Hounds of Love (song)

"Hounds of Love"
Single by Kate Bush
from the album Hounds of Love
B-side "The Handsome Cabin Boy"
"Jig of Life"
"Burning Bridge"
"My Lagan Love"
Released 24 February 1986 (1986-02-24)
Format 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Recorded 1984
Genre Art rock
Length 3:02
Label EMI
Writer(s) Kate Bush
Producer Kate Bush
Kate Bush singles chronology
"Cloudbusting"
(1985)		 "Hounds of Love"
(1986)		 "The Big Sky"
(1986)
Music sample
Hounds of Love

"Hounds of Love" is the title track of the Hounds of Love album by Kate Bush, the third of the album's four singles. The single was released on 24 February 1986, and reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song is about being afraid to fall in love; in the song this feeling is compared to being chased by a pack of hounds.

The music video (directed by Bush herself) was very much inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's film The 39 Steps and 'Hitchcock' also features in the video (a nod to the director's famous cameo appearances in his movies).

The versions worldwide differ slightly: the US single mix included an additional chorus just after the second chorus.

The words "it's in the trees, it's coming!" heard at the beginning of the track are sampled from the British 1957 horror film Night of the Demon and are spoken by an actor from the film, Maurice Denham.[2]

Contents

Track listings

All songs written and composed by Kate Bush.

7" single (UK)
No. Title Length
1. "Hounds of Love"   3:01
2. "The Handsome Cabin Boy"   3:10
7" single (US)
No. Title Length
1. "Hounds of Love"   3:01
2. "Burning Bridge"   4:38
12" single (UK)
No. Title Length
1. "Alternative Hounds of Love"   3:44
2. "Jig of Life"   4:06
3. "The Handsome Cabin Boy"   3:10
12" single (US)
No. Title Length
1. "Alternative Hounds of Love"   3:44
2. "Burning Bridge"   4:38
3. "My Lagan Love"   2:31

Chart performance

Chart (1986) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[1] 18
German Singles Chart[3] 68
Irish Singles Chart[4] 12
Canadian Singles Chart [1] 84

The Futureheads version

"Hounds of Love"
Single by The Futureheads
from the album The Futureheads
B-side "Man Made (A Mistake)"
"Decent Days and Nights"
Released 21 February 2005 (2005-02-21)
Format 7" vinyl, CD
Recorded 2004
Genre Indie rock
Length 3:05
Label 679 Recordings
Writer(s) Kate Bush
Producer Paul Epworth
The Futureheads singles chronology
"Meantime"
(2004)		 "Hounds of Love"
(2005)		 "Area"
(2005)

"Hounds of Love" was recorded in 2004 by the British post-punk band The Futureheads for their self titled debut album, and was released as a single in 2005. The single peaked at #8 on the UK charts in its first week[5] and was named Best Single of 2005 by NME. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 89 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[6]

Track listings

7" vinyl single
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Hounds of Love"   Kate Bush 3:05
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Man Made (A Mistake)"   The Futureheads 2:37
CD single #1
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Hounds of Love"   Kate Bush 3:05
2. "Hounds of Love" (Phones' Wolves at the Door Remix) Kate Bush 5:18
CD single #2
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Hounds of Love"   Kate Bush 3:05
2. "Decent Days and Nights" (acoustic) The Futureheads 2:39
3. "Hounds of Love" (Mystery Jets' Pirate Invasion mix) Kate Bush 4:24
4. "Man Made (A Mistake)"   The Futureheads 5:13
5. "Hounds of Love" (music video (data track)) Kate Bush  

Chart performance

Chart (2005) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[5] 8
Irish Singles Chart[4] 26

Other cover versions

"Hounds of Love" was covered in 1998 by the Australian band Bluebottle Kiss on their EP Tap Dancing on the Titanic. In 2005 the Australian pop band Frente! added the song to their Try To Think Less EP. Indie rockers Ra Ra Riot performed "Hounds of Love" as a WOXY.com Lounge Act in 2007. Australian band The Church released a cover version of this song on their Coffee Hounds EP in 2009. 30 Seconds to Mars covered the song in 2010.

References

  1. ^ a b "Chart Stats - Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love". http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=13181. Retrieved 8 February 2009 (2009-02-08). 
  2. ^ "Kate Bush quotations at Gaffaweb". http://gaffa.org/cloud/music/hounds_of_love.html. Retrieved 8 February 2009 (2009-02-08). 
  3. ^ "charts-surfer.de search results". http://www.charts-surfer.de. Retrieved 8 February 2009 (2009-02-08). 
  4. ^ a b "irishcharts.ie search results". http://www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 8 February 2009 (2009-02-08). 
  5. ^ a b "Chart Stats - The Futureheads - Hounds Of Love". http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=621. Retrieved 8 February 2009 (2009-02-08). 
  6. ^ http://www.nme.com/list/150-best-tracks-of-the-past-15-years/248648/page/7
Kate Bush
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Related articles
The Futureheads
Ross Millard • Dave Hyde • Barry Hyde • David "Jaff" Craig
Albums
EPs
Singles
"First Day" · "Decent Days and Nights" · "Meantime" · "Hounds of Love" · "Decent Days and Nights (Shy Child Remix)" · "Area" · "Skip to the End" · "Worry About It Later" · "The Beginning of the Twist" · "Radio Heart" · "Walking Backwards" · "I Wouldn't Be Like This if You Were Here" · "Heartbeat Song" · "I Can Do That"