Wuthering Heights.

One of the most beautiful songs I've ever had the fortune of coming across. Whenever I hear this song, I imagine gales, rain and a desolate landscape. Like the area around my home town. Perfect for a dark autumn evening in. The novel on which the song is based is also one of my all-time favorites, and the 1992 movie is a very worthy version of it. The connection and love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff in the novel and in the film is so touching you'd long for it to be possible in real life. And the despair he feels after she's dead and he's left with taking care of her daughter (also named Catherine) and her two cousins, doing so with quite the iron fist really does depict much of the frustration and lunacy he must have felt (and had) from losing the love of his life. A simply wonderful story. All of a sudden I want to read it again.

But seriously, when it comes to artistic expressions of Emily Brontë's work, for me nothing can compare to Kate Bush's haunting gem of a song. Everything comes so beautifully together in it. She quotes the book in a few instances, referring to the actual story extremely closely and the atmosphere of it is eerie and haunting, yet fascinating. It sort of draws you in, allures you into letting the ghost "grab your soul away" by it.

Furthermore, the orchestration is stunning. The simple start with a few bars of a delicate piano, growing with the string section and electric guitars, then the drums, and culminating in the chorus. The combination of chords is downright exquisite, combining the known with a sudden twist to it, to give you an idea that something just isn't quite right in the story. And of course with the chorus seemingly wanting to continue ad infinitum. Which it sort of does, in a sense, in its fading at the very end. And the guitar riff at the end! Aw, man! Just tops it all off gloriously!

When it comes to Kate's voice, it just fits perfectly to it all. Ghostlike, yet at the same time childlike, perhaps alluding back to the childlike aspect of Catherine Earnshaw's persona. I think I read somewhere that in this song she sings in a falsetto voice. Can't really blame her, because the pitch is way, way up there. Beyond the high C, I think. It starts on a high E (if there is such a term... In any case, it's the E after the high C), and her highest note is just one step above, on the F.

She'd actually made 2 music vids for this song, one with her wearing a white dress and surrounded by smoke, against a black backdrop. This one I particularly like. The other one features her in a red dress out in the woods somewhere. It's ok, I guess, but in this case I'd say less is more in terms of background. And the red does not really do it for me with Cathy's ghost image. So yeah, I like the first one better. Either way, her makeup really accentuates her eyes, making them larger and really brings out the haunting image of the protagonist. If Emily Brontë had a chance to hear this song, I'm sure she would be immensely proud - and perhaps shed a tear or two.

Anyway, I'm yapping on now about all kinds of trivia about this song. *lol* That's because I've just stumbled over the most gorgeous montage with this song and the 1992 movie. This user really made sure that the lyrics and images complemented each other. And in addition, the images are so heartbreakingly beautiful in themselves. Yes, it's Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes. And I must say they look very nice together, to say the least. Besides, they did one heck of a good job in the movie as well.



And here's Kate's white dress vid, just for the record. :-) Yes, I've posted it before, but I don't think there's anything wrong in posting it again. Heck, I adore that song!





Signing off (and dreaming on),
Elise