Rubberband Girl

"Rubberband Girl"
Single by Kate Bush
from the album The Red Shoes
B-side"Big Stripey Lie"
Released6 September 1993 (1993-09-06)[1]
GenrePop rock[2]
Length4:44
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)Kate Bush
Producer(s)Kate Bush
Kate Bush singles chronology
"Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)"
(1991) 		"Rubberband Girl"
(1993) 		"Eat the Music"
(1993)
Music video
"Rubberband Girl" on YouTube

"Rubberband Girl" is a song by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush released on the 6th of September 1993 by EMI Records. It was the lead single of her seventh album, The Red Shoes (1993).

The single peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and charted for 5 weeks. It was Bush's last top-twenty hit in the UK until "King of the Mountain", which peaked at No. 4 in 2005.[3] The song was a moderate success worldwide, reaching the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand. In the United States, it peaked at No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Versions

Three versions of "Rubberband Girl" were released commercially: an LP version, an extended mix and a remix by American DJ Eric Kupper called the US Mix, which was released towards the end of 1994 on the "And So Is Love" single. The B-side is "Big Stripey Lie" in the UK and "Show a Little Devotion" in the US.

In 2011, Kate Bush recorded a new version of the song that was included on her ninth studio album, Director's Cut.[4]

Critical reception

Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song four out of five and named it Pick of the Week, writing, "With Kate at the helm any single would be quirky but by her own otherwordly standards this is Ms. Bush at her most direct." He added, "It's a rhythmic, almost raunchy, workout with the occasional outburst of rock guitar, strange lyrics—'if I could twang like a rubberband, I'd be a rubberband girl' is as ordinary as it gets—and a weird vocal impression of said office accessory being stretched. It is also a very commercial rejoinder and will probably be Kate's first Top 10 solo hit since 'Running Up That Hill' hit the spot eight years ago."[5] Everett True of Melody Maker felt that the song is "a little too uptempo for my tastes" and noted that he prefers Bush when she is "all dreamy and mysterious". Despite this, he added, "It still has enough kookiness to draw me under, and she's still the only artist for whom the word 'kooky' isn't an insult."[6]

Another Melody Maker editor, Chris Roberts, praised it as "a gorgeous, daft, groovy single with a bassline to shame Bootsy Collins".[7] Terry Staunton from NME wrote, "Kate's self-doubt emerges right from the beginning on 'Rubberband Girl', the relentless one-chord single where she wishes she could learn to give, learn to bounce back on her feet."[8] Parry Gettelman from Orlando Sentinel said that "Bush waxes positively perky as she struggles to forge a 'Sledgehammer' out of a flimsy tune, dopey lyrics and bouncy dance-floor beat."[9] Richard C. Walls from Rolling Stone noted the "pure pop" of "Rubberband Girl".[10] Tom Doyle from Smash Hits also gave the song four out of five, saying that it's "a bit of a shock because she's gone all funky with Prince-ish drums all over the shop".[11]

Track listings

UK 7-inch single, UK and Canadian cassette single[12][13][14]
No.TitleLength
1."Rubberband Girl" 
2."Big Stripey Lie" 
UK 12-inch picture disc[15]
No.TitleLength
1."Rubberband Girl" (extended remix) 
2."Rubberband Girl" 
3."Big Stripey Lie" 
UK CD single[16]
No.TitleLength
1."Rubberband Girl" 
2."Rubberband Girl" (extended mix) 
3."Big Stripey Lie" 
US CD single[17]
No.TitleLength
1."Rubberband Girl"4:42
2."Rubberband Girl" (extended mix)7:07
3."Show a Little Devotion"4:50
4."Home for Christmas"1:45
US cassette single[18]
No.TitleLength
1."Rubberband Girl" 
2."This Woman's Work" 

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1993) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 39
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[20] 47
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[21] 50
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[22] 21
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[23] 29
Europe (European Hit Radio)[24] 17
Germany (GfK)[25] 65
Ireland (IRMA)[26] 17
Italy (Musica e dischi)[27] 22
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[28] 37
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[29] 34
UK Singles (OCC)[3] 12
UK Airplay (Music Week)[30] 10
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 88
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[32] 7

References

  1. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. 4 September 1993. p. 25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  2. ^ Zaleski, Annie (8 June 2022). "The 10 Best Kate Bush Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved 17 May 2023. A few years later, Bush was still a modern rock darling, earning a top 10 airplay hit with "Rubberband Girl". Whimsical and quirky, the tune is a "silly pop song", she told Mojo in 2011...
  3. ^ a b "Kate Bush: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Kate Bush – Director's Cut". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  5. ^ Jones, Alan (28 August 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles — Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 18. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  6. ^ True, Everett (11 September 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 29.
  7. ^ Roberts, Chris (30 October 1993). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 32. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. ^ Staunton, Terry (6 November 1993). "Plimsoll Asylum". NME. p. 29. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  9. ^ Gettelman, Parry (3 December 1993). "Kate Bush". Orlando Sentinel.
  10. ^ Walls, Richard C. (25 November 1993). "Kate Bush: The Red Shoes". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2006.
  11. ^ Doyle, Tom (15 September 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 51. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  12. ^ Rubberband Girl (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Kate Bush. EMI United Kingdom. 1993. EM 280, 7243 8 80829 7 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Rubberband Girl (UK cassette single sleeve). Kate Bush. EMI United Kingdom. 1993. TCEM 280.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Rubberband Girl (Canadian cassette single sleeve). Kate Bush. EMI Music Canada. 1993. 4KM 80829, 7243 8 80829 4 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Rubberband Girl (UK 12-inch picture disc). Kate Bush. EMI United Kingdom. 1993. 12EMPD 280, 7243 8 80829 6 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Rubberband Girl (UK CD single liner notes). Kate Bush. EMI United Kingdom. 1993. CDEM 280, 7243 8 80829 2 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ Rubberband Girl (US CD single liner notes). Kate Bush. Columbia Records. 1993. 44K 77332.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Rubberband Girl (US cassette single sleeve). Kate Bush. Columbia Records. 1993. 38T 77280, 38T77280.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ "Kate Bush – Rubberband Girl". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Kate Bush – Rubberband Girl" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  21. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2284." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  22. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2315." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  23. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 39. 25 September 1993. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  24. ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 41. 9 October 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Kate Bush – Rubberband Girl" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  26. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Rubberband Girl". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  27. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Kate Bush".
  28. ^ "Kate Bush – Rubberband Girl" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  29. ^ "Kate Bush – Rubberband Girl". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  30. ^ "The Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 2 October 1993. p. 30. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Kate Bush Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  32. ^ "Kate Bush Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2019.