Hammer Horror (song)
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2012}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Hammer Horror
| cover = Kate Bush - Hammer Horror.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Kate Bush
| album = Lionheart
| B-side = Coffee Homeground
| released = 3 November 1978
| recorded = July–September 1978
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = *Glam rock
| length = 4:39
4:25 (edit)
| label = EMI
| writer = Kate Bush
| producer = Andrew Powell
assisted by Kate Bush
| prev_title = The Man with the Child in His Eyes
| prev_year = 1978
| next_title = Wow
| next_year = 1979
| misc = {{External music video|type=single|header=Music video|1={{YouTube|XR4KnfcgLm0|"Hammer Horror"}}}}
}}
"Hammer Horror" is a song by Kate Bush, released as the first single from her second album Lionheart. It was released on 3 November 1978.{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1978/Music-Week-1978-11-04.pdf|title=Music Week|page=68}} The song peaked at No. 44 and spent 6 weeks in the UK Singles Chart.{{Cite web |date=1978-11-11 |title=HAMMER HORROR |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/kate-bush-hammer-horror/ |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Official Charts |language=en}} The parent album, Lionheart, was released on 10 November 1978 reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart.{{Cite web |date=1978-11-25 |title=LIONHEART |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/kate-bush-lionheart/ |access-date=2024-10-09 |website=Official Charts |language=en}}
"Hammer Horror"s low chart position proved to be a temporary phenomenon, as Bush's next single returned her to the top 20. In other countries it fared better, including in Ireland and Australia, where the song reached No. 10 and No.17 respectively.
Description
The song references Hammer Films, a company specializing in horror movies. However, Bush conceived of the song after viewing the film Man of a Thousand Faces, a biographical film – not produced by Hammer – about Lon Chaney starring James Cagney. "The song was inspired by seeing James Cagney playing the part of Lon Chaney playing the hunchback", Bush stated in 1979. "He was an actor in an actor in an actor, rather like Chinese boxes, and that's what I was trying to create." The theme of the song concerns an actor who is thrust into the lead role of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame after the original actor dies in an accident on the film set.{{cite web |url=http://gaffa.org/cloud/music/hammer_horror.html |title=Cloudbusting / Music / Hammer Horror |website=Gaffa.org |access-date=2016-10-13}} The guilt-ridden narrator of the song is haunted by the ghost of the jealous original actor, who was a former friend. A promotional video was made for the single featuring Bush and a black-masked dancer performing the song against a black background.
The B-side of the song was "Coffee Homeground", also from Lionheart.
While in Australia during a promotional tour, Kate Bush devised the dance routine for the song in her Melbourne hotel room, and performed the song on the television show Countdown.{{Cite web|url=https://www.katebushencyclopedia.com/countdown-australia|title = Countdown [Australia]| date=22 October 2017 }}
Track listing
All tracks written and composed by Kate Bush.
7" vinyl
- "Hammer Horror" – 4:38
- "Coffee Homeground" – 3:39
- "Hammer Horror" – 4:15
- "Coffee Homeground" – 3:39
Personnel
{{columns-start}}
Musicians
- Stuart Elliot – drums, percussion
- Del Palmer – bass ("Hammer Horror")
- David Paton – bass ("Coffee Homeground")
- Kate Bush – vocals, harmony vocals, piano
- Ian Bairnson – electric and acoustic guitar ("Hammer Horror"), rhythm guitar ("Coffee Homeground")
- Duncan Mackay – synthesizer
- Andrew Powell – harmonium ("Hammer Horror")
{{column}}
Production
- Andrew Powell – producer
- Kate Bush – assistant producer
- Patrick Jaunead – assistant engineer
- David Katz – orchestra contractor
- Jon Kelly – recording engineer
- Nigel Walker – assistant engineer, mixing, mixing assistant
{{columns-end}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (1978–79)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 |page=50}}
| 17 |
| {{single chart|Ireland2|10|song=Hammer Horror|rowheader=true|access-date=26 January 2022|refname=irishcharts.ie}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|25|artist=Kate Bush|rowheader=true|access-date=26 January 2022}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|25|artist=Kate Bush|song=Hammer Horror|rowheader=true|access-date=26 January 2022}} |
| {{single chart|New Zealand|21|artist=Kate Bush|song=Hammer Horror|rowheader=true|access-date=26 January 2022}} |
| scope="row"| Spain (AFE){{cite book |last=Salaverri |first=Fernando |title=Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 |edition=1st |date=September 2005 |publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE |location=Spain |isbn=84-8048-639-2}}
| 35 |
| {{single chart|UK|44|date=19781119|rowheader=true|access-date=26 January 2022|refname=occ}} |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Kate Bush songs}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammer Horror (Song)}}
Category:Hammer Film Productions
Category:Song recordings produced by Andrew Powell
Category:Songs written by Kate Bush