Hammer Horror (song)

Last updated

"Hammer Horror"
Kate Bush - Hammer Horror.png
Single by Kate Bush
from the album Lionheart
B-side "Coffee Homeground"
Released27 October 1978
RecordedJuly–September 1978
Genre
Length4:39
4:25 (edit)
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Kate Bush
Producer(s) Andrew Powell
assisted by Kate Bush
Kate Bush singles chronology
"The Man with the Child in His Eyes"
(1978)
"Hammer Horror"
(1978)
"Wow"
(1979)
Music video
"Hammer Horror" on YouTube

"Hammer Horror" is a song by Kate Bush, released as the first single from her second album Lionheart . It was released on 27 October 1978. The song peaked at No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart. [1] The parent album, released on 13 November 1978 reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart. "Hammer Horror"'s low chart position proved to be a temporary phenomenon, as Bush's next single returned her to the top 20. In other countries it fared better, including in Ireland and Australia, where the song reached No. 10 [2] and No.17 respectively.

Contents

While in Australia during a promotional tour, Kate Bush devised the dance routine for the song in her Melbourne hotel room, and performed the song on the television show Countdown . [3]

The song references Hammer Films, a company specializing in horror movies. However, Bush conceived of the song after viewing the film Man of a Thousand Faces , a biographical film – not produced by Hammer – about Lon Chaney starring James Cagney. "The song was inspired by seeing James Cagney playing the part of Lon Chaney playing the hunchback", Bush stated in 1979. "He was an actor in an actor in an actor, rather like Chinese boxes, and that's what I was trying to create." The theme of the song concerns an actor who is thrust into the lead role of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame after the original actor dies in an accident on the film set. [4] The guilt-ridden narrator of the song is haunted by the ghost of the jealous original actor, who was a former friend. A promotional video was made for the single featuring Bush and a black-masked dancer performing the song against a black background.

The B-side of the song was "Coffee Homeground", which also featured on Lionheart.

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Kate Bush.

7" vinyl

  1. "Hammer Horror" – 4:38
  2. "Coffee Homeground" – 3:39

7" vinyl (Japan) [5]

  1. "Hammer Horror" – 4:15
  2. "Coffee Homeground" – 3:39
UK variant of standard back cover Hammer Horror by Kate Bush back cover UK single.jpg
UK variant of standard back cover

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (1978–79)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [6] 17
Ireland (IRMA) [2] 10
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [7] 25
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [8] 25
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [9] 21
Spain (AFE) [10] 35
UK Singles (OCC) [1] 44

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Bush</span> English singer-songwriter (born 1958)

Catherine Bush is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after Pink Floyd's David Gilmour helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female artist to achieve a UK number one with a solely self-written song. Her debut album, The Kick Inside, was released that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lon Chaney</span> American actor (1883–1930)

Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney was an American actor and makeup artist. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted, characters and for his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. Chaney was known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques that he developed earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces".

<i>The Dreaming</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Kate Bush

The Dreaming is the fourth studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, released on 13 September 1982 by EMI Records. Recorded over two years, the album was produced entirely by Bush and is often characterised as her most uncommercial and experimental release. The Dreaming peaked at No. 3 on the UK album chart and has been certified Silver by the BPI, but initially sold less than its predecessors and was met with mixed critical reception. Five singles from the album were released, including the UK No. 11 "Sat in Your Lap" and the title track.

<i>Lionheart</i> (Kate Bush album) 1978 studio album by Kate Bush

Lionheart is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was released on 10 November 1978, just nine months after Bush's successful debut album The Kick Inside. Lionheart reached no. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and has been certified Platinum by the BPI.

<i>Never for Ever</i> 1980 studio album by Kate Bush

Never for Ever is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush, released on 8 September 1980 by EMI Records, it was Bush's first No. 1 album and was also the first album by a British female solo artist to top the UK Albums Chart, as well as being the first album by any female solo artist to enter the chart at No. 1. It has since been certified Gold by the BPI. It features the UK Top 20 singles "Breathing", "Army Dreamers" and "Babooshka", the latter being one of Bush's biggest hits. Bush co-produced the album with Jon Kelly.

The Single File is a video compilation and box set by the English musician Kate Bush. The video compilation album was released in 1983, and it contains the first twelve videos released by the artist. It was followed by a boxset, The Single File 1978~1983 containing thirteen singles on individual vinyl records.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1923 film) 1923 film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1923 American drama film starring Lon Chaney, directed by Wallace Worsley, and produced by Carl Laemmle and Irving Thalberg. The supporting cast includes Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Nigel de Brulier, and Brandon Hurst. Distributed by Universal Pictures, the film was the studio's "Super Jewel" of 1923 and was their most successful silent film, grossing $3.5 million. The film premiered on September 2, 1923 at the Astor Theatre in New York, New York, then went into release on September 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Running Up That Hill</span> 1985 single by Kate Bush

"Running Up That Hill", on some releases titled "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)", is a song by the English singer and songwriter Kate Bush. It was released in the United Kingdom as the lead single from Bush's fifth studio album Hounds of Love on 5 August 1985 by EMI Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babooshka (song)</span> 1980 single by Kate Bush

"Babooshka" is a song by English singer, songwriter Kate Bush, taken from her third studio album Never for Ever (1980). Released as a single in June 1980, it spent 10 weeks in the UK chart, peaking at number five. It was an even bigger hit in Australia, where it peaked at number two and was the 20th best-selling single of the year. It also peaked at number 2 in France on 28th Dec. 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hounds of Love (song)</span> 1986 single by Kate Bush

"Hounds of Love" is a song written, produced and performed by English singer Kate Bush. It is the title track and the third single released from her No. 1 studio album Hounds of Love. The single was released in the UK on 1 March 1986 and reached No. 18 in the UK Singles Chart.

Man of a Thousand Faces is a 1957 American dark dramatic film detailing the life of silent film actor Lon Chaney, played by James Cagney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Bush discography</span>

The discography of English singer-songwriter Kate Bush consists of 10 studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, six video albums, four box sets, five extended plays, 36 singles, seven promotional singles, and 39 music videos.

<i>A Blind Bargain</i> 1922 film by Wallace Worsley

A Blind Bargain is a 1922 American silent horror film starring Lon Chaney and Raymond McKee, released through Goldwyn Pictures. The film was directed by Wallace Worsley and is based on Barry Pain's 1897 novel The Octave of Claudius. Lon Chaney played a dual role in the film, as both Dr. Lamb and "the Ape Man", one of Chaney's few "true horror films". The claim that Wallace Beery appeared as an ape-man uncredited has never been proven, but does persist in many sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Experiment IV</span> 1986 single by Kate Bush

"Experiment IV" is a song by the English singer Kate Bush. It was released as a single on 27 October 1986, in order to promote Bush's greatest hits album The Whole Story. The single peaked at 23 in the UK Singles Chart, charting simultaneously with "Don't Give Up", Bush's duet with Peter Gabriel, which reached number 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wow (Kate Bush song)</span> 1979 single by Kate Bush

"Wow" is a song by the English musician Kate Bush. Originally released on her second album Lionheart in 1978, it was issued as the album's second single in March 1979. The song became a top 20 hit in the UK and in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloudbusting</span> 1985 single by Kate Bush

"Cloudbusting" is a song written, produced and performed by English singer Kate Bush. It was released as a single in October 1985, and was the second single released from her fifth studio album Hounds of Love (1985). "Cloudbusting" peaked at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony in Blue</span> 1979 single by Kate Bush

"Symphony in Blue" is a song written and recorded by Kate Bush and is the opening track to her second album, Lionheart. It was released as a single in Japan and Canada, and was the final single taken from Lionheart.

<i>On Stage</i> (EP) 1979 EP by Kate Bush

On Stage is a live recording of four songs performed on Kate Bush's Tour of Life in 1979. It was released on 31 August 1979 and peaked at number 10 on the UK chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tour of Life</span> 1979 concert tour by Kate Bush

The Tour of Life was the first and only concert tour by English singer-songwriter and musician Kate Bush. Starting in April 1979, the tour lasted just over six weeks. The tour was acclaimed for its incorporation of mime, magic, and readings during costume changes The show contained 24 performances from Bush's first two albums The Kick Inside and Lionheart, and new songs "Violin" and "Egypt" which would subsequently appear on Bush's third album Never for Ever (1980).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallace Worsley</span> American actor and film director

Wallace Ashley Worsley was an American stage actor who became a film actor and film director during the silent era. Over the course of his career, Worsley directed 29 films and acted in 7. He directed several movies starring Lon Chaney Sr., and his professional relationship with the actor was the best Chaney had, second to his partnership with Tod Browning.

References

  1. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hammer Horror". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. "Countdown [Australia]". 22 October 2017.
  4. "Cloudbusting / Music / Hammer Horror". Gaffa.org. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  5. "Kate Bush = ケイト・ブッシュ* - ハンマー・ホラー = Hammer Horror (Vinyl)". Discogs. 20 January 1978. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 50. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  7. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kate Bush" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. "Kate Bush – Hammer Horror" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  9. "Kate Bush – Hammer Horror". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  10. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.