Experiment IV
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| "Experiment IV" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Kate Bush | ||
| from the album The Whole Story | ||
| B-side(s) | "Wuthering Heights (New Vocal)" | |
| Released | 27 October 1986 | |
| Format | 7" single / 12" single | |
| Recorded | 1985 | |
| Genre | Art rock | |
| Length | 4:19 | |
| Label | EMI | |
| Writer(s) | Kate Bush | |
| Producer(s) | Kate Bush | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Kate Bush singles chronology | ||
| "The Big Sky" (1986) |
"Experiment IV" (1986) |
"The Sensual World" (1989) |
"Experiment IV" was the one new song on Kate Bush's hits album The Whole Story (excluding the re-recorded rendition of "Wuthering Heights"). "Experiment IV" was also the only single release from The Whole Story.
The song tells a story about a secret military plan to create a sound that is horrific enough to kill from a distance. The ending of the story is unclear, but in the music video the people working on the project are killed by the horrific sound. The concept of sound being used to kill from a distance is somewhat similar to the sound weapon in the film Biggles: Adventures in Time, which was released the same year as "Experiment IV".
At the end of the song a helicopter is heard (the very same helicopter sound heard in Pink Floyd's The Happiest Days of our Lives from their 1979 album, The Wall) and a helicopter plays a key role in the film, but it is unclear whether these are coincidences or not.
The music video includes cameos from Dawn French and Hugh Laurie, and was banned from Top of The Pops because it was considered too violent.[1]
"Experiment IV" was released on October 27 1986 and climbed to number 23 in the UK Singles Chart.
