King of the Mountain
Encyclopedia
"King of the Mountain" is a song by British
singer-songwriter Kate Bush
. Taken from her album Aerial
, it was released in 2005 and is the album's only single. The song was written and produced by Bush.
on 24 October 2005 - her first single since "And So Is Love
," which had been released 12 years before. It was first played on BBC Radio 2
on 21 September 2005. Written about ten years before most of the songs on Aerial, the lyrics
enquire whether Elvis Presley
might still be alive someplace, "...looking like a happy man..." and playing with "Rosebud", Kane
's childhood's sledge, and comment on the pressures of extreme fame and wealth. In a November 2005 interview with BBC4's "Front Row" Bush said, "I don't think human beings are really built to withstand that kind of fame. Sung in a slightly slurred Elvis-type manner, the track was produced
by Bush; the recording was engineered
by Del Palmer
and mastered by James Guthrie
. The cover art is a drawing by her son Bertie.
The B-side of the UK single is a cover version of Marvin Gaye
's "Sexual Healing
", which features Irish musician Davy Spillane
on uilleann pipes, originally recorded for his 1994 A Place Among the Stones album. The track was left off the Spillane album as it didn't fit with the sound of the rest of the record and before the 2005 release, Kate's version of "Sexual Healing" had only been heard publicly once, at the 1994 Kate Bush fan club convention in the Hippodrome, London
.
Upon its release, the single was an immediate success by entering the UK charts at #4, thus becoming Bush's highest-charting single in more than 20 years (since "Running Up that Hill
" reached #3 in August 1985). The single also reached the Top 5 in Canada
and charted well in many other countries. It is the only single from the album Aerial
.
The music video received its first airing on the UK's Channel 4
on 15 October 2005. It was directed by Jimmy Murakami
, produced by Michael Algar, edited at The Farm (Dublin) by Hugh Chaloner with flame and 3D effects by Niall O hOisin, Arron Inglis, Brian O'Durnin and Mark from Australia.
7": EMI / EM 674 (United Kingdom
'CD: EMI / CDEM 674' has the same track listing
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer-songwriter Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
. Taken from her album Aerial
Aerial (album)
Aerial is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter and musician Kate Bush.-Overview:Aerial is Bush's first double album, and was released after a twelve year absence from the music industry during which Bush devoted her time to family and the rearing of her son, Bertie...
, it was released in 2005 and is the album's only single. The song was written and produced by Bush.
Overview
"King of the Mountain" was released as a single by EMI RecordsEMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
on 24 October 2005 - her first single since "And So Is Love
And So Is Love
CD single-Charts:...
," which had been released 12 years before. It was first played on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
on 21 September 2005. Written about ten years before most of the songs on Aerial, the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
enquire whether Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
might still be alive someplace, "...looking like a happy man..." and playing with "Rosebud", Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
's childhood's sledge, and comment on the pressures of extreme fame and wealth. In a November 2005 interview with BBC4's "Front Row" Bush said, "I don't think human beings are really built to withstand that kind of fame. Sung in a slightly slurred Elvis-type manner, the track was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Bush; the recording was engineered
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
by Del Palmer
Del Palmer
Del Palmer is a British bass guitarist and sound engineer, best known for his work with Kate Bush, with whom he also had a long-term relationship between the late 1970s and early 1990s.-Biography:...
and mastered by James Guthrie
James Guthrie (record producer)
James K.A. Guthrie is a British recording engineer and record producer best known for his work with the progressive rock band Pink Floyd, having served as a producer and engineer for the band since 1978...
. The cover art is a drawing by her son Bertie.
The B-side of the UK single is a cover version of Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's "Sexual Healing
Sexual Healing
"Sexual Healing" is a 1982 song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye on the Columbia Records label. It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year, following the release of the In Our Lifetime album the previous year...
", which features Irish musician Davy Spillane
Davy Spillane
Davy Spillane is a songwriter and a player of uilleann pipes and low whistle.early yearsDavy was born in Dublin in 1959 . At the age of 12 he started playing the uilleann pipes. His father encouraged him and inspired him with his love of all music genres...
on uilleann pipes, originally recorded for his 1994 A Place Among the Stones album. The track was left off the Spillane album as it didn't fit with the sound of the rest of the record and before the 2005 release, Kate's version of "Sexual Healing" had only been heard publicly once, at the 1994 Kate Bush fan club convention in the Hippodrome, London
Hippodrome, London
The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Charing Cross Road and Leicester Square in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survivors...
.
Upon its release, the single was an immediate success by entering the UK charts at #4, thus becoming Bush's highest-charting single in more than 20 years (since "Running Up that Hill
Running Up That Hill
12" Maxi single -Charts:-Placebo version:Alternative rock band Placebo covered "Running Up that Hill", releasing it originally on the bonus disc of their 2003 album Sleeping with Ghosts, then featuring it on Covers and the US version of Meds in 2007. Placebo's take on the song is more downbeat than...
" reached #3 in August 1985). The single also reached the Top 5 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and charted well in many other countries. It is the only single from the album Aerial
Aerial (album)
Aerial is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter and musician Kate Bush.-Overview:Aerial is Bush's first double album, and was released after a twelve year absence from the music industry during which Bush devoted her time to family and the rearing of her son, Bertie...
.
The music video received its first airing on the UK's Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on 15 October 2005. It was directed by Jimmy Murakami
Jimmy Murakami
Teruaki "Jimmy" Murakami, , is a Japanese American animator and director with a long career working in numerous countries. Among his best-known works are the animated adaptations of the Raymond Briggs books When the Wind Blows and The Snowman...
, produced by Michael Algar, edited at The Farm (Dublin) by Hugh Chaloner with flame and 3D effects by Niall O hOisin, Arron Inglis, Brian O'Durnin and Mark from Australia.
7": EMI / EM 674 (United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
)
'CD: EMI / CDEM 674' has the same track listingCharts
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Charts | 4 |
| Finland | 3 |
| Italian Singles Charts | 4 |
| Hot Canadian Digital Singles | 5 |
| UK Downloads Chart | 6 |
| European Hot 100 | 12 |
| Dutch Single Top 100 | 13 |
| Ireland | 13 |
| Germany | 42 |
| Switzerland | 47 |
| Austria | 71 |