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Post by Lori on Jul 7, 2003 21:52:12 GMT
Out on the wiley, windy moors We'd roll and fall in green You had a temper like my jealousy Too hot, too greedy How could you leave me When I needed to possess you? I hated you. I loved you, too
Bad dreams in the night They told me I was going to lose the fight Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering, Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, it's me - Cathy Come home. I'm so cold! Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it's me - Cathy Come home. I'm so cold! Let me in-a-your window
Ooh, it gets dark! It gets lonely On the other side from you I pine a lot. I find the lot Falls through without you I'm coming back, love Cruel Heathcliff, my one dream My only master
Too long I roam in the night I'm coming back to his side, to put it right I'm coming home to wuthering, wuthering, Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, it's me - Cathy Come home. I'm so cold! Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it's me - Cathy Come home. I'm so cold! Let me in-a-your window
Ooh! Let me have it Let me grab your soul away Ooh! Let me have it Let me grab your soul away You know it's me - Cathy!
Heathcliff, it's me - Cathy Come home. I'm so cold! Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it's me - Cathy Come home. I'm so cold! Let me in-a-your window
Heathcliff, it's me - Cathy Come home. I'm so cold!
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Post by Xanadu on Jul 23, 2003 19:18:24 GMT
"Well, it's always best to start at the beginning..." Glinda - The Wizard of Oz So, I though I'd kick this off with a little bit I have on "Wuthering Heights" It's pretty commonly known that it is based on the novel of the same name by Emily Bronte, one of three sisters from Haworth, all of whom wrote. Emily was mostly a poet, this being her only novel. Kate Bush had seen the classic film starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier. Kate: "It's about the end of the film where Cathy has died and she's coming back as a spirit across the moors to get Heathcliff again. It struck me very strongly that it shows a lot about human beings because if they can't get what they want they will go to such extremes in order to do it. And this is what she did - she didn't even leave him alone when she was dead, she had to come back and get him, and I found it amazing." After the film, Kate read the book and took a special interest in the eerie fact that her and Bronte share the same birthday, July 30th. She felt the spirit was captured in the final page of the novel, where the narrator stops to look at the three headstones. Kate: "I felt I just had to write a song about the tormented heroine Cathy calling for the soul of Heathcliff so they could be together eternally. It was a real challenge to précis the whole mood of a book into such a short piece." My connection to this was that I had seen the film with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche and was so moved that I read the book. Quite soon after, actually looking for a different song (This Woman's Work, see my discovery of Kate! ) I found The Whole Story cassette and the first song it played was Wuthering Heights! I still get chills like the first time I heard it, and the eerie fact that I had just finished reading it! I highly recommend reading the book, especially the end. All the film versions are great, however, the only one that I have seen that deals with the second half of the story, and the part Kate refers to in that quote, is the recent version with Fiennes. As a matter of fact, I own the soundtrack to that film and the melody is reminicent of the song Mna h'Eireann (? ) that Kate sings on Celtic Voices! They really have no connection, but it's a wonderful feeling when I listen to them!
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Post by Sto on Jul 25, 2003 12:26:02 GMT
I was actually quite surprised, when I read the book, that it didn't feature more of Catherine in the window. In fact, it takes up about a paragraph! "You had a temper like my jealousy" I'm a bit puzzled over the above line. I can see how she sees Heathcliff as having a temper, but of whom is Catherine jealous? I see it the other way round: Catherine had a temper and Heathcliff was jealous of her marriage to Edgar. I think that Heathcliff's temper resulted from his jealousy. Anyway, I'll give Kate a break , it's an extremely well-written song and it's what got me hooked on Kate. If you ask a total stranger to name a Kate Bush song, I'm sure this would be the one mentioned most frequently. Perhaps it's because it was her only Number 1, or perhaps because it was her first single which established her unique sound. Whatever the reason, it has survived 25 years and is still played on VH1, Radio 2 (in the UK) etc. Not bad for your first single, hey?
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Post by Xanadu on Jul 25, 2003 18:30:06 GMT
I was actually quite surprised, when I read the book, that it didn't feature more of Catherine in the window. In fact, it takes up about a paragraph! "You had a temper like my jealousy" I'm a bit puzzled over the above line. I can see how she sees Heathcliff as having a temper, but of whom is Catherine jealous? I see it the other way round: Catherine had a temper and Heathcliff was jealous of her marriage to Edgar. I think that Heathcliff's temper resulted from his jealousy. Some first hit song is right! I agree with the window part only being a paragraph, but it is a chilling scene. I think the reference to Cathy's jealousy is a little hard to figure, and I had the same thoughts as you when I heard the song. Heathcliff has both a temper and jealousy over Cathy, and she with him, is what I figured. Cathy toys with his emotions, loving him then turning cold, until he leaves suddenly when she speaks to Nelly about marrying Edgar because Heathcliff is to low. Heathcliff overhears, but not the part where she says that Heathcliff is her heart and passion... "Out on the wiley, windy moors We'd roll and fall in green. You had a temper like my jealousy: Too hot, too greedy. How could you leave me, When I needed to possess you? I hated you. I loved you, too." She hated that he was the wild passion in her that she couldn't control, like a properly brought up young woman. She wanted it all, thus "too greedy." To have the proper marriage to Edgar, whom she liked and tolerated, and Heathcliff nearby at her call for her heart and soul. When he leaves, her soul is crushed, but she barely survives with the tender care of Edgar. There is a long part in the book, after Cathy marries Edgar, where Heathcliff returns a dark, educated, rich man. He woos Edgar's delicate sister Isabelle to enrage Cathy. Thus, her jealousy over Isabelle having Heathcliff (particularly her brutal teasing of Isabelle over her feelings about him, and her telling her that he is cruel). This heart-breaking torture is explained after the birth of baby Catherine. "Bad dreams in the night. They told me I was going to lose the fight, Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering Wuthering Heights. " "Ooh, it gets dark! It gets lonely, On the other side from you. I pine a lot. I find the lot Falls through without you. I'm coming back, love. Cruel Heathcliff, my one dream, My only master." "Too long I roam in the night. I'm coming back to his side, to put it right. I'm coming home to wuthering, wuthering, Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff, it's me--Cathy. Come home. I'm so cold! Let me in-a-your window. Ooh! Let me have it. Let me grab your soul away. Ooh! Let me have it. Let me grab your soul away. You know it's me--Cathy!" In one of my favorite parts of the book, Heathcliff goes to her grave and curses her soul to never leave him as long as he is living, may she never know a day of peaceful rest. So Cathy is doomed to roam the moors, haunting and watching him. Remember, he feels her presence with him when he needs to see her again and nearly exhumes her body. He stops when he feels her above him. When there is nothing left for him, their story and family is complete, she won't tolerate her loneliness for him any longer. "Let me grab your soul away... You know it's me Cathy..." I also love the part after the death of Hindley, where Heathcliff asks Hareton if one branch won't grow as crooked as another with the same wind to twist it (forgive me, I don't have the exact quote). This is where the film version with Fiennes continues and tells the second half of the book. If you like the novel, I also recommend a sequel (yes I know, but it's actually very good) called Heathcliff from the 70's, by Jeffrey Caine. It tells the possible story of what happens to Heathcliff while he's away. I also liked Jane Eyre, not Emily Bronte, but definitely a similar feel. ;D
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Post by Sto on Jul 27, 2003 9:17:29 GMT
I see where you're coming from. That's a very powerful part of the book. Do you think he regretted doing this in the end? His wish came true, to an extent, which meant that she was always with him when he needed her. It did mean, though, that he could never leave her behind or move on. I suppose that's what he wanted though! I'd like to try "Jane Eyre" at some point soon, as well as the suggestions you made a couple of weeks ago. I found a copy of "Great Expectations" at home so I've decided I'm going to do that one first and probably then "Jane Eyre". I'm going to be a busy boy!
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Post by Xanadu on Jul 28, 2003 17:45:29 GMT
I hope you like Great Expectations, have you seen any of the film versions yet? Are you a so called "clean-slate" for it? I liked that novel, but my favorite Di*ckens is A Tale of Two Cities Looks like so far, either we're the only ones who have read Wuthering Heights or have anything to add about it. I went back and looked at my much loved, dog-eared and marked copy, just for the purpose of discussion, so I'm all set!
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Post by colleen on Sept 2, 2003 9:20:19 GMT
I too love this novel, one of the most beautifully structured tales of all time. Kate brought me to it. I was reading it avidly all the time that "Wuthering Heights" sat at No 1 in the Australian charts (from memory, at least 5 or 6 weeks in 1978). My friends all thought I was very knowledgeable as I could explain the lyrics in terms of the novel! What a little show-off!!! Actually, my love of "Wuthering Heights" led me to one classic novel after another - all the Bronte's works, then Jane Austen, Dickens, Thomas Hardy etc. I became obsessed with Victorian literature. So much so that I ended up a high school English teacher! And all because of Kate! I now proudly teach "Wuthering Heights" as a set text to my Senior students and indulge my passion for Kate by showing them the original music video (Kate in the red dress out on the moors). The kids usually love it or hate it but they definitely pay attention! Incidentally, I have always assumed that the "jealousy" referred to in the song is that felt by Catherine towards the Heathcliff-Isabella relationship. She saw it as a total betrayal (never mind the fact that she betrayed her great love first by settling for the bourgeois life with Edgar Linton!) Catherine is definitely a contrary creature...
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Post by Xanadu on Sept 2, 2003 18:34:56 GMT
We have something (besided Kate) in common, Colleen! I actually began to love literature at about 14, and all through high school. But my specific love is for Late 19th Century/Early 20th Century British, American, and French. I am still an avid reader of many types of writing, from sci-fi/fantasy to true crime! I have mentioned here that I was an art major, but also studied literature, along with psychology briefly (I believe in education as a continuing process, so I nearly killed myself in college! ) When I though I may not want to pursue a career as an artist (the field had much changed with technology during my 4 years) I considered a career as a psychologist or an English teacher! Well, the change of major to psychology would have taken too many more years, and as for English... I realized I didn't like children that much! ;D I salute you for your patience to teach a subject close to your heart to high school seniors. "You are a better man than I, Gunga Din!" I had just read "Wuthering Heights" before first hearing the song. It was an eerie experience! And, can you imagine my surprise (when first discovering Kate) being that I love Henry James?! I agree about the "jealousy", but I think it was also her desire to possess him. She wanted to have all her desires, her "greed," and also Heathcliff. She wanted to keep him low, to always be with her, while she could enjoy her serene and respectable life with Edgar. She was jealous and angry over many aspects - Heathcliff's soul, his freedom, Isabella, her obligations, her passion. She needs all attention and love, and will settle for nothing less. In the novel, does anyone feel that Cathy truly would have made different decisions under other circumstances? That in the mortal world, they could only have existed to torment one another? Too much passion and fire, perhaps, would have destroyed them in any sense?
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Post by colleen on Sept 4, 2003 8:50:07 GMT
It's always nice to discover a kindred spirit, Xan! Regarding your comment about not wanting to be an English teacher because you don't like kids much - well, to tell the truth, they drive me crazy most days! Especially the 13 & 14 year olds who model themselves on Britney Spears and say "Whatever!?" a lot . I have only just started teaching this year, after spending five years at university (in my late 30s) studying history, literature, theology and anthropology. In a strange way, I think my growing interest throughout my life in a variety of subjects has been triggered and supported by Kate's music - her songs are full of so many intriguing ideas that I have often discovered an author (eg. James Joyce because of "The Sensual World") or a topic that has become fascinating to me (eg. Crippen because of "Coffee Home Ground"). But it all definitely started with "Wuthering Heights"!
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Post by Xanadu on Sept 4, 2003 17:57:59 GMT
It's always nice to discover a kindred spirit, Xan! In a strange way, I think my growing interest throughout my life in a variety of subjects has been triggered and supported by Kate's music It is exciting to discover that we have other interests in common, brought together by our love for Kate Bush's music! That gives us so many other subjects and opinions to share here. Everyday, this forum has the potential to become so much more than just a place to obsess about Kate. It's only too bad that she can't appreciate how she has brought others together! I don't think it's stange... it is possible that her "weirdness" and diversity have inspired you! Although Kate's music continues to support me in other areas, I have had a different experience than you. Since I was a bit older discovering Kate, I found strangely that we had interests in common. In a way, she sort of tells me her feelings about things we share in her songs. You mentioned you became interested in Crippen after "Coffee Homeground", while I, on the other hand, had already studied it (and other old true crime cases) and thought about the connection when I heard the song! This has happened so many times, I become addicted to more discovery! ;D I then seek out learning more about the other subjects she writes about, and I find them just as compelling!
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kate123
Under Ice
i love kate bush
Posts: 8
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Post by kate123 on Dec 2, 2004 15:39:05 GMT
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Post by Lori on Dec 2, 2004 15:44:40 GMT
Well I tried reading the book, but it was very difficult for me to get into so I ended up giving up. I bought the film off eBay a few years ago and that made more sense. The quality of the video was really bad but I managed to get the jist of it. I think she died from some disease, maybe TB? Anyone else like to answer a bit better than I have here? 'Cos this is very vague
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Post by Al Truest on Dec 2, 2004 21:15:21 GMT
'Complications from childbirth.
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Post by Lori on Dec 3, 2004 22:53:27 GMT
Really? Explain. I could've sworn it was something like TB, unless the video has slight changes
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Post by Al Truest on Dec 4, 2004 1:36:15 GMT
Really? Explain. I could've sworn it was something like TB, unless the video has slight changes Actually the best answer here is that she died from stress. The ''can't live with him, can't live without him'' syndrome.
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