Kate Bush is celebrated for her distinctive and powerful vocals as a lead artist. However, beyond her solo work, she has lent her incredible voice to numerous tracks as a backing vocalist, adding a unique and magical dimension to songs across various genres. Often uncredited, her contributions are gems for keen-eared listeners and demonstrate her exceptional versatility as a singer. This article explores some notable examples of Kate Bush’s work as a backing vocalist, revealing a lesser-known facet of her remarkable career.
Many initially misunderstood Kate Bush’s vocal capabilities at the beginning of her career. Some perceived her voice as too quirky or high-pitched, leading to assumptions that her style was too singular for collaborative projects. However, the songs she featured on early on proved just the opposite. Her vocal range and adaptability were evident from the start, making her an invaluable, albeit sometimes overlooked, asset to other artists.
One of the earliest examples showcasing her backing vocal prowess is on Peter Gabriel’s tracks. On “The King Is Dead” from Gabriel’s self-titled 1980 album (often referred to as Melt), Bush delivers a powerful and emotive backing vocal performance that elevates the song’s intensity. Her contribution to “Games Without Frontiers,” also from Melt, is brief, sung in French, but undeniably impactful. These short bursts of French vocals are instantly recognizable and add an intriguing layer to the song’s complex soundscape. Furthermore, on “No Self Control,” from the same album, Bush provides breathy, subtle backing vocals. These are sparse and restrained, never overshadowing Gabriel’s lead, but they inject an astonishing and almost ethereal quality into the track.
Moving into the mid-1980s, Kate Bush’s collaborations continued. In 1986, she featured on Big Country’s track, “The Seer,” the title track from their album of the same name. This collaboration with lead singer Stuart Adamson is akin to a duet, offering a prominent platform for Bush’s vocals, though still in a supporting role to Big Country.
Later, in the 1990s, collaborations with music icons continued to emerge. Prince, a known admirer of Bush’s work, appeared on her 1993 album, The Red Shoes, on the song “Why Should I Love You?”. In a reciprocal gesture, Bush contributed to Prince’s “My Computer” from his sprawling 1996 album Emancipation. Consistent with her work style during this period, Bush reportedly recorded her parts for Prince’s track from her home studio, a practical solution given her time constraints and well-documented reluctance to fly.
In conclusion, every instance of Kate Bush lending her voice as a backing vocalist is unique and enriching. Far from being a “singular” vocalist unsuitable for collaboration, her work demonstrates an exceptional ability to adapt and enhance a diverse range of musical styles and songs. Her contributions, whether prominent or subtle, are a testament to her vocal genius and add an extra layer of magic to the music she graces.
