Them Heavy People

[Kevin2]

xanadu76 said:

I'll bet they edit her performance out. Aren't I always the sunshine?

DVD TV sets are notorious for removing songs and portions they can't retain the rights to. I'm sure there will be some legal issue they'll get tangled in with her and it won't be there... holding to my theory that the powers that be wish to remove her past performances from the pop consciousness.

But, hope still remains...

hrm... the musical guest has been integral part of SNL since its inception. At this point DVDs are so nearly a throwback to the 20th century - the trend is to provide bonus material rather than to cut out what was originally aired.

Just trying to blow a bit of sunshine.

Wait. Which shows have cut out musical performances from their DVD releases?

[Adena]

If I may detour back to the song.

I love this song, it embodies a lot of my delightful life so far. Being hit in a soft spot by people, having the ball rolled to your court, and being taken care of. Thirsting to learn. This song is insightful, both in its deeper meaning and its straight-down-the-line literal meaning.

[Al Truest]

adena said:

If I may detour back to the song.

I love this song, it embodies a lot of my delightful life so far. Being hit in a soft spot by people, having the ball rolled to your court, and being taken care of. Thirsting to learn. This song is insightful, both in its deeper meaning and its straight-down-the-line literal meaning.

Welcome adena.

This song successfully hooked me on Kate Bush. It was my first exposure to her. And in that there was the visual and dance component to her performance; it sealed the deal. Lyrically, visually, musically - she has it all for me.

[rosabelbelieve]

Yes, welcome! Funnily enough, this was sort of the song that got me into Kate as well- it's hard to pinpoint when that was, exactly, but the Christmas special video for this song had a lot to do with it.

[Adena]

This was the one that got me hooked on her back when I was about 3 and my parents used to play it over and over. Then I sort of went off Kate Bush, and I only rediscovered her when I got the Aerial album, but I think this song's still my all-time favourite of Kate's.

[rosabelbelieve]

Seems it's a good introduction to Kate, then.

[Adena]

I'd say so. It's a very prettily veiled song that addresses multiple issues in its veiled and upfront meanings. I have absolutely loved this song from the minute I first heard it.

[tannis]

Q: In Them Heavy People you mention Gurdjieff. Do you follow his teachings?
KB: "I've read some of his work, and recently saw the film Meetings With Remarkable Men, and had tea with Peter Brook, the director, afterwards. Pa and my brother John are into him seriously, and I'm hoping to persuade John to write an article about him for a future Newsletter."
gaffa.org/garden/kate3.html


Kate on Them Heavy People

The idea for Heavy People came when I was just sitting one day in my parents' house. I heard the phrase "Rolling the ball" in my head, and I thought that it would be a good way to start a song, so I ran in to the piano and played it and got the chords down. I then worked on it from there.

It has lots of different people and ideas and things like that in it, and they came to me amazingly easily--it was a bit like Oh England, because in a way so much of it was what was happening at home at the time. My brother and my father were very much involved in talking about Gurdjieff and whirling Dervishes, and I was really getting into it, too. It was just like plucking out a bit of that and putting it into something that rhymed. And it happened so easily--in a way, too easily. I say that because normally it's difficult to get it all to happen at once, but sometimes it does, and that can seem sort of wrong. Usually you have to work hard for things to happen, but it seems that the better you get at them the more likely you are to do something that is good without any effort. [In fact, however, Kate says even now that her music still comes very slowly, generally speaking.] And because of that it's always a surprise when something comes easily.

I thought it was important not to be narrow-minded just because we talked about Gurdjieff. I knew that I didn't mean his system was the only way, and that was why it was important to include whirling Dervishes and Jesus, because they are strong, too. Anyway, in the long run, although somebody might be into all of them, it's really you that does it--they're just the vehicle to get you there.

I always felt that Heavy People should be a single, but I just had a feeling that it shouldn't be a second single, although a lot of people wanted that. Maybe that's why I had the feeling--because it was to happen a little later, and in fact I never really liked the album version much because it should be quite loose, you know: it's a very human song. And I think, in fact, every time I do it, it gets even looser. I've danced and sung that song so many times now, but it's still like a hymn to me when I sing it. I do sometimes get bored with the actual words I'm singing, but the meaning I put into them is still a comfort. It's like a prayer, and it reminds me of direction. And it can't help but help me when I'm singing those words. Subconsciously they must go in.

Kate's KBC article, Issue 4 (Christmas 1979)
gaffa.org/garden/kate4.html

[rosabelbelieve]

^ Very enlightening quote. Thank you for posting it. It's interesting that she would say she never really liked the album version. IMO, the official one is of course lovely, but really doesn't hold a candle to the Christmas special version, which is fantastic.

[Adena]

I love the Christmas version. It showcases Kate's singing so much more eloquently than the album version.

[tannis]

The Efteling Kate Bush Special

Them Heavy People

For the Kate Bush special we see Kate reflected in the ball as she sings the song. On a certain point in time she bursts into laughter and can't continue to lip-syc. I can imagine this when I think of her position. She must be laying on the ground in front of the giant with her knees withdrawn and with bright lights in her face. In this situation I agree that it must be hard to concentrate on your performance!

The next shot is recorded in the fairytale forest where we see Kate in front of the entrance of the Indian Water lilies attraction. In front of the entrance there are two giant Indian temple guard statutes. Kate dances between them.

The following scene shows Kate again in the main show of the haunted castle. She is on the attic above the passage with the monks. There three old men swing from left to right. Normally it's only the three of them but in the special Kate joined them and it seems like they dance with her

kate Bush - Them Heavy people
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CujbrJbp8g
0:15...

The Efteling Kate Bush Special
www.xs4all.nl/~gniletfe/katebush.htm

[tannis]

June 23, 1978: Kate promotes Them Heavy People to Japanese Fans...

Kate Bush - Them Heavy People
www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_W7vH18aX4
Kate dances while Japanese singers mangle "Them Heavy People" from her debut album, "The Kick Inside" ...

"By far the most remarkable of all the Japanese performances, however, is Rolling the Ball, an arrangement for Sixties-style swing band of Kate’s song Them Heavy People. Lead vocals are shared by two Japanese Enka singers (unidentified), who tart up the song with artful Vegas loung-act mannerisms and a total ignorance of the meaning of the lyrics. During the instrumental bridge of the song a group of male dancers suddenly appear, along with Kate herself, and the makeshift dance-troupe kick up a disco storm."
PASSING THROUGH AIR: The Videography ~ June 1978.
gaffa.org/passing/index.html

[rosabelbelieve]

^ That was really hilarious. ;D Also shows that Kate doesn't take herself too seriously, I think, and what a good quality that is.

[tannis]

Isn't that wonderful! ... Them Heavy People meets pavlova, all fluffy and light! ;D

[Adena]

Kate Bush meets the disco ball, more like.