
The Red Shoes was one song vastly improved by Bush’s rerecording on Director’s Cut. It’s not her greatest song, but its ambient synth and choral backing is luscious and enveloping. Belying Bush’s reputation as a pernickety studio perfectionist, it apparently took 10 days to write and record.

Lyra (2007)Ī single by default, not design: it charted on downloads from the soundtrack album of The Golden Compass alone. That said, the dramatic orchestral arrangement is great. Hammer Horror (1978)īush is no fan of her second album, Lionheart, saying in 2005: “I just didn’t like it.” Its flop lead single Hammer Horror wasn’t quite up to the standard set by her debut LP, The Kick Inside: it feels strained, as if it’s trying a bit too hard to sound kooky. Kate Bush had a whole album’s worth of flatly brilliant, at least vaguely festive-themed music in her – 2011’s 50 Words for Snow – but her first attempt at a Christmas single 31 years earlier fell oddly flat, never quite sounding as magical as its title suggests. The Man I Love (1994)Ī forgotten and atypical Bush single – a straight orchestral reading of the Great American Songbook standard, recorded for a tribute album of Gershwin songs by the legendary harmonica player Larry Adler. But it’s one instance where the original, replete with ethereal vocals by Trio Bulgarka (subsequently swamped by a guest appearance by Bush’s son, Bertie), is better. You could see why Bush chose to trail the Director’s Cut album, where she reinterpreted songs from her back catalogue, with Deeper Understanding – its lyric about the isolating effects of technology seems weirdly prescient for a song from the 80s. The song “W.O.R.K.” remains a memorable song from their debut album, having it help the band’s music sell.Clearly struggling over what the hell to release from her fourth album – frequently brilliant, but deeply experimental and devoid of obvious singles – her label plumped for the title track, an Aussie-accented tale of the destruction of Indigenous Australians’ homelands in the search for uranium. Lwin disappoints not having her sing powerfully to the song’s beats, giving us the best of the pubescent voices ever in the new wave music genre. You can’t help but love the sublime drum and bass instrumentals that serve as the perfect way to introduce you to the musical style of Bow Wow Wow. Ushering us into the top 10 Bow Wow Wow songs is the song “W.O.R.K.” from the band’s debut album. Here are the top 10 Bow Wow Wow songs that bring the best of surf instrumentals and the Burundi ritual drum beats. On the other hand, Bow Wow Wow would remain quite an influential band with their songs characterized by a danceable new wave sound and seditious lyrics.

However, George would not stay for long, leaving to establish a new band under the name Culture Club and later achieved global success as Boy George. McLaren would shortly add George Alan O’Dowd to the band as a lead vocalist to sing along with Lwin. Lwin grabbed the opportunity with both hands having her impress McLaren and the other Bow Wow Wow members. McLaren led his new band members in a six-month audition process, searching for a perfect lead artist who would suit their requirements for a mega new wave band.Īfter a long search, the band would heed to music director and talent scout Dave Fishel’s suggestion to audition thirteen-year-old Annabella Lwin, who he heard singing along to the radio at a laundromat. Leaving Adam Ant from the former band meant that Bow Wow Wow had no vocalist.

These would include drummer David Barbe, bassist Leigh Gorman, and guitarist Matthew Ashman. Bow Wow Wow would start in 1980, thanks to the efforts of Malcolm McLaren (former Sex Pistols manager) in persuading some members of the Adam and the Ants band to form a new group under his management. Our Top 10 Bow Wow Wow Songs introduces us to a band that made quite a mark with a huge hit entitled “I Want Candy,” sung by a teen as their lead singer.

Photo: Braunov, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
