English singer-songwriter and musician Kate Bush posing on a lion skin rug at her family’s home in East Wickham, London, on Sept. 26, 1978.
Chris Moorhouse/Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images/TNS
With the release of Emerald Fennell’s film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel “Wuthering Heights,” many online have rediscovered Kate Bush’s hit 1978 debut single of the same name.
This mass “Wuthering Heights” resurgence has caused a stir given the film adaptation’s controversial nature. Many of those who are discussing Bush’s single are also sharing their disappointment in the film.
The greatest criticism behind the film adaptation is regarding the lack of faith to the source material, especially in the depiction of “Heathcliff” portrayed by Jacob Elordi.
Brontë’s novel does not clearly name Heathcliff’s ethnicity, but it is highly implied that he is a person of color and possibly of Romani descent.
Fennell describes the film as loosely inspired rather than a direct adaptation of the film, but many do see this decision to not represent Heathcliff’s background as a loss of necessary context for his characterization.
Personally, I find Kate Bush’s song is a stronger adaptation of the novel than Fennell’s film, but I digress.
Bush is best known amongst Gen Z for her spike in popularity after her song “Running Up That Hill” was featured in Stranger Things season four.
Since then, Bush’s music has stood strong in the realm of pop culture as a collection of consistently timeless tracks.
Every so often one of her songs becomes incredibly popular to the point fans wonder which song will be popular the next year. The last song was “Army Dreamers” in 2024.
The song “Wuthering Heights” has become especially popular on TikTok, with many posting covers or discussing it. Some believe that it should have been included in the movie given they’re both related to the novel.
I’m not too interested in the movie adaptation, but I am incredibly grateful for the resurgence of another Kate Bush song.
It’s intriguing to see once again how media can bring new life into old music, even if this time it was at the hands of a highly controversial movie.