“Running Up That Hill” is a song by the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was the first single from her 1985 album, Hounds of Love, released in the United Kingdom on 5 August 1985. It was her first 12″ single. It was the most successful of Bush’s 1980s releases, entering the UK chart at No. 9 and eventually peaking at No. 3, her second-highest single peak. The single also had an impact in the United States, providing Bush with her first chart hit there since 1978, where it reached the top 30, and featured prominently within the Dance Charts. Bush also performed the song with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd at the Secret Policeman’s Third Ball. The song’s title for Hounds of Love and all subsequent releases was “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God).”
Tag: Pop
Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights
“Wuthering Heights” is a song by Kate Bush, released as her debut single in January 1978. It became a #1 hit in the UK singles chart and has remained her biggest-selling single. The song appears on her 1978 debut album, The Kick Inside. The B-side of the single was another song by Bush named “Kite” – hence the kite imagery on the record sleeve. “Wuthering Heights” came 32nd in Q magazine’s Top 100 Singles of All Time, as voted by readers. It is also #14 on Rate Your Music’s Top Singles of All Time.
The guitar solo is played by Ian Bairnson, best known for his work with Alan Parsons. It is placed rather unobtrusively in the mix, and later engineer Jon Kelly would regret not making the solo a little louder in the mix. The song was significantly re-mixed and given a new lead vocal in 1986 for Bush’s greatest-hits album The Whole Story. This version also appeared as the B-side to her 1986 hit “Experiment IV”.
Billy Ocean – Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car
“Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” is a single by British singer Billy Ocean, based on a line from Ringo Starr’s song “You’re Sixteen”. Part of its popularity lay in its cutting-edge (for the time) video, which featured cartoon mixed with live-action sequences. The song went to number one on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Black Singles charts. It also peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. The song was also featured in the soundtrack of the 1988 film License to Drive. The song was covered by Fenix TX for the soundtrack of NASCAR Thunder 2003. In 2013, Gwar covered the song in a video featured on The A.V. Club website as part of the site’s A.V. Undercover series. Approximately three minutes into the performance, the band incorporates The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” into the song.
Ricky Martin – Livin’ La Vida Loca
“Livin’ la Vida Loca” (La vida loca means “the Crazy Life” in English) is a number-one hit song by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It was released on March 23, 1999 from Martin’s self-titled debut English album (he had previously released several albums in Spanish). The song was composed by Desmond Child and Draco Rosa and topped the charts during 1999. It received various Grammy Awards nominations and helped Ricky Martin obtain enormous success inside the United States and worldwide. In 2007, the song was ranked at number twenty-eight on the list of 100 Greatest Songs of the 90’s by VH1. It is Martin’s signature song.
“Livin’ la Vida Loca” is generally seen as the song that began the Latin pop explosion of 1999 and made the transition of other Spanish-speaking artists (first Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias, then later Shakira and Thalía) into the English-speaking market easier. Before this time, most non-Latino Americans had never heard of Ricky Martin until what CNN reported was a show-stopping performance of “La Copa de la Vida” at the 41st Grammy Awards show, which became a catalyst in bringing Latin pop to the forefront of the U.S. music scene. “Livin’ la Vida Loca” sold over 8 million copies, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
Ricky Martin – Vida
“Vida” (English: “Life”) is a song recorded by Puerto Rican pop musician Ricky Martin for the One Love, One Rhythm – The 2014 FIFA World Cup Official Album (2014). It was written by Martin, Salaam Remi and Elijah King and produced by Remi. The song was chosen in a musical contest organized by FIFA and Sony Music which King won, and it was subsequently arranged for Martin to record the track. It was digitally released as the second official single from the compilation album on April 22, 2014. “Vida” is a Latin pop song that features guitar, ukulele, percussion, horn and exotic sounds with a Caribbean feel.
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics who praised the liveliness of the track and noted the consistency with other songs performed by Martin. It peaked at number 10 on the US Hot Latin Songs and became Martin’s 23rd top-ten single on the chart. An accompanying music video, directed by Kátia Lund and Lívia Gama of Bossa Nova Films, was shot in Rio de Janeiro. It features Martin singing and dancing on the beach accompanied by around 100 other people. Martin performed the song on several occasions including at the 2014 Latin Billboard Music Awards and on season eighteen of the Dancing with the Stars US series.