally!

    • @headlessnotahorseman
      @headlessnotahorseman 3 місяці тому

      She borrowed the chorus melody from Barry Manilow's Mandy.

  • @testacorsa150
    @testacorsa150 3 місяці тому +11

    Thank you for your analasys, and especially explaining about the uplift you feel when going from the chorus back to the verse. I will never forget when I first heard that as a very small boy, perhaps 4 or 5 years old; It was like magic, and it touched me in way I didn't understand, and I still don't, really.

  • @luke5100
    @luke5100 3 місяці тому +4

    This has been my favorite Kate Bush song since I first heard it. It gives me chills and makes me feel emotions I can’t even describe. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard

  • @lucasfabisiak9586
    @lucasfabisiak9586 3 місяці тому +4

    I think it works so well precisely because it's somewhat unnerving. When we hit the chorus, it's just pure bliss.

  • @CoraStanley-ue7rw
    @CoraStanley-ue7rw 3 місяці тому

    Thank you David for the tip about Timbro. Great video, I understood the material clearly and found it helpful.

  • @damefawndenier
    @damefawndenier 3 місяці тому +3

    This is so bizarre. I actually came to UA-cam just now to explore this song to see if there had been any videos looking into WH's composition. Then up pops your video as if by magic! There was a recent post on Facebook which made me curious to listen to Wuthering Heights again. Another brilliant and informative video David

  • @calvinhobbes7504
    @calvinhobbes7504 3 місяці тому +1

    This song mesmerized me when I first heard it. It was def. this chord progression, but also the way Kate's voice followed it. Still delivers a chill when I hear it.

  • @hinesification
    @hinesification 3 місяці тому +2

    I absolutely love Kate Bush. When I first heard the song when she released the album, I was awestruck! Thanks for the video. Informative as always.

  • @bren519
    @bren519 3 місяці тому

    Loooove your analyses David! And the piano outros always inspire me too :) I’ve been eagerly waiting for someone to harmonically analyze Elliot Smith’s brilliant Figure 8 B-side “Colourbars”. That chord progression is so unconventionally chromatic and yet soo melodically copacetic. Improvising over the progression seems (for some reason) to consonantly accommodate any choice of notes, whether present in the current chord or not. Love that song. Would love to see you tackle any Elliott actually. I know that you began as a singer/ songwriter guitar dude so I’m sure you share my enthusiasm for his work. Your vids have helped me overcome a heretofore unconquerable musical plateau and continue to deepen and profoundly enrich my appreciation for all music. Keep up the great stuff 🤙

  • @wishawweather5421
    @wishawweather5421 3 місяці тому +1

    Lovely too have this classic tune delved into by you. Most of her music is a stand alone masterclass. Please do more of hers.

  • @localbod
    @localbod 3 місяці тому +1

    This was a really informative presentation. Thank you.
    My favourite part of Wuthering Heights is the bridge. Her vocal is so pleading and expression perfect.
    Kate Bush is such a unique artist.

  • @macdaddybender
    @macdaddybender 3 місяці тому +17

    Thanks for covering this song. I've only recently got into Kate's music in a much deeper way and I'm currently reading an excellent biography. The music for Wuthering Heights immediately caught my ear, mainly for the timing but also the harmony. I don't think I'll ever understand how someone can be so talented at such an age. I've come to understand that she was surrounded by all manner of art as a young girl and I assume she just soaked all of this up. She is one of a kind.

    • @vanessalouzon
      @vanessalouzon 3 місяці тому +3

      Hi, what's the name of the biography pls?

    • @macdaddybender
      @macdaddybender 3 місяці тому +2

      @@vanessalouzon Hi. It's called "Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush" by Tom Doyle. I got it for Christmas and I'm really enjoying it.

    • @djokowitjaksono3371
      @djokowitjaksono3371 3 місяці тому +1

      I Heard her come back gig expensive but sold out in short time.much fanatic fans there...

    • @gazthekingsmith
      @gazthekingsmith 3 місяці тому

      I read the book a few years ago. Very informative, but it really REALLY annoys me that the author refers to her throughout as "Bush", not "Kate"!

  • @gnorung7769
    @gnorung7769 3 місяці тому

    I've been meaning to ask for a Kate Bush for a while now, this is a dream come true. Needless to say, I'd love to see even more. One of my top 3 musicians ever and trying to figure out her songs give me a headache. Great video as always

  • @donlaloux
    @donlaloux 3 місяці тому

    Thank you so much David, Kate Bush is such an amazing and inspirational artist, I can't get enough of her! It'd be fantastic to hear your analysis on Symphony in Blue, or Them Heavy People. Cheers! 🇨🇱

  • @brossjackson
    @brossjackson 3 місяці тому

    First off, this is a striking and memorable enough chord progression that as soon as I saw the chords in the thumbnail I knew exactly what we were doing. I mean, OK there was also a picture of Kate Bush next to it, but the chords would have been enough.
    I think another reason why the Ab chord actually sound stable/resolved is that the first two chords implicitly emphasize the A (as the common note) and the second two emphasize the G# in the same way, so you get this sort of minor second alternation creating tension in two bar units, but the Ab is enharmonically that same G# repeating, so it feels like the music has decided the issue at least temporarily.
    Also, it's honestly those Gb chords that hit the hardest. Every time. You hit that chorus and you just want to hold up a lighter and sing along. And the Gb "Cathy" after the bridge is a goosebump moment.

  • @salutcmoi2287
    @salutcmoi2287 3 місяці тому +4

    I was wondering when you would talk about Kate Bush, the album the kick inside contains lots of very interesting chord progressions. I'm very glad you did it !

  • @Untoldanimations
    @Untoldanimations 3 місяці тому +2

    I love the chromatic mediant flavour of the A -> F. A long time ago when I didn’t have a very broad conception of music I though that major scales and modes were lame and that all good songs were in harmonic minor but then I forced myself to *only* use major chords to the point of getting nondiatonic stuff.
    I came up with (transposed) Amaj Fmaj Abmaj Bbmaj as a chord loop and now I’m in love with it. It’s so whimsical and energetic

  • @PianoFromScratch
    @PianoFromScratch 3 місяці тому

    I student of mine wanted to learn this song a few years back, had great fun teaching it, such an interesting chord progression. Great analysis as always! 👍

  • @vicentemontequin4113
    @vicentemontequin4113 3 місяці тому +48

    A masterpiece!

  • @TheUffeess
    @TheUffeess 3 місяці тому +17

    I have a good ear for music. But when I bought the record in 1978 and wanted to take out the chords, it was not easy. KB is undoubtedly a musical genius! Thank you for analyzing this song and greetings from Sweden!

    • @patepulkkinenvtec2403
      @patepulkkinenvtec2403 3 місяці тому +5

      Oh boy, trying to figure out Kate Bush songs by ear, especially the early stuff, can be a true pain in the ass 😂

  • @thefool2007
    @thefool2007 3 місяці тому

    Kate is awesome. Love this tune. Great video! Wow what chord progressions!

  • @joelluth6384
    @joelluth6384 3 місяці тому

    Always loved that song, and always been fascinated by the progression. Thanks for the analysis.

  • @jonjimihendrix
    @jonjimihendrix 3 місяці тому +1

    Hadn’t heard this before, but I’m now officially obsessed. Thanks David, great video!

  • @OilRacki
    @OilRacki 3 місяці тому

    I really love all your videos. I probably look forward to a new "DBP" video over anything else on my UA-cam subscriptions.. of any particular type, be it music, gaming, or anything else. I've learned so much from your channel too. Thank you! I'm a child of the 80s, but I had no idea how brilliant Kate Bush was, other than having that catchy "Running Up That Hill" song.

  • @trevcorbett6161
    @trevcorbett6161 Місяць тому

    David, you're a legend - thanks so much, I've been a massive fan of Kate Bush since this song, and you've broken it down beautifully, making it a lot less intimidating than I imagined.
    Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.
    Please keep doing the unusual chord progressions videos, as they are super helpful & inspiring for songwriters and musicians like myself. ❤❤❤

  • @neilingle794
    @neilingle794 3 місяці тому

    Your video popped up in my UA-cam feed and since then I've been visiting your older videos which explain musical composition concepts (scales, modes, chromatic mediants etc) so well!
    I was lucky enough to get tickets for the first show of Kate Bush's sell out 22 nights at London Hammersmith Apollo in 2014. A mesmerising show, although focussed on her masterpiece Ninth Wave suite (Hounds of Love) and later Aerial album. So, no Wuthering Heights played, or any other early stuff (nobody minded - it's her show, and her artistic choice). Her debut album has so many standout compositional parts - you should have a go at deconstructing 'Man with the Child in His Eyes', or the lovely piano-based closer 'Kick Inside'.

  • @kidkique
    @kidkique 3 місяці тому

    I'm a chemist not a musician at all but I do like learning about patterns and stuff and I got to say your videos make me very interested in music! Super informative super easy to understand and entertaining! thanks !

  • @crunchyfrog555
    @crunchyfrog555 3 місяці тому +17

    I truly don't know much music theory as I've always played by ear. I find it to be ht emost emotionally moving song ever. Not just for the lyrics but the chord feel demonstrates it better than any other I can think of.
    I remember the first time I banged it on and worked it out on keyboard and I've still to find anything else that matches this weird chord arrangement. It's truly sublime and I'll never understand how she can have written this when she was so young.

    • @zonumanaid
      @zonumanaid 3 місяці тому +3

      maybe simply she knew no boundaries at the time, followed her ear and what matched the storytelling

    • @Hysteria98
      @Hysteria98 3 місяці тому

      She wrote many songs before she came of age to be in the business.

    • @crunchyfrog555
      @crunchyfrog555 3 місяці тому

      @@zonumanaid Indeed she did _ I've read how she wrote it but that's not the point. It's the fact she did something so complex and unmatched by anyone else whilst young.

    • @crunchyfrog555
      @crunchyfrog555 3 місяці тому

      @@Hysteria98 I know that - that doesn't change anything.

  • @Skradgee
    @Skradgee 3 місяці тому +194

    Imagine if Kate Bush and Björk wrote a song together. 🦸‍♀️🦹‍♀️

    • @PaulMiller-mn3me
      @PaulMiller-mn3me 3 місяці тому +18

      Kate Bjork ?

    • @celestindupilon2773
      @celestindupilon2773 3 місяці тому +42

      @@PaulMiller-mn3me No, Bjösh!

    • @kimmorgan379
      @kimmorgan379 3 місяці тому +40

      Well... either they'd amplify each other and you'd get something on another plane of musical theory.... or they'd cancel each other out and you'd get a three chord punk song - which would still be amazing!

    • @hifijohn
      @hifijohn 3 місяці тому +3

      bushbjork!!!

    • @jonjimihendrix
      @jonjimihendrix 3 місяці тому +4

      No, sillies. It’s pronounced “Bjush”

  • @Beebsentrance
    @Beebsentrance 3 місяці тому +1

    David is one of the best music guru. How he deconstruct music to have reason artistically is so inspiring and worth knowledge. I am a big Kate Bush fan and to watch this video makes me appreciate her more.
    It will be interesting if David can talk about the beautifully weird chord progression behind A Sky of Honey

  • @tjk_9000
    @tjk_9000 3 місяці тому

    love the way you explain things. it's a technically sound, yet easy to follow lesson.

  • @jetjaguar3000
    @jetjaguar3000 3 місяці тому +1

    Bush is such a great example of just doing what the song needs, IMO. Some songs do surprising harmonic stuff like this, but others are very simple. Being complex or novel isn't the point, but she can go there when it serves the music. Such great taste on top of skills.

  • @rickalexanderguitar
    @rickalexanderguitar 3 місяці тому +2

    Thanks for analysing Wuthering Heights David. That’s an amazing progression! Great video!

  • @rome8180
    @rome8180 3 місяці тому +34

    I can think of several chord progressions that go A, F, E. It's a slightly unusual move because you'd expect the A to be minor (or the F to be an F#). But you do hear that kind of modal mixture elsewhere. It's that C# that truly sets it apart. It's not a chord that you'd expect to complete the loop at all. It doesn't resolve and it doesn't create a natural turnaround back to the A.

    • @spodoinklehorse
      @spodoinklehorse 3 місяці тому +2

      And? Care to share?

    • @omer-sela-rothenberg
      @omer-sela-rothenberg 3 місяці тому

      I don't know exactly about A F E but there are a lot of songs that go A F D, If I remember correctly heart shaped box and qotsa's go with the flow (might be G Eb C) are two examples of that classic mediant sound

    • @gorgolyt
      @gorgolyt 3 місяці тому +1

      As David explains though, it does create a very natural turnaround, within its context of chromatic mediants.

    • @martijn_yt
      @martijn_yt 3 місяці тому +1

      'Sweet dreams are made of this' by Eurythmics comes mind :)

    • @StratsRUs
      @StratsRUs Місяць тому

      The C sharp could be a borrowed chord from the F# Harmonic Minor , which can be seen as a spinning off from the 6 of A major.Therefore abling us to actually play through the song.Which is what it's all about.
      Follow the melody and work out the key changes as you go.
      Usually , the borrowed chords are from a parallel minor key or the harmonic / melodic minor off of the 6th, in this case F#.
      The ' Bad Dreams etc' is in D flat.
      As is the chorusy 'Heathcliff'. In D Flat.Indeed , she plays the home chord of D Flat when she sings ' ( I've come) home now ).
      So you can improvise all the way through.
      Chromatic Mediants are ok but they do not help as much as the *KEY* when you want to *PLAY* music and curiously improvise.A very satisfying thing to do without being bogged down by the online buzzwordery of it all !
      SONG is KEY.

  • @samkayak8712
    @samkayak8712 3 місяці тому +2

    It reminds me of a beautiful song, written and sung from the hidden top story, of a lunatic asylum.
    Pain, anguish, inconsolable love.
    Emilie Bronte distilled down into a three minute song.
    It is truly sublime.

  • @Oafah
    @Oafah 3 місяці тому +1

    I love the outro solo, and how it dances around the tonic and never really rests there for long, right along with the chord progression underneath it.

    • @Sermondt
      @Sermondt 3 місяці тому

      Ian Bairnson, he died last year😢

  • @dr-ozone
    @dr-ozone 3 місяці тому

    Great video! Was hoping you'd compose a song in this chord progression at the end.

  • @livinGhost88
    @livinGhost88 3 місяці тому

    This was extremely enlightening. Both to the application of what's actually going on in this song, as well as being made aware of this song even existing.
    Thank you for making this video, introducing me to a song that I can study.

  • @benzell4
    @benzell4 3 місяці тому +6

    Still hard to know she was 18 when she wrote, recorded and achieved this amazing composition. Thanks for the breakdown!

    • @undieturd
      @undieturd 3 місяці тому +2

      Fifteen when she wrote man with the child in his eyes. Very gifted lady

  • @NathanWoollaston
    @NathanWoollaston 3 місяці тому +8

    A masterclass of songwriting and performance. And only 18. Other worldly.

  • @YAMMAS
    @YAMMAS 3 місяці тому

    Im SO glad you did a video on this song. Ive wanted Charles Cornell to talk about Wuthering Heights ever since his video on Running Up That Hill (which is NOT interesting musically).
    Wuthering Heights shows more of Kate's love for cool chord changes.

  • @jeanlucchapelon
    @jeanlucchapelon 3 місяці тому

    Merci de nous révéler ces magnifiques progressions et les changements de mesures !!
    Je vais réécouter Kate Bush plus attentivement !!

  • @MuzixMaker
    @MuzixMaker 3 місяці тому

    David, you never disappoint! Cheers

  • @Mercenarus
    @Mercenarus 3 місяці тому

    I've always deeply loved the sound of this song, the... I could never find a better word than "uniqueness" of it :p I understand better now why it sounded so simple and rich in the same moment, thank you ;)

  • @nk7251
    @nk7251 3 місяці тому +2

    Hi david! A video about Syd Barrett's solo compositions would be very cool!

  • @hman2912
    @hman2912 3 місяці тому +6

    She is so unusual and unique and beautiful in more ways than one. She doesn't care about music convention and this song sounds so spooky and beautiful at the same time. Love it.

  • @chameleon-dream-band-official
    @chameleon-dream-band-official 3 місяці тому +7

    I honestly think Kate was one of the most unique writers of that pop era (not that I would consider her music "pop"). Her ability to evoke the emotion of the subject matter with her chord progressions is so exceptional. Love her.

    • @kevinbissinger
      @kevinbissinger 3 місяці тому

      Why don't you consider it pop? Was it not popular enough?

  • @Lordofthewhyz
    @Lordofthewhyz 3 місяці тому +1

    Loved this. Thanks. Can you do more Kate Bush songs, please?

  • @hixsy
    @hixsy 3 місяці тому +4

    if i could only listen to a couple of songs for the rest of my life this would be in the list.. just superb

  • @Alina-if8gq
    @Alina-if8gq 3 місяці тому

    Dude, you are just the best! I always leave your vids inspired

  • @weslleyfrancisco8616
    @weslleyfrancisco8616 3 місяці тому +4

    Do more videos on Kate Bush! Please

  • @s7a7i0d
    @s7a7i0d 3 місяці тому

    excellent video,wonderfull song that i know from the year of the album!

  • @TigerRogers0660
    @TigerRogers0660 3 місяці тому

    David, i knew this song was unusual, but you analysis now shows why!! Excellent !!

  • @spacemissing
    @spacemissing 3 місяці тому +1

    I absolutely LOVE this song, one of the best 'oddball' songs I've ever heard.
    Kate Bush doesn't follow musical convention; she makes her own rules as she goes along,
    and as a result distinguishes her material with an unmistakable aesthetic character.
    Wonderful things happen when an artist works that way.

  • @masju12
    @masju12 3 місяці тому +1

    Thanks, David! Great work. Another song with an amazing unique chord progression: Neneh Cherry - Manchild

  • @za4310
    @za4310 Місяць тому +1

    how kate bush approaches chord changes is with roman numerals but with a lot of key modulations. Some other songs are dead giveaways because she'll keep reusing the same roman numerals in different keys, making it very clear what shes doing. Also lots of substitutions. From what I've seen it's usually two changes in a key, a key change, two changes, a key change. You can use that formula and you'll end up with Kate Bush-esque progressions.
    For the first part its Maj-III to I in Fmajor and then in E major its I to maj-VI. That's how they're harmonically linked and you can hear if really clearly if you play some scale tones over them. In F major the E is a diminished Vii so it's subbed with a major chord as used to pivot to the new key. It also still uses that minor third movement to get to the C#, so it's sorta still got some diminished qualities.

  • @alexisjordan3303
    @alexisjordan3303 3 місяці тому +16

    I have a strong feeling that such creative chord progressions can only be written at a young age, before you have been perverted by craftmanship.

    • @MC_beef
      @MC_beef 3 місяці тому +2

      I think you're right, beginner's mind.

    • @wilhelmhagberg8854
      @wilhelmhagberg8854 3 місяці тому

      You are absolutely right. I've been writing songs for thirty years and the earlier ones were far better! :-(

    • @manonvernon8646
      @manonvernon8646 3 місяці тому

      This is true however many arts also get a creative "second wind" in their 50s and 60s, and then this is followed by their "Swan Song" release before their demise. The pursuit of craftsmanship after the chaotic unbridled creativity of youth is one part of the creative's journey.

  • @athanp4384
    @athanp4384 3 місяці тому

    I still remember listening to the song for the first time, and how melted my brain became. I, too, don't think I've ever heard a song with this progression in my entire life. Literally one of the most unique songs I have ever heard, and to think it was the very first single from the very first female to reach number 1 with a song she wrote when she was only eighteen is a testament to how brilliant this lady has always been. Thank you so much for this analysis!

  • @ric8248
    @ric8248 3 місяці тому +1

    I had never heard this song. And it's just great. Thank you for presenting it.

  • @giovannifranzetti6214
    @giovannifranzetti6214 3 місяці тому

    AMAMZING song and analysis! Thanks man

  • @joebutler3608
    @joebutler3608 12 днів тому

    Hey David, as a kid I used to put on a side of vinyl and try to get each song down, at least the chord progression. When I put on Pat Benatar "Crimes of Passion" I was knocking them down until this one. I sounded like a kid in guitar center, lost. There used to be a saying if you were sitting in with a band, "When in doubt, go up a 4th" (in guitar-speak, A to D) that did NOT apply, lol. I assumed it was written for the movie by some theoried-up piano wiz and gave up. It's good to now find out it was due to the eccentricity of Kate Bush's writing and imaginative thinking.
    BTW, a challenge my friend and I used to do was "see how many snare hits you can play consecutively" on Yes' "Long Distance Runaround". My mother dented the 2nd floor radiator signalling us to stop playing air-drums on the 3rd floor flat at 1AM but it was great fun. After smoking some lamb's breath, getting 4 straight elevated you to "genius" level in our unofficial scoring.

  • @annoschreier1860
    @annoschreier1860 3 місяці тому +3

    'Word on a Wing' by David Bowie is also really unusual.

  • @RobertOrgRobert
    @RobertOrgRobert 3 місяці тому +1

    Absolutely brilliant thank you. Anyone else thinking Kate’s voice is imitating a ghostly like sound ?

  • @chong2389
    @chong2389 3 місяці тому

    Kate Bush. Just as her lyrics explore a vast array of subjects and emotions, the music she writes draws upon a multitude of musical genres. The resulting synergy are songs of which no two are alike, but each one is uniquely and unmistakeably Kate Bush. Each one is an exquisite jewel. Each one is part of a her symphony of life. As Gustav Mahler once said: "A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything."
    Thank you for the anslysis David. Your videos are always enlightening.

  • @Whitestripe71
    @Whitestripe71 3 місяці тому +5

    Kate Bush is my favourite artist so it makes me very happy indeed to see such a great video about her. I think she's a genius.

    • @HeyBulldog-Beatles-Tribute
      @HeyBulldog-Beatles-Tribute 3 місяці тому +1

      I don't know well Kate Bush (just her hits), but with this perfect song, yes she is a genius for sure, even she would write and sing only this one :)

  • @thecountofgoldmoor1332
    @thecountofgoldmoor1332 3 місяці тому

    I like this! More of this please, Sir David!

  • @simonpayne7994
    @simonpayne7994 3 місяці тому

    A really unusual chord progression. And then the changes in rhythm. Amazing!

  • @onurcaksu3145
    @onurcaksu3145 3 місяці тому

    devin townsend's song "life is all dynamics" does this all the way along, after 1.30 minute mark. major chords a 3rd apart. its epic.
    i didn't know the term, didn't know about this song either. great video ^.^

  • @joermnyc
    @joermnyc 3 місяці тому +14

    It’s amazing she wrote this at age 18. Her later work using the Fairlight CMI is also astonishing because she really dug down into the programming to get the sounds and instruments she wanted.
    Edit: totally a 180 from Kate Bush, but the band System of a Down uses a lot of interesting chord progressions and rhythms due to their influences from Armenian music.

  • @aahfeeki
    @aahfeeki 3 місяці тому

    LOONA Yves' New goes by the chord progression Am, Dm, Bb, F, but with the F major as the home chord, giving us a iii-vi-IV-I progression. Half the time, however, the song skirts around the root chord instead of landing on it even on key sections like preceding the start of the choruses. This extends its resolution and makes the song feel like it's constantly being propelled forward. The constant camera panning in the music video accompanies this melodic feeling of constant movement, which is really pretty compelling for a form of pop music this commercial. A fully materialized audio-visual concept.

  • @Petch85
    @Petch85 3 місяці тому +1

    This song is soo good. Every time I hear it, it reminds me of Portishead Glory Box. Maybe that would be a song you could make a video about.

  • @bitterrotten
    @bitterrotten 3 місяці тому +14

    Thank you! I've tried justifying my fascination with this song to people but without the music theory base knowledge, I just sounded like a lunatic repeating, "There's something going on there! I can't explain it!"

    • @noscrubbubblez6515
      @noscrubbubblez6515 3 місяці тому

      I'd call it 'Wandering Heights' in the same spirit I called McCartney's 'Long Winding Road' the 'Long and Winding Song'. both are too ponderous.

    • @HeyBulldog-Beatles-Tribute
      @HeyBulldog-Beatles-Tribute 3 місяці тому

      @@noscrubbubblez6515 Oh my god we don't have the same ear ! :) What is the perfect song for you? I would like to understand. :)

    • @noscrubbubblez6515
      @noscrubbubblez6515 3 місяці тому

      @@HeyBulldog-Beatles-Tribute I can appreciate this fragment for showing the uniqueness of the singers voice. But the randomness of the chord progression wasn't enough for me. Benjamin Britten would have made the entire composition in this random style. If you go there, go big or go home. lol

    • @pulidoggy
      @pulidoggy 3 місяці тому

      @bitterrotten
      You have described exactly what often happens to me too 😊
      I have no music theory background at all, but I have an instinctive feeling for harmony, allowing me to play by ear most of the songs I have in my head, both melody and harmony, although I couldn't tell which keys and chords I'm playing 😬
      And, trying to convey to others my feelings about some peculiar chord progression, I'm falling into the same frustrating (for me) and annoying (for others) "can't explain" situation. But, being often unable to observe in others my same emotions, I've come to believe that some people are focusing mainly on the song's melody, being possibly not _tone_ , but _harmony_ deaf?
      And, I'm from Italy, so forgive my english 😉

  • @bungasujatmo1439
    @bungasujatmo1439 3 місяці тому

    Thank you David Bennett, I've waited for decades for this information. When this song came out, I immediately fell in love, went to the keyboard, but gave up. Some other song were easier to play, not this beautiful song written and sung by a beautiful lady.

  • @steviekeyz25
    @steviekeyz25 3 місяці тому +1

    Great video. Loved your analysis of the chromatic mediants. For the chorus, though, couldn't it be argued that it modulates to Db major and starts on the IV chord with the Ebm7 and Ab7 being a strong iim7 - V7 progression?

  • @robinmartini7968
    @robinmartini7968 3 місяці тому

    Yet another fabulous video by our man on the keyboard. Now, could you please, PLEASE, do a video on Squeeze's Some Fantastic Place, (or any other Squeeze song) I do think they have some of the most interesting chord progessions.

  • @PatNetherlander
    @PatNetherlander 3 місяці тому

    This song hit all my right buttons straight away: the lyrical singing, the strange vibe and ohhh, that guitar solo from David Gilmour…. Cutting that solo off is sheer sacrilege! Truly a song of beauty.