"Them Heavy People" is a song written and recorded by

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

, from her debut album ''

The Kick Inside ''The Kick Inside'' is the debut studio album by English art rock singer Kate Bush. Released on 17 February 1978 by EMI Records, it includes her UK No. 1 hit, "Wuthering Heights". The album peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart and has been ...

''. It was issued as a single in Japan only with the title "Rolling the Ball" reaching number 3, its only release worldwide as an

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

. The song is about religion, and the teachings of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

and

Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (; rus, Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев, r=Geórgy Ivánovich Gurdzhíev, p=ɡʲɪˈorɡʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪd͡ʑ ɡʊrd͡ʐˈʐɨ(j)ɪf; hy, Գեորգի Իվանովիչ Գյուրջիև; c. 1 ...

, among others. The song expresses an insistent desire to learn as much as possible, while she is still young. A

Seiko , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...

logo appears on the insert's back side, which makes it Bush's only commercial release featuring any kind of product endorsement. Bush also appeared in TV commercials and print ads for the brand in Japan. A live recording of this song was the lead track on the '' On Stage'' EP which reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979. In the Netherlands, the EP was listed as ''Them Heavy People'' in the Top 40 chart, making it basically an A-side. It peaked at number 17 in 1979. Bush performed "Them Heavy People" on several TV programmes including her only appearance on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' in the US and the short-lived '' Revolver'' in Britain. The song was parodied in a performance by

Pamela Stephenson Pamela Helen Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, and performer who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and co ...

in an episode of

Not the Nine O'Clock News ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' is a British television sketch comedy show which was broadcast on BBC2 from 1979 to 1982. Originally shown as a comedy alternative to the '' Nine O'Clock News'' on BBC1, it features satirical sketches on then-cur ...

in a version titled "Oh England – My Leotard".

Charts

References

External links

* 1978 singles Kate Bush songs Songs written by Kate Bush 1978 songs EMI Records singles Song recordings produced by Andrew Powell {{1970s-single-stub

Charts

References

Further reading

External links